[Kitsumi]

Donovan "Donnie" Hendricks, Stacey Carter & Justus Maher
{Post Count: 16/16/1}
Current Stats: ( ) = Justus
Level: 4 (1)
Offense: 13 (10)
Defense: 12 (6)
Precision: 9 (6)
Endurance: 14 (11)
Speed: 11 (8)
Fame: 16 (10)

~Continued from: Part I - Meeting~

"You sure you're gonna be able to do this, Carter?"

Stacey Carter, the older of the two men, growled at his one and only friend, Justus Maher. "'Course I will." He sounded a lot more confidant than he felt. Fighting, living on the edge, constantly having to move around and hide from his past life - all were things he was pretty good at. Farming? Eh...not so much. Actually, the idea of actually settling down and living a normal life scared the shit outta him. But he wouldn't show any fear.

Even if he didn't show it, Justus picked up on it. He could have easily made a remark about it. He knew that Carter wouldn't ever dream of hitting him in anything other than a sparring match. Still, he wasn't the type to rub in another man's fears. Especially not Carter's. So instead, he nodded, hoping to bring some reassurance. "Yeah, you're right. You'll do fine...we all will."

In an attempt to change the subject, he added, "So, where's Donnie? I thought he was just gonna scout out the area, see what's around here. He's been gone for well over an hour now. Think we should look for him?"

As if merely speaking about him could summon him into the room, the door opened and Donnie stepped through, face flushed and mouth set in a wide grin. "Man, this place is so awesome! There's an orchard just a little ways away, and the apples are almost ripe! There are plenty of corals for maintaining animals, once we actually get them, and there's even a pond for swimming or fishing in!" It was clear that he was a city boy, and the whole 'country living' experience was far more thrilling to him than it was to the other two men.

[Kitsumi]

Donovan "Donnie" Hendricks, Stacey Carter & Justus Maher
{Post Count: 17/17/2}

"Donovan, this isn't a vacation." Grumpy as always, Carter was already doing what he did best - rain all over other people's parades. "Hasn't our trip here taught you anything? It took us an entire month just to get those guys off our trail. Then we had to spend another two months making absolutely sure that they wouldn't be able to pick it up again."

Justus looked over at Donovan, younger than him by about three or four years, and shook his head. "C'mon, Carter. Just because you don't like it here doesn't mean that Donnie can't. Besides, wouldn't you rather him be happy about the area than grumbling and complaining about it? You were the one who said that you didn't want to deal with a whiny, emotional teenager. Donnie's making the best of things - let him enjoy himself." He winked at the younger boy.

After traveling with the two older men for three months, Donnie was used to Carter's attitude. It didn't phase him in the slightest, or do anything to dampen his mood. "Yeah, Carter, just be thankful I'm not complaining...yet."

Carter groaned as Donnie laughed, tugging on Justus' arm and saying something about installing a rope near the pond so that he could swing into it. The two exited the house together, and Carter settled himself into one of the comfortable chairs in the living room. There was one good thing about this place - there was plenty of room, both in the house and outside of it, so the chances of Carter losing his mind over Donovan's incessant chatter was significantly less.

[Kitsumi]

Donovan "Donnie" Hendricks, Stacey Carter & Justus Maher
{Post Count: 18/18/3}

There was a throbbing in Carter's head above his left eye, and he rubbed it with two fingers. This wasn't his ideal place to live, but he knew that this was the last place that his pursuers would look for him. They knew as well as he that he didn't know the first thing about farming. Luckily, he had been able to snag a large amount of cash from his account before coming here. Even if he wasn't able to make a profit with farming, he'd have enough to last him a while. Hopefully, by the time the cash ran out, he'd either have gotten the hang of farming or found a new place to stay where he could actually bring in some money.

~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~

"Carter doesn't like me very much, does he?"

Turning slowly, Justus fixed his gaze on Donnie, who was avoiding his gaze and focusing intently on the knot he was tying in a long piece of rope. "Well, to be quite honest, Carter doesn't much like anyone. It's not like you've done anything to make him upset with you. He's just...not the most social of guys. I wouldn't worry about it too much."

