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NPCs |
Matthew Carpenter, Alecia Carpenter, Amanda "Princess" Carpenter
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Wyatt Halliwell pays the Carpenters a visit...in which topics of conversation include weapons, combat training, and... duct tape. Over sandwiches.
Oct 31st, 2016
Carpenters' House
Fade in...
The clock on the wall gave a little chime and Charity got up and went to the door. She watched as the bus went by on the opposite side of the street. It would turn and come back, dropping off her oldest boys almost in the driveway. With the bus running on time, she goes into the kitchen, leaving the small children to play with the large blocks in the front room. Alecia sits quietly at the bar that splits the kitchen from the dining room, ding her homework quietly till its time to go to practice. Charity busies herself making two sandwiches for her boys for when they come in. They are always so hungry and she doesn't complain, the fridge is well stocked now and they are growing boys. She puts a plate down by Alecia, who starts to eat it eagerly till she hears more than two voices at the door. She stops to look, chewing slowly as Daniel walks in, then Matthew and his friend. Her eyes widen and she swallows, looking at her stuff and gathering it up, shoving stuff into her bag, her sandwich in her mouth and then running upstairs. Charity just blinks at her daughter, then looks at the door. "Oh, Matthew... who's your friend?"
Wyatt Halliwell smiles, as he follows Matthew in. He starts to wave, but then pauses, watching as the girl makes her sudden retreat. He looks confused a moment, but then at the question he looks back, greeting cheerfully, "Hi. I'm Wyatt. Wyatt Halliwell. We're working on a project together." He has his own school bag slung over his shoulder, and he adjusts it absently as curiosity wins out and he looks around.
"Yeah," confirms Matthew with a bit of a smile over at Wyatt. "School stuff. Very hush-hush. You hungry, Wyatt?" Matthew dumps stuff over by the door and heads for the table -- although he 'forgets' to wash his hands before reaching out to snag a sandwich.
"Where's Dad?"
"Well, it's nice to meet you Wyatt. Why don't you boys have a se- Matthew wash your hands. And your father is out back in the workshop." She says it, looking over at Matthew and then smiling at Wyatt. "Would you like something to eat Wyatt?" Between the children int eh family room playing, the girl suddenly running away upstairs, it seems to be a rather lively house. "You can both wash your hands at the sink. Best to work at the table."
Wyatt grins to Matthew, and says, "Starving." So, it's probably no surprise when he answers charity, smiling, "Yes, please." The busy house doesn't seem to faze him, as if he's used to it. He heads towards the sink, following Matthew if he goes to the sink as well. But, he says, "Your dad has a workshop? What's he do?"
"Aw, Mom..." Matthew starts to complain, only to look rather chagrined a moment later. Dutifully, if somewhat reluctantly, he goes to the sink to wash his hands -- something he accomplishes in record time. "Done!"
Returning to the table, hands still damp, he reaches for a sandwich and beckons Wyatt to do the same. "Mom makes the best. Oh, Dad's a carpenter -- I know, it's... lame."
"Our Lord was a carpenter, son," chides Michael in a deep, rich baritone. "If it's good enough for Him, its -- ."
"Yes, Dad," Matthew interjects. "Sorry, Dad."
Michael makes his way over to Charity, leaning forward to give her a kiss while he tries not to get sawdust all over the table. "Thank you for this, Hon," says he, smiling. To Wyatt he adds: "Pleasure to meet you, Wyatt."
Charity looks at the boys and then turns, going and assembling another sandwich with lightning speed. She brings it to the table and sets it down for Wyatt with a small smile. "Well, you boys get to work. I am going to go check on Mr. Carpenter out back. Wood working can be very noisy, so I'll close the door. Alecia!" She steps to the family room and calls up the stairs to her suddenly missing daughter. "Come downstairs and watch your siblings while Matthew and his friend work on a project."
She turns just in time to see her husband come into the kitchen and smile. She returns the kiss, looking at the plate of sandwiches and then moving to make a few more. Hungry people in her house, always. It's about the time she finishes adding to the stack of sandwiches that Alecia reappears, coming down the steps slowly, her school uniform still on. She looks at the kitchen and then immediately plops into a chair and slides down low so she can't be seen easily, a book in front of her face.
