what was he doing? supply run. work. all of the above. it's no surprise to him that he's busy busy busy. even with knox there, healing, he's just, busy, busy, busy.

so needless to say, when an absol comes bounding up to his feet, he makes a curious face. one that clearly states, is that one mine? he realizes she is not a second later. but hecate's ball wiggles on his hip, this absol is familiar. where has--

"summer?"

he turns then, having heard his name the second he made the connection. a soft smile forms as he sees her, and then his ice freezes over.

what if that were summer? would you have killed her too?

summer isn't a threat.

the conversation sobers the smile right off of sam's lips. he's defeated, but manages to plaster on a polite smile for summer.

"it's nice to see you well and alive." knox will be pleased that she's alive, but pissed that i'm talking to her... what do i do, it's rude to just leave???

he's panicking internally, spiraling, confused.

Summer Atreides

everything about the woman's body language screamed that she was worried, that she was being watched, and he noticed the way her pokémon reacted to her body language. she was definitely scared, of something; of him.

that monster knox hated so badly that was buried beneath the surface screamed within the confines of his mind he'd built around it over the last few days. he was caging the beast and only knox had the key. but it roared, it begged to be released, just at a simple thought of that man.

"of course. do you have a specific place in mind? if not, i can take us to a secluded area. it's detached from the world of technology, and i can only get there with my gardevoir."

basically, she would have to be okay with him taking her someplace by herself... he was going to get shit from knox when he found out about this, but he felt this was best, and he'd as for forgiveness... again. besides, he didn't plan on killing summer.

even if she joined him, summer was a no-no, and summer wanted what was best for knox. how did he know?

because when knox was mentioned, the look in her eyes, it was like a distorted reflection of how he felt. it was a deep uncontrollable care. and it hurt.

Summer Atreides

sam released his gardevoir as she put her other pokémon into their capsules. she seemed genuine, she seemed nervous. it was a tell sign for a prescott apparently. he remembered what it looked like for sam to say he'd die for knox and for knox to immediately become so nervous he just started spewing words.

cute.

but that wasn't important. for now, he took his gardevoir's hand and held out his hand to summer.

"i understand the situation."

Summer Atreides

the bright open space in which they teleported was a piece of the mountain he'd found that looked more like it was a beautiful vacation home spot, and less like a haunted vallen on mt. pyre. beautiful blooms, psychic types rustling about in various areas. but the calm of the place had shooed away the ghosts.

"yes." he was in fact with him, and he did in fact stay with him. he didn't have labels but he knew that much. "he's recovering from his injuries well enough. we've hit a few rough patches," like his glalie eating marcus, "but we're safe."

though, it was only a matter of time...

"did your father catch me on the security tapes at all?"

Summer Atreides

"i understand, don't stress over it. if he had, i'm sure we would have found out about it by now."

he's not sure what more he can do, or what more he can say. does he ask summer what she is doing? if she is okay? has knox already asked her that? he supposes, for knox' sake, he'll ask.

"asking if you are okay feels redundant, given that you're clearly not; my proof being that you're crying."

loki wasn't the only one to join her in the grass. sam took a seat as well, and his gardevoir moved in front of him and began dancing in the small field. this was her favorite spot on the mountain. she twisted her body, hummed a happy song, hoping to give summer some of her happier emotions to lift her spirits.

"but what i can do, is ask... how can i help?"

Summer Atreides

summer is in shambles beside him and he's just silent. he takes in her emotions and categorizes them as not his own. they aren't his to deal with. he knows what they are, he recognizes them. she's worried and she feels guilty.

she's harboring so much. must have been a prescott problem.

"blaming yourself isn't productive. as a matter of fact, it's counter productive. if you blame yourself for everything that's happened, then you trick yourself into a false sense of control. eventually, everything will crumble beneath you, and the guilt will wash you away."

he speaks from heartbreaking experience.

"but you also can't blame others. where then, does that leave you?" his eyes go to his gardevoir, she's spinning and dancing like the beautiful creature that she is to him. "it leaves you... tired."

with a shrug, he looks to the grass and moves his fingers along it.

"the truth of it is, summer, is that it's just life. yes, there is a controlling factor hear of your father, and ultimately, given facts and witnessed accounts, he is to blame. which brings to mind, how do you eradicate the problem?"

he had a few clever ideas, but he knew he couldn't do it alone, and he didn't know of anybody who would help him given the chance...that, and he wasn't sure knox would allow him.

knox prescott

sam does, he's thought about it since the night knox got his broken nose. since eden looked him in the eyes and said to tell knox 'no' every once in a while.

he still hasn't done that, but he doesn't believe in denying people by simply ordering them about. he wants equal ground. he wants to compromise, he'll feel if knox won't break his heart in half when he does feel.

what a whirlwind that'll be.

but he knows not what is to come. he knows not that knox will leave him, for four days, with very little communication, for the very woman he's speaking to.

"killing him will solve any problems, but knox has said he doesn't want that, so my hands are tied." at least he's honest? "but getting him sent to jail won't correct the problem, because he'll find a clever lawyer to slither him out through the cracks."

which had sam concocting and brewing an idea.

"i've thought about kidnapping him and torturing him, manipulating him how he's manipulated you two. i've thought about burying him alive. i've thought about dragging him into with my own bare hands if i have to."

each time he saw the bruises he thought of another clever way to bring father prescott to the point of being just a name on a gravestone.

"but knox won't let me."

knox prescott