Still avoiding Justus' gaze, Donnie said, "But he likes you. Why is that? And how can I do it?" Now he looked over at Justus, a half smile on his face. It was obvious that the smile wasn't a happy one, but he was at least attempting to make light of the situation.

"I've spent years and years with Carter. He used to be a different man. But...well, he's suffered a lot, believe it or not." He sighed. "Honestly, Carter has every right to be cold and indifferent. His heart's been broken in pretty much every way possible. He only likes me because I saved his life by sticking with him when everyone else left or was torn away."

Now, Donnie was curious. "Wait a minute...how was his heart broken?" He glanced over in the direction of the house, as if he'd somehow be able to see Carter. "He never said anything about having his heart broken before. What's the story?"

"It's not my story to tell," Justus fixed Donovan with a firm gaze. "And if you want to know the story, you'll have to ask Carter himself. Although...I wouldn't do it now. Give him some time to settle in. And even then, don't expect him to actually tell you what happened. Carter isn't the type of man to share the stories of his past. Especially not the heart-breaking ones." He wiped his hands on his pants. "I'd better get back to the house. You seem like you're doing pretty well on your own, here."

Justus began to walk towards the house, leaving Donovan curious with several unanswered questions.

[Kitsumi]

Donovan "Donnie" Hendricks, Stacey Carter & Justus Maher
{Post Count: 19/19/4}

The door opened, and Carter looked over to see Justus walking in. "Where's the kid?" Carter stood, looking through the open doorway but seeing nobody behind Justus, who closed the door. "Don't tell me you left him out there alone. It's starting to get dark, he should be inside now. I'll go and get him."

"Wait a minute, Carter." Justus touched Carter's arm, stopping him. "Listen, Donnie...he's feeling pretty unwanted right about now. He thinks it's his fault that you're unhappy, like he's bothering you or something. I know that you don't exactly want a bunch of kids around, but Donnie's almost an adult. He's a bit playful and silly, but he can be mature and he's dependable, I can tell. So just...maybe think about giving him a break, yeah?" Without giving Carter the chance to respond, Justus headed into the kitchen to make dinner for the three of them.

Carter sighed. He hadn't realized just how much his attitude was affecting Donnie. He didn't mean to be so gruff. It was just the person that he was. He knew that his friend was right, though. He'd have to lighten up at least a bit around Donnie. The kid didn't deserve to be treated badly just because of...because of things that Carter didn't want to think about at that moment.

He headed out towards the pond, but only made it about halfway there when he met Donnie, who was on his way back. "Carter?" Donnie's voice didn't have it's normal happy tone to it, and Carter felt a pang of guilt. "What are you doing out here?"

"I...I was just coming to get you. It's getting dark, and Justus is preparing dinner so we'll probably be eating within an hour or two. In the meantime...what's that game you keep trying to teach me?" Carter racked his brain to think of the name of it. "Current Wars? Daily Warfare? That game you always play on the Xbox, pretty much all the freakin' time."

Disbelief and suspicion on his face, Donnie provided the title that Carter had been looking for. "Modern Warfare? Yeah, what about it?"

Shifting his weight from foot to foot nervously, Carter managed a small smile. "Well, maybe we could play that. I guarantee that I won't be any good at it, but it's worth a shot, right? Besides, it'll help kill the time before dinner. What do you say?"

For a long moment, Donnie didn't reply. Then, his face slowly brightened as he grinned. "Yeah, that'd be great! C'mon, I'll show you how to play."

Carter followed the boy, something stirring inside of him that he hadn't felt in a long time.

[Kitsumi]

Donovan "Donnie" Hendricks, Stacey Carter & Justus Maher
{Post Count: 20/20/5}
Stats Up: ( ) = Justus
Level: 5 (2)
Offense: 14 (11)
Defense: 13 (7)
Precision: 10 (7)
Endurance: 17 (14)
Speed: 13 (10)
Fame: 17 (11)

Once their dinner was finally eaten and the dishes cleared, Carter settled into a large, comfortable chair in the living room. Justus went upstairs to take a shower, and Donnie was left to his own devices, under the few conditions that he not go outside without an oil lamp or a flashlight or some sort of light, and that he stay on the property and be back inside by eleven. He happily grabbed a lamp and zipped out the door, leaving Carter to enjoy his solitude.