"Matthew and Wyatt have a project to work on... which means Matthew won't be starting late on it for once." Charity smiles as she says, ruffling her son's dark hair and then going over to the sink, "Oh, when Daniel gets home you can practice with him. I finished up that project today." That project that's she's been working on for quite awhile now, should please the oldest boy that it's finally finished. "And when Matthew picks what he wants, I can work on that."
"That's not lame. Kind of cool, actually, with your name. But my dad's a handyman, which is close," Wyatt says, as he takes his turn washing his hands. Not quite as fast as Matthew, though still not as thorough as he probably should. He grins, reaching to take a sandwich, and then looks up to Michael as he arrives. Smiling, he says, "And you too, sir." Michael, given his senses, might just sense something about Wyatt. There is definitely something angelic about Wyatt, though not the pure sensation of a full-blooded angel. He sits down by Matthew, taking a bite of the sandwich as he sets his bag on the floor beside the chair.
Michael gives Wyatt a nod and a smile -- watching the youth for a little while, likely sussing him out. "You're more than welcome here anytime, Wyatt." He tells the boy.
Michael then turns to his wife and smiles while washing his hands. "That's wonderful, Hon. Daniel and I will get right onto that. The Bakers' contract is just about done, too. The Lord provided some extra help -- small company, family-run. We covered a lot of ground, so it looks like we'll meet the original deadline."
The big man takes a seat, says grace and starts eating.
Matthew's ears prick upwards at the mention of these family 'projects', and he glances between both his parents. "I saw this one in an online catalogue; Mom, I showed you yesterday. Could I...?"
Charity's blue eyes look over Wyatt for a moment before she smiles, "I like him already." She says it, going around the kitchen and cleaning up a few things around the kitchen. "Yes, you are welcome anytime Wyatt. And you should leave your parent's number just in case. Just before you have to go." She says it as she gets out some juice from the fridge. She gets down three glasses and starts pouring.
At the mention of the next project, Matthew gets a little excited and Charity sighs. "Go get your laptop and show your father..." She says it, motioning the boy away to go grab his laptop. While he's gone, she gets down two sippy cups, a spill proof cup and another glass. "Here Alecia, come get some juice for you guys." She's done pouring and tightening lips before Alecia even gets up. The dark haired girl walks into the kitchen, not really saying anything, just glancing at Wyatt and then starting to pick up the cups. Her cheeks are just a little pink.
Charity puts the plate of sandwiches and a few bags of chips onto the table, her eyes on Alecia for a moment. "So, Wyatt, do you have any brothers and sisters?" She smiles as she asks, placing snacks on the table for people to eat. She knows how teenage boys and working men can be.
Wyatt pauses, respectfully, as Michael says Grace. Then he continues eating, teenage hunger beating out questions for a few moments. But he looks quite curious as he looks between each of the Carpenters. Finally stopping long enough to ask questions, he asks, "What kind of project are you working on?" Then, he adds to Alecia, just as cheerfully, "Hi."
He answers Charity's last question without much thought, "A little brother and a little sister. And six younger cousins, who are pretty close." Then, he gets a sad look on his face for a moment, though buries it quickly, and says, "I haven't seen them in a while, though. I'm staying with an aunt... Great aunt, or aunt in law... I'm not sure how it works, but she's sort of my aunt."
"Sounds like you really miss them," Michael remarks with a tone of empathy. He pauses to dab at his lips with a napkin, and then reaches for a glass of water. "I know what that's like, missing family." He says nothing more on the matter, but offers a smile of encouragement to the young fellow.
Meanwhile, Matthew chimes in with: "Let me show you!" referring to the 'projects' his parents had mentioned. He darts away from the table, calling out from the hallway: "May I be excused? Um... yeah. Thanks!" The sound of footfalls hurriedly moving up -- then down -- the stairs echoes into the kitchen.
He returns some moments later, toting a laptop in his arms, and looking at his parents with a pleading, 'can I show him?' expression in his eyes.
Charity can only shake her head at the enthusiasm of her child as he rushes off, calling back his politeness over his shoulder. She sighs and then smiles gently at Wyatt, "It has hard to be away from family. But you'll be rejoined, you just have to keep faith." She says it, and pats him gently on his shoulder before moving back into the kitchen proper.
Alecia stands a bit frozen, holding sippy cups, spill proof cup and a glass in her hand. She stammers for a moment before mumbling a 'Hello' to Wyatt. She starts to walk away, giving a backward glance and then nearly getting mowed down by Matthew as he comes back. "Watch out, Matt!" She says it, a little loud and annoyed before turning quickly and going into the family den.
