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“You really got that from reading my palm?” Eddie tilts his head.
”That’s what palm reading is,” Poppy deadpans.
“Pffff! Yeah Bull Boy! Y’know you really aren’t as smart as you think you are!” Elise chimes in with sharp words and laughter.
Eddie could only sigh as Poppy lets go of his palm.
Sailor raises his hand, “well, I think it’s cool! I can’t read at all!”
….
The three stare at Sailor, who is currently smiling awkwardly, the child lets out a nervous chuckle as the silence stretches on.
Then, Elise begins bursting into laughter, “You seriously haven’t learned!?!? Geez! How have you not??”
Sailor pouts, “I just never learned!” He tries to explain.
Eddie puts his hand smack on Elise’s face, his palm hitting the joker’s nose, “Just..ignore him. Do you wanna learn? We-well, I can teach you.”
The child’s face lights up, “you guys would really teach me?”
Poppy crosses her arms and leans back, resting on the foundation’s edge, “Bull guy probably can.”
The blonde finally pushed Eddie’s hand off of his face, “URGH do we have to?”
”It’d be great if you two helped,” the Brutal Bull sighed, “I don’t want to do this myself. Do we even have books?”
Both Poppy and Sailor shrugged, Elise leaned towards Eddie, who began leaning back away from Elise.
“Try asking Bones! He keeps finding random shit around here that no one’s even seen!”
“That’s good..and where can I find Bones?”
”I don’t know. Go look yourself Bull!” Elise puts his hands on his hips. The spirals in his eyes somehow look like they’re moving.
Eddie was taken aback. He wasn’t expecting Elise to help in someway, but at least he gave something. He gave a tired father sigh as he began to look around. He managed to spot Bones smoking by the confessional booth, “I see him. Any of you coming with me?”
The three stayed silent until Poppy sighed, “I’ll go with you.”
”Thanks, come on, he’s by the booth.”
Eddie went up the stairs first as the girl followed, there, they saw Bones leaning against the wall with a cigarette between both his index and middle fingers. The smoker saw both of them before they said a word.
”Hm. Miss me already?” Bones smirked.
Poppy looked up over to Eddie, “you were hanging out with that guy before the interview?” She raised an eyebrow.
Eddie took a deep breath, “it was with him, Vick, and Elise.”
“The weirdos. You have horrible taste Bull Guy.”
”He may have hung with us, but it was mainly me. And now you’re here.”
”Fuck off, Bones. We’re only here to ask you if you can get us something,” Eddie finally started to explain, “we’re..trying to teach Sailor how to read, and we need books. Can you get us some?”
Bones raised an eyebrow. His smirk was fully gone, “the kid can’t read? Seriously?”
”Yeah, he’s a lost cause,” Poppy added.
”Not the time, Poppy…”
”So, what’s in it for me?” Bones finally asked.
Eddie sighed, of course there’d be payment, “what do you want?”
”A lighter,” Bones didn’t even hesitate, “I needa smoke, so buy me a lighter, and I’ll get you some books and shit. Maybe I’ll even give you a cig yourselves.”
Eddie shrugged, “Fine. I’ll be back. Poppy, you coming?”
”Right,” Poppy began moving back to the stairs.
At the shop, Poppy was just leaning on the wall not doing anything.
”10 chips for a lighter..”
”You got that type of money on ya, Bull guy?”
”Actually, yeah,” Eddie grabbed a handful of chips from his pocket and started counting.
“That’s..a bit surprising. How’d you manage that?”
“Deals.”
”Wow. That explains a lot.”
”Don’t worry about it,” Eddie placed ten chips onto the counter.
The shopkeeper took the chips and brought out the lighter. They slid it across the counter over to Eddie, who took it quickly.
”We’d got it, let’s go now.”
”That was quick, alright.”
”You buy anything here already Poppy?”
”A sleeping mask.”
”I..see.”
The two quickly walked out of the shop passing Elise and Sailor at the fountain.
Bones was leaning on the rails looking down, his eyes following Eddie and Poppy as they made their way up.
“I got you your book, some Dr. Seuss shit,” Bones nonchalantly says.
”Cool. Here’s your lighter,” Eddie held it up for Bones to see.
”Light it for me?” Bones asked putting the cigarette in his mouth. A smirk tugging at the corner of his lips.
Eddie tried to look at Poppy for the situation, but a ladybug girl was looking away trying not to pay attention. The raven-head rolled his eyes as he made his way to Bones.
He flicked the lighter on, as a small flame appeared from said lighter. Bones leaned in as the cigarette began to light.
“You should really quit..”
”After the game I will,” Bones leaned against the wall again. Eddie leaned beside him
…..
….