Sitting was nice, but only for a short while. After about fifteen minutes, Carter could not remain still anymore. He enjoyed relaxing as much as the next man, but there were boxes to be unpacked. Grabbing one, he started up to the room that was his.

Again, he praised the house for it's size - there were three bedrooms on the second floor, as well as two bathrooms, one attached to his room. Carter had been comfortable living in his last house with just Justus, but bringing Donnie into the home would have caused a close proximity that probably would have killed him in the first week. This house had little risk of that, and it was the one thing that Carter had actually been happy with.

Opening the first box, Carter began to ruffle through his belongings.

[Kitsumi]

Donovan "Donnie" Hendricks, Stacey Carter & Justus Maher
{Post Count: 21/21/6}

As Carter rifled through his belongings, he heard Justus' deep baritone voice singing in the shower, and he couldn't help but smile. While both of them could be tough guys when they wanted to, Justus was more of a sweet, gentle man. He enjoyed singing, cooking, and didn't consider himself too good for the small tasks such as sewing, mending, and cleaning. Carter was incredibly grateful for his help, and he couldn't imagine where he would be without his sole friend.

His hand touched something smooth, and he pulled the object to the top of the box. As he got a closer look, his eyes teared up. While his first instinct told him to put down the picture, to get away from it before the memories overwhelmed him, it was like his eyes were glued to the picture. He couldn't look away. With one finger, he traced the image of the woman in the picture. "Julie..."

"Carter, here you are!"

Startled, Carter dropped the photo frame, as Donnie strode into the room, smile on his face. "I decided to come in a bit early," he said. Noticing the picture, he leaned over and picked it up before Carter could stop him. "Wow, she's pretty. And whoa...is that you? You look younger. Who's the girl? Your sister?"

"Give that back!" The words came out as a snarl, which surprised even Carter himself. "Don't you know how to knock? Get out. Now!"

Donnie took one look at the fury on Carter's face, and turned tail and fled from the room, tears shining in his eyes.

[Kitsumi]

Donovan "Donnie" Hendricks, Stacey Carter & Justus Maher
{Post Count: 22/22/7}

It seemed that hours had passed by, although in reality it was only a minute or so, after Donnie had ran out. Justus came into Carter's room, and found Carter kneeling in the middle of the room, a look of complete and utter defeat about him, and the picture in his hands. He glanced over towards Donnie's room - the door was closed, and the sound of muffled crying was easily heard inside.

"Carter." Justus sighed, not quite knowing how to begin. "You can't keep doing this. I understand that you've been hurt. But you can't take it out on everyone else. Especially not the kid. I understand, you miss Julie. But she's gone. She's been gone for years now."

Without looking up, Carter mumbled something that Justus didn't quite catch. When Justus didn't respond, Carter looked over at him with red-rimmed eyes. "Get out."

For a minute or so, Justus was too shocked to move. Then, he walked out of the room, his face completely emotionless. He knocked on Donnie's door, opening it before Donnie had the chance to answer. He strode in, grabbed Donnie's backpack, and began tossing clothes into it.

"W-what are you doing?" Donnie sniffled. He was pretty embarrassed at having been caught crying - a boy of his age shouldn't be crying, he reprimanded himself. But he was more curious about what was going on. "Justus, why are you packing my clothes? Where are we going? We only just got here! We don't have to leave again, do we?"

Justus sat on the edge of Donnie's bed. "Carter needs some alone time," he said quietly. "We're going to go stay somewhere else for the night. It's about an hour's drive to the nearest motel...think you can stay up that long?"

Nodding, Donnie managed a small smile. "Yeah, I can."

"Good." Justus grabbed the backpack and slipped it over his shoulders. He had his own bag in the car, where he always kept it for emergency reasons. He had never thought that he'd have to go on the run without Carter. He looked over at Carter's room for a brief moment, and then looked away and shook his head.

"Alright, let's go."