Warlocks are evil-- Detz

Where to go

Fitz couldn't go home.  He couldn't.  If he went home, they'd ask what happened then they'd never let him leave again.  Of course he knew he had to go home at some point, but just not tonight.  He needed time to think of what he would say, how he would explain it.  He also didn't want them to see the bruises all over his torso and chest.  Besides, he'd already called his parents on the imparter to tell them he was going to stay the night at Sophie's with Keefe.  That was obviously a lie, but they didn't know that when he turned it off.  So now, he waited for something.  A sign to tell him where to go perhaps?  A friendly face who would ask what was wrong.  Heck, if she were nice enough, Fitz would even answer to Stina at this point.  He just needed somewhere to go.

He thought about actually going to Sophie's house, but Fitz knew she'd worry too much and demand to know who the culprit was, even though all Fitz knew of his attackers was that they were warlocks who thought it would be funny to sneak into the lost cities and beat him up.  He also happened to know that she'd most likely call Elwin, which would cause a scene he just wasn't in the mood for.  Maybe he could just go to Elwin's house... if only he knew where it was, and if only he was comfortable possibly sleeping there.  Keefe's house was an obvious no, along with Linh and Tam's.  He wasn't keen on the idea of going to Tiergan's house either.  That left him with one option: Dex.  Honestly, it seemed like a good option too.  Kesler was known to be accepting and kind, and Dex didn't really freak out as badly as Sophie just so long as he could tell you didn't want him to.

Fitz stopped pacing around the leapmaster at Foxfire and shouted for Rimeshire.  The cold hit him, hard, and for a moment he forgot how to even out his body temperature.  Once he was at somewhat of a normal level again, he realized how little he'd planned this.  Sure, the Dizznee's were all very good people, but he really didn't know what he was going to say.  Fitz figured "hey, I'm too scared to go home and face the concern of my parents right now, so could I please stay here for tonight?" wasn't the best way to handle this.  Not to mention, it was about 2:00 a.m.  

Nevertheless, he walked over to the door, and loudly knocked.  After a few minutes, the door was opened to reveal a very tired, rumpled-looking Juline.

She sprang up almost immediately, taking Fitz into the large house, and even wrapping a coat that must have been Dex's around his shoulder's before asking, "Is everything okay?"

He studied her appearance, which consisted of a warm two-piece pajama set, and an extremely messy bun.  Honestly, she looked like she hadn't been sleeping at all.  And maybe she hadn't due to the fact that she'd answered the door so quickly.

Fitz then noticed Kesler and Dex coming down a flight of stairs as he answered.  "Yeah.  I just, um, could I talk to, uh..." He looked from Dex to Kesler, wondering who would be the best option.  "Dex?"

"Course," Dex answered, clearly tried, and, surprisingly, failing to hide his worry.  "Come on up."

"Wait," Kesler said as Fitz began ascending the stairs with Dex.  "Have you had dinner?"

Fitz didn't know what made him ask the strange question, but his stomach growl answered for him.

"I'll make something up really quickly and bring it to your room." Juline said with a small smile.

Once the two boys had finally made it to Dex's room, Dex led Fitz to the bed, sitting him down while he stood.  "Okay, spill."

"You have to promise not to freak out and run down and get your parents." Fitz said slowly, trying to think a way to explain the mess.

After a moment, Dex gave in, but he didn't sit down.  "Fine."

"Well, remember how that whole thing about the warlocks sneaking into the lost cities is happening?"

"Yes?"

Fitz didn't know how to continue, so he lifted his shirt, only revealing his abdomen and stomach, however that was enough to tell Dex everything.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------
F L A S H B A C K

Fitz coughed as he was repeatedly kicked.  One second he was looking at a group of warlocks in confusion, and the next he was on the ground, coughing and gasping for air.

Warlocks were one of the intelligent species the council had tried to befriend long ago, however they quickly realized all that warlocks did was lie and cheat.  Sure, they weren't all that different from the ogres, so the council made it clear they still wanted to have a contract with them, but the warlocks refused.  In the end they made a deal that they would never bug each other, never even mention the others species.  And that's exactly what happened.  Fitz only found out they existed recently, because there were groups breaking into the lost cities and causing crimes like vandalism and using their magic to make peoples pants disappear.  However, this seemed to be a far worse act then taking someones clothes away.  They were just hurting the innocent.

Hurting innocent people, for what?  Attention?

A group of five kicked and occasionally punched Fitz until he passed out, waking up to sharp pains all over his middle and left in an abandoned part of Atlantis.  From there he didn't know what to do, so he got to the nearest leapmaster and went to Foxfire, hoping he could regain his thoughts before he did something he'd regret.

E N D  F L A S H B A C K
-------------------------------------------------------------------------

Dex gently lifted Fitz's shirt more as Fitz tried to hold back an unnecessary blush.  He just wasn't used to people literally pulling his shirt off.

Once the garment had left his body, Dex gently put a finger on one of the red patches covering the bottom left of Fitz's rib cage.  He looked up, seeming to ask for permission, before pushing on the area that was quickly forming into a bruise.  Fitz winced with a small whimper.

"That's not good," Dex sighed, bending over a little bit more, trying to get a better look at the bruises as if they would speak to him.  "I barely pushed."

"Really?" Fitz gasped, "Because it felt like you just put your fingers inside my chest."

Dex shot him a sad look just before a knock was at the door.  Fitz scrambled to put his shirt on as Dex opened the door to Kesler.

"Everything okay?"  Kesler asked, his eyes showing concern.

Dex looked at Fitz before explaining everything to his father.  Fitz didn't move, and neither did Kesler for a moment.  He wondered if he was in some sort of shock and would run downstairs to call Fitz's family.

Instead, he moved into the room, asking Fitz to show him the bruises.

Fitz, once again, slowly pulled his shirt up.  He could tell it was taking Kesler pretty much everything he had not to gasp.

"Can I ask why you didn't go to your family?" He questioned.

"I just didn't really want anyone worrying over me right now..."  Fitz trailed off.  "I mean, they'd make it a huge deal and..."

Kesler looked up at Fitz apologetically.  "I don't think that's what would have happened, but I don't know the Vackers as well as you do.  Dex, would you call Elwin?  Maybe tell him that it was you who got severely hurt so we can explain it all in person?"

"Sure."

"Here."  Kesler said, handing Fitz a tray of some sort of stringy noodles.  "You should probably eat before he get's here."

Fitz was then left alone, eating noodles that tasted suspiciously like mallowmelt.