Charity looks over at her children and then looks at Matthew for a long minute. She purses her lips and then sighs, "If it's all right with your father, go ahead." She says it and turns, starting to make dinner, which fills the kitchen with delicious smells.
Wyatt gives a small smile back to both Charity and Michael, and says, "I hope so. Thanks." He takes another bite of sandwich as Matthew runs off to get whatever it is he wants to show, looking once again curious and a little confused at Alecia's reaction to him, but swallows and sits up eagerly as Matthew returns the laptop, very curious.
Michael beckons to his son with one hand, for Matthew to slide the laptop over to him. Matthew does, with some reluctance, and points to an image on the page... waiting for his father's response.
Michael blinks in surprise.
He almost spits out his water.
"Absolutely not."
Matthew's shoulders slump. "But it looks totally //awesome!//" he exclaims in dismay. "Daaad... I'd be totally bad -- ."
"Mind your language, son," Michael cuts him off -- and then turns the laptop around so that Charity (and Wyatt) can see the advertisement on the webpage.
It is for a scythe.
This is //not// the image Matthew had earlier shown his mother -- wisely, if somewhat dishonestly -- and the young man stares guiltily at the floor. The original advertisement had been for a pair of butterfly swords. Not exactly 'knightly' in appearance, but concealable, serviceable.
Unlike a whopping great big scythe.
To Wyatt, Matthew explains: "Mom makes weapons."
Charity turns when she hears the exclamation, walking over and wiping her hands on a towel. "Honey... what's wr-..." She stops when the laptop is turned around. She sighs and looks at Matthew, "Young man... that is NOT what you showed me before. And no, you know better." She shakes her head and and then just rubs her face. "Honestly Matthew."
Those blue eyes turn onto Wyatt and she smiles, "I can make weapons yes. I made a sword for my oldest son, Daniel. I actually carved some tonfas from some wood for my oldest daughter... oh, that reminds me..." She glances over at Alecia and then smiles at Michael, "Alecia has picked out her weapons already, though she said she understands she can't have them yet. At least they are reasonable." She says it and pointedly looks at Matthew.
"We believe in self defense, teaching our children to be able to defend themselves. The world is a dangerous place... and getting more so by the day. So, best to be prepared. We of course start with hand to hand and work our way up." She smiles at Wyatt and then frowns at Matthew again.
Wyatt looks to the picture, and then grins to his friend, agreeing, "That would look awesome." Then, he thinks a moment, and then says, "But kind of hard to use, wouldn't it? Big and slow, when a real fight goes really fast." He smiles again at Charity's words, and says, "That is really cool." He almost says something more, then seems to think better of it. Instead, he says, "I'm learning self defence, too. A friend of mine is teaching me. He's a private detective, and really good at fighting. He runs Angel Investigations, if you've heard of that."
At the name 'Angel', Michael sets down his glass of water and pushes aside his now-empty plate... in order to exchange glances with his wife. He is silent for some time, before finally reaching up to massage his bearded face, and gives a rueful snort.
"That Angel fellow surely gets around," he remarks coolly, then he looks back at Wyatt. "We've met him -- well, Mrs. Carpenter has met him. He was a Godsend... I should get back to work." Rising to his feet, the big man smiles at Wyatt, and adds in farewell: "It's a pleasure meeting you, Wyatt. You're welcome here anytime. Our home is your home." He pushes in his chair, goes to give Charity a kiss... and heads out.
"Absolutely no scythes," he calls back, which has Matthew grimacing.
Charity does look at Michael when the name 'Angel' is mentioned, giving him a look and a small nod. She looks over at the side of the refrigerator, where she has his card placed. Well, if that wasn't a sign to call the man, nothing was. She smiles a little as she puts the towel in her hands down. "Yes, I ran into an... altercation. He was there and it ended well. Truly a Godsend." She says it and then leans up to kiss her husband and smile at him.
With each little grimace Matthew gives, Charity just smiles and shakes her head. "You boys better get to work on your project. Wyatt, you're welcome to stay for dinner if you like. My husband will be able to drive you home afterward. Just make sure to give your aunt a call and make sure it's okay." She smiles, heading back into the kitchen and continuing her work on dinner, letting the boys finally get started on their project.