Bones took the cigarette in between two fingers and exhaled, a puff of smoke coming from his mouth, “oh, here’s your book. And cigarette,” Bones handed Eddie the stuff as he put the cigarette back into his mouth, taking a deep breath in.
”Ah- thanks,” Eddie took the items into his hand as Bones took another exhale, more smoke appearing into the air. He took the cigarette out of his mouth and tossed it to the floor. He then stomped it out with his boot.
”Well, I’ll see ya when the game starts,” Bones smirked and went down the stairs.
”See you then.”
…
…
”Did I just watch gay sex or something, what the hell,” Poppy finally spoke, “You gay or something?”
”I-uh-actually yeah?”
”Damn.”
”We got the book now, let’s go,” the two made it down the stairs where Elise and Sailor still were.
“Well it’s about time! You both are late!“ Elise shouts at them.
”Sorry. Had to do stuff,” Eddie scratches the back of his neck.”
”He smoked with Bones,” Poppy deadpans.
”Well, I didn’t smoke,” Eddie adds, “only him.”
”But you did get the book, right?” Sailor asks, his eyes lighting up.
”Yep. Some Dr. Seuss book.” Eddie sighs.
Poppy sat back at the bench with Elise as Sailor and Eddie sat on the floor.
Sailor eagerly opened the book to the very first page and began, “W-own..fis-huh…t..uhm..twoah fis-huh..”
Elise went hysterical, just laughing in a loud and obnoxious way. Poppy was trying not to laugh either.
“I-uhm..you really don’t know, huh?” Eddie asks.
”I only know the basics and..the alphabet..” Sailor looks down pouting.
”HAHAHAHAHWHWHAUAHAIDHAOYSIDHAJA THIS KID SUCKS” Elise began rolling onto the floor.
“You don’t read without pictures..and you’re not helping..at all..” Eddie looks over his shoulder to Elise on the floor.
The ravenette looks back to Sailor, who was looking at the fish on the page, “okay..Sailor..”
”Yeah?”
”You see the S and the H?”
Sailor nodded.
”They make a ‘shhhh’ noise. Not s-huh.”
”So..fish? Hey I love fish :)”
”Yeah. Good job!” Eddie pat Sailor’s head.
”So..what’s ‘t-woah?’”
”Uhm.. you know numbers right? That’s how you spell 2.”
”Is it really?” Sailor tilted his head.
”Yeah.”
”Well..that’s kinda stupid..”
”It is, don’t worry. You can start over now.”
Sailor cleared his throat as he looks back down at the pages, “One fish, two fish..red?” He looked up at Eddie who nodded, Sailor continued, “blu-eh fish.”
Eddie pointed to the word ‘blue’, “you see that word? It’s just ‘blue’, the E is silent.”
”Really?”
”Yeah…how old are you?”
”Im 17! ^_^”
”Oh..that makes this a lot more concerning..”
”Oh…”
”It’s fine,” Eddie put his hand on Sailor’s back, “now turn the page.”
The goon turned the page and began reading, “b-luh-ah-cuh-kuh fish, blue fish, old fish, new fish!”
”Okay…Sailor, ‘black’. The C and K make the same noise so you don’t have to repeat them,” Eddie sighed(again..)
”Oh! Okay! It kinda reminds me of you Orca man!”
”I- why?”
”Because it’s black and white, like what you’re wearing!”
”Ah..I see.”
At this point, Elise and Poppy had grown born. There was still an occasional giggle or two from them, but they were starting to fall asleep.
”Tuh-his”
”This.”
”Uh..this one.. has a little star..”
”This one one has a little car. Say, what a lot of fish there are!” Sailor celebrated, his arms shooting up into the air in accomplishment.
“Nice job.”
The two continued reading, Sailor had trouble with a word or two about every page. Elise and Poppy were still snickering, Elise dropping a comment every moment he could. The goon slowly got through the book, though it was hell listening through. Eddie would have to correct him when there’s something wrong, Poppy would scoff occasionally, and Elise was just being an asshole.
As more pages were flipped, the better Sailor got, Eddie didn’t really have to correct him anymore, except for stuff he’d forget like pronouncing the T and the H together and whatnot, but soon he was fine. And Eddie too, began drifting to sleep.
Well, it was to when Sailor was on the last page, the 3 had fallen fully asleep.
”Funny things..everywhere! I did it! I completed the book! Eddie did you- oh.”
Eddie was knocked out leaning against the fountain. Elise had taken the entire bench for himself, so Poppy had to move and slept next to Eddie.
”Ah..I think I read too slow..” Sailor giggled to himself as he scratched the back of his neck, “I’m gonna go find Sandbag now!”
And Sailor wandered off. While, now he has gained the reading level of a kindergartener, he made progress! And now is able to read words! He went to Sandbag ready to tell him of his accomplishments of today. Hopefully nothing goes wrong later!