Orphanage on Main Street

"Believe me, age has softened her..I remember when I was there." she gave a small shudder.

"But then, mercifully, my brother and I escaped as well. So I know your position."

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For the first time in her whole LIFE, she was being nice to someone...No wait. It wasn'ther being nice. She was just being sympathetic. Phew...close call...
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"Don't worry. I'm not turning you in," she finished," I woudn't dare. Just tell me something. Where are you planning on going since you're finally out?"

"Nowhere." Allison said. "Haven't got a place to go."

Alice nodded, "They...well, they never wanted to adopt us together..."

"They couldn't stand me. Don't worry, Alice. I'm not sensitive. I'll say it myself. Everyone adored Alice; but they didn't like me."

"Well, I can see why. They probably couldn't stand you, nor could they handle your wit." she said frankly.

"Let me guess. They offered to keep Alice, and give Allison back to the orphanage? Right?"

"Naturally." Allison said.

Alice looked extremely uncomfortable.

Allison smiled at Gabby, her eyes prying, "...Does the scenario hit close to home, perhaps?"

"Actually, far from it. I eventually learned to keep my mouth shut around the newfound guardians." she snapped to Allison.

"So now you're scavenging for a home, eh?"

"Eventually implies that there was a change over time. If you learned 'eventually' to keep your mouth shut, wouldn't that imply that at one point, you did not obey your guardians? Which would lead one to believe that you were, in fact, a problem child. Also, the fact that you said 'new guardians' in the plural would lead me to insinuate that even after you 'kept your mouth shut', you obviously still went from one guardian to another. Of course," the girl said, calm as always, "That's a mere shot in the dark."

Alice blinked at her cousin. She never ceased to amaze her...she herself would never have come up with that.

Allison merely stared at Gabby patiently.

Gabby stared blankly back into her cold face, blinking a couple of times.
"I'm sorry, I must have lost your point what with all the back sass."

"Before your darling little chum here opens her mouth to rid your chances of my hospitality," she turned from Allison to Alice," I'll offer once, and once is all, to stay with me as an interim guardian. Answer quickly before I come to my senses."

Allison studied Gabriella. This would be intersting.

"Oh, really?" Alice said, eyes wide and full of adoration, "Really and truly!! Thank you so much, Miss Gabriella!!" she exclaimed, clapping her hands and twirling about,

"Allison! We're going to have a real family again!"

Allison gave her a dark look, and her joy quickly faded.

"...We will never have a real family again, Alice" she said calmly.

"I make no long term promises. Observe one of my last sentences, 'Interim guardian'. That means temporary." she said slowly, as though she was talking to a mentally deprived child.

"Since I'm now your guardian, you obey my rules. You go my way. No highway. Understood?"

"I'm perfectly aware of what interim means." Allison said flatly, "It's the same as all our previous 'owners', which is why we can't have a family ever again. So don't expect me to call you mother or anything."

Alice sighed, "...So...you'll want us to go...after a while?" she said, sadly.

[haha I want ot bring in Fang so bad...how about you and Gale?]

"Egh, that would make me feel old.." she commented.

"Once I find you another suitable home, yes, you'll go to live with them. But until then, you'll bunk with me." she walked towards the door.

"Come along, I still have some shopping to do."

"What, you don't trust us to be left alone?" Allison asked quietly, following Gabriella out the door.

Alice strayed a little ways as they walked, picking flowers to make a daisy chain

Gabriella sighed.
"Just come along." she headed towards the butchers shop.

Allison eyed the knives, apprasing them.

Alice looked uncomfortable around so much cutlery.

"Relax, Alice," he cousin said, oddly comforting, "Knives don't kill people. People kill people."

Alice gulped, nodding her head.

Outside the butcher's shop, a young woman with white hair stopped at the window to gaze longingly at all the meat.
"What I wouldn't give..." Fang sighed.

She looked around for Gale...no sign of him.

Just a looksee...she woudn't take a bite. Fang set one foot inside...

Gabriella cocked an eyebrow at the girl, then gave the butcher her order.
"How about we back away from the pretty sharp objects," she ushered Allison away from the knives.

"I've handled knives quite a bit. I won't hurt myself." Allison said calmly, allowing herself to be led away.

Alice made herself busy by observing a mother bird and her children outside in a small tree.

Fang breathed in the smell of fresh blood and meat. Heavenly.

She sniffed a large hunk of meat...OHHH how she wanted a taste!!! She'd left Gale looking at something or other...and now here she was, in the ONE most TEMPTING place in the whole city.

The lady behind the counter came to where Fang was.
"Are you okay, miss?" her high pitched voice rang, contrasting to her large build.

Gabriella stared at Fang, her eyebrow raised, but said nothing.
"I think I know her.." she mumbled.

"Who, uh me? Yeah, just browsing..."

Fang turned uneasily, when someone caught her eye.

"...Gabriella?" she said, "Uh, hi...have you seen your brother? I seem to have...misplaced him...and woah when did you have kids?!"

Gabriella made a disgusted face.
"They're not mine. My sympathy got to me, so I'm stuck with them for now."

"And I have no idea where Gale is. Frankly, I could care less at the moment."

"So what happened with you and your muzzle?" she crossed her arms and took a step up to the counter.

"Iddaknow...Gale's been miffed at me about it. I wore it one night, of my own accord, and he swelled up and yelled at me over it."

She shrugged.

"And to think I was doing something thoughtful for him..."
She recovered quickly, "Well, not just for him. For Laurie and Aurore too, of course. At any rate, he's been kind of distant since then."

'Aaaaalrighty then..' she thought.

"A bit jumpy, aren't we?" she stared at Fang uneasily.

"Jumpy? How so?" she laughed. "Me? Jumpy? Never. I may be a lot of things, but I'm not jumpy...no siree.."

"Don't strain yourself trying to act calm...-er."

"Why are you staring at my order in that manner?" she changed the subject, and scooted the basket of food towards herself.

"No reason." Fang commented.

UGH she would have already done stolen the meat if this wasn't Gale's sister

Gabriella grabbed the basket and threw some coins on the counter.
"Uh...Come on girls.." she exited the door and walked quietly down the sidewalk, loking behind her every few moments to see if Fang was behind.