Wyatt waves to Michael, and says, smiling, "Thanks." He nods then to Charity's explanation of meeting Angel, and says, "Yeah. Helping people's what he does. He's really cool." Then, he nods quickly, reaching down to his bag to pull out a schoolbook, and a few sheets of paper which, probably, detail the objectives of the project. At the invitation, he smiles and says, "Thanks! She'll be okay with it, as long as I let her know, I'll call now." He pulls his cell phone from his pocket, stepping away for a moment to talk. He's back, quickly, nodding as he sits back down, pocketing the phone again with a smile.
Charity just smiles and nods, watching him stepping away to make his phone call. She's satisfied enough with that and goes back to cooking. Other than the sounds of Charity cooking, and the delightful squeaks of children playing in the family den, not much noise is going on. Matthew though, he seems to groan and slump down into his chair, getting his stuff out and putting it on the table. He doesn't do it loudly, not with his mom there, but it is an exaggerated motion.
"You know it would be totally b-... cool. Right? I mean... like any weapon could be slow and clumsy if you don't know how to use it." He says it to Wyatt, quietly, so his mother can't hear him. Considering his older two sibling choice of weapons, a sword and a set of tonfas, having a scythe would make him stand out more. But that seems to be completely off the table. He flips at his pages before taking out the worksheet and looking at it. "All right... which one do you want to do?"
Wyatt grins back to Matthew as he settles in again, and says, "Yeah, it would look awesome. But, I mean, kinda hard to carry around in case you're attacked." He thinks a moment, thinking back to Angel's weapon cabinet, and then says, "What about tomahawks? They're small, look really really cool, and even better, nobody expects them." He looks to the paper then, and says, "Well, we have to make a survey about noise and light pollution, you want noise and I'll do light?"
Matthew looks at him for a moment, considering. "Tomahawks?" He says it slowly, tapping his finger on the table for a moment, "Maybe." He says it and hten stares at the paper, "Yeah, I'll take noise... plenty of that here." he says it, looking over at his siblings in the family den. Alecia looks up at him and then glares, before looking at Wyatt and looking back at her book quickly. Matthew just rolls his eyes, looking back at Wyatt. "So, make up some questions, ask a bunch of people... and then write a report about it... sounds simple.
Nodding, Wyatt grins, "Yeah. It'll be easy. Well, except maybe getting 25 people to fill out the survey. Especially with so many people in class doing their own surveys. I know a few people who might, but not 25." He opens his book so he can start writing questions, then he says quietly, "There's always escrima sticks, like Nightwing, but... You better go with something that cuts. There's things out there... Things that can just shrug off being hit." He speaking very softly, now, not wanting to be overheard. But trying to warn his friend, even if he thinks he is breaking the Accords to do so.
The low whispering brings their heads in closer, a little secrecy in the middle of a busy house. Wyatt nods a little, considering and then looking around and whispering back, keeping his voice low. "I know... vampires are real. And there's like... a bunch of different kinds." He says it nodding and then sitting back quickly when his mother looks at him for a moment. "We can find 25 people. I'll just take it to church with me. They'll be nice enough to help with my homework. But we have to get it complete by Sunday." Matthew squirms in his seat a little as his mother stares at him, but then she's back to cooking and he relaxes. He looks at Wyatt, nodding a little. He's knows about vampires. Or at least that there are some. And different kinds on top of that.
Wyatt visibly relaxes as Matthew confirms that he knows at least one of the threats out there. "That's cool, we can get it done before then." He right at the question, even, before checking that Matthew's mother is looking away again. When she is, he whispers, "Other things, too. Werewolves, though most of those are good, there's at least one type that isn't. And other stuff, too. Just gotta be careful." He seems to decide to stop there, not wanting to terrify his friend. But, he seems reassured nonetheless. He writes another question in his book.
Matthew nods slowly, and then more after his mother isn't looking. He leans back in, listening to his friend and then nodding more. He knows about the bad stuff out there, his dad fights the bad stuff. His mom does too sometimes. He just nods though, "That's why they train us... to try to keep us as safe as much as possible. But then some of us don't get it..." He just sighs and shakes his head. "Be happy you're the oldest. Dealing with older siblings is a headache... and younger siblings." He says it and smirks some, leaning in and starting to make notes on his paper. "They tend to be stupid or weird... you know... except you." He says it with a grin and immediately gets hit in the head with a pillow from the family den. The girl has good aim.
Wyatt nods quickly, and starts to say something, when the pillow comes out of nowhere. He burst into laughter, and says, "Yep, younger siblings can be way annoying." Then, he adds, "My little brother is always trying to outdo me. Even if it means doing dangerous stuff."
Matthew growls as he gets hit with the pillow, turning slowly to look at his sister. Alecia just glares back at him. "Leech!" He yells it at her, which makes her cheeks go red... either in anger or embarrassment at the stupid nickname her oldest sibling gave her and all other siblings have taken up. Matthew just smirks, sitting back in his chair, "See... stupid or weird." He says it a little smugly before the shadow falls over him. "Matthew Reginald Francis Carpenter." Ouch, the full name, that was never good. Charity stands there with her hands on her hips and looks at him, but it's too late. The little ones are all chanting 'Leech' now in the family den. Charity picks up the pillow and holds it out to Alecia. The girl meekly comes to get it, shuffling back into the den. "You, young man, will do your homework, no more whispering about your siblings."
Wyatt quiets, not getting involved in the family dispute. So, he does give Alecia a bit of a reassuring smile, trying to show he isn't going to laugh at the name. Then, though, he just bends his head over the homework, though lacking an idea for a question at the moment, he just draws a small symbol on the corner of his page. A triquetra.
"But sh-..." Matthew starts to protest, but then thinks better of it. He sits in the chair and taps his pencil against the table for a minute before sitting up and starting to write something down. "So how many questions do we need total? Can we just split it down the middle or what?" He sighs, slouching some as he not only got in trouble infront of his friend, but had his whole name called out infront of him. His whole embarrassing name. Alecia just goes back to the chair and slumps down, the children pulling on her to play while chanting 'Leech'. "I know a good question... Do you consider children singing relaxing or grating to your ears?"
"Well, we have to show what bothers people, and come up with ideas to fix it, so maybe 10 questions each?" He looks towards the chanting children, and then back, "Trust me, it could be way worse." He grins a bit as he says it. He whispers, then, "Imagine if they had magic."
"Right... so... I say duct tape. Fixes everything." Matthew says it, slouching in his chair and tapping his pencil still. Though it does give him a little satisfaction that they are still chanting. He sits up then and starts writing again. "No, that's only my older sister." He says it and then blinks and looks up quickly. Charity must not have heard him, or at least she's pretending not to. He sighs and shakes his head, "Yeah um.... nevermind." He says it softly, scribbling more on his paper as the house gets a little too quiet now.
Wyatt practically perks up at that answer, and he almost opens his mouth to ask more, but he catches the glance to Charity, and takes the hint. He can ask about that, later. He scribbles a couple more questions, though looks around curiously as things get quieter again. "It'd take a lot of duct tape to deal with light pollution. But I don't know how to fix it. Cities need light. Maybe windows that turn black when people want to sleep, so the light doesn't keep anybody up?"
Matthew considers for a moment as he suggests black windows. "Mom splurged... as she calls it, and got us all blackout curtains. It blocks out a lot of the light... she said it makes up sleep longer in the morning instead of waking her up at 6 am. Everyone gets a little more much needed sleep... right mom?" He says it loud enough for her to hear him, making it seem more that they are doing homework. It breaks the silence in the house, the children wanting a movie on now. Alecia puts on a kids movie, something that will get them to be still for awhile. Though not quiet. The girl disappears somewhere and as soon as she's gone, there are footsteps and a little girl in a pink shirt, purple tutu, orange tights, and a yellow cape is standing next to Wyatt. "Hi... I'm Princess." She announces it proudly, standing on her toes and looking at the table, "What cha doin?" "School work. Go sit down and watch the movie Amanda." Matthew says it and tries to shoo her away.
Wyatt grins, and says, "Yeah, that's it. We can suggest that kind of thing when we do our paper." He jumps a little as the little girl practically appears right next to him, but he grins to her, "Hi, Princess. I'm Wyatt." Then, he nods, and says, "Yeah, just homework. Really boring compared to a movie."
Amanda (Princess) stands on her toes and looks at the homework. She looks at Wyatt's paper and points to the picture he drew. "What's dat?" She asks, looking at him with big round eyes. Matthew just sighs, getting up and starting to pick her up to carry her back. "Mooooom... Amanda isn't watching the movie she asked for." It makes the Princess pout, but then she waves at Wyatt. "You can sit next to me at dinher." She nods and then sticks her tongue out at Matthew and runs back to the movie. Matthew just shakes his head, "Duct tape... it controls children."