Post by Mitch 'The Broken' Heart on Aug 21, 2020 18:55:19 GMT -5
Emergency Contact
OOC: This is a collab with the ever awesome mystifyingoracle ! As ever, an absolute pleasure to work with. <3
Given the sheer amount of injured people who were cropping up through the course of We Are Relentless, the medical staff was kept quite busy. They darted about like bees, zipping out to ringside seemingly every other match. This, of course, meant some people were patched up and left to their own devices.
This was handy for having people not notice that you heal a lot faster than you should. Still, despite his unique circumstances, it didn’t mean that Silvio Leon wasn’t in a fair amount of hurt. It probably didn’t do his aching head any favors when his phone suddenly chimed, indicating a text message, and then another following, and a third following that.
The number was unfamiliar- not one of the Mystifying Oracle’s contacts. The words, however, were enough to grab anyone’s attention.
-Hello?
-Hello, is anybody there? My brother told me to contact this number if something happened to him and he couldn’t answer me.
-...is he dead? He looked dead.
-Hello, is anybody there? My brother told me to contact this number if something happened to him and he couldn’t answer me.
-...is he dead? He looked dead.
Looking into a mirror in the Carnage locker room, Silvio touched tenderly at the wound inflicted on his eyebrow. It already looked better than it had during the match thanks to Big Boss Spookitude’s ministrations, but it would definitely leave a scar.
DON’T PICK AT IT.
“I’m not picking at it--”
Wincing as his phone chimed, Silvio looked down at it, puzzled by the message. Maybe he’d taken one too many shots to the head. Re-reading the texts again, he slowly mouthed the word, ‘brother,’ before it clicked.
Mitch.
“Oh, shit.”
He’d mentioned his little sister after Silvio’s reading for their match had gotten a little too personal for Heart’s comfort.
-Hey! Pen, right? This is Silvio. It’s nice to meet you. I think Mitch is in the hospital right now, but the doctors here at Carnage said he’d be okay.
[/ul]
Making a face, Silvio tapped out the next message.
-He told me not to but I wanted to see anyway.
-Silvio? Silvio Leon? Yeah, I’m Penny. Penny Heart. Just Pen is okay, everybody calls me that.
-You got hurt too though, are you okay?[/quote]
Part of Silvio was incredibly touched that Mitch had evidently designated him as an emergency contact. That kind of trust was hard to come by, and considering how little Mitch had actually interacted with the Oracle, apparently he’d made a hell of an impression.
[/font][/ul] IF HE ISN’T, DOES THAT MEAN YOU HAVE TO ADOPT HER?
“Shut-up,” Silvio hissed.
-No. And no. I was gonna eat some sketty-o’s but I got distracted by the show and now I’m not really hungry. I mean I am but I don’t know if I wanna eat. My tummy’s in knots.[/font][/ul]
-Mitch takes care of me. He has to go away to go and fight but he always comes back quick as he can. It’s okay. I’m fine by myself but I want him to come home cuz I miss him.
-Are you sure you’re okay? You were bleeding an awful lot.[/quote]
Well, he couldn’t let that stand.
-I promise I’m okay. You’re really sweet for asking. But you not having dinner? Now, how am I supposed to call myself a good guy if I knew you were hungry and didn’t do anything about it? Penny Heart, will you do me the honor of having some pizza with me? I can order some to your place and we can have dinner together on FaceTime. Is that okay?
[/font][/ul]
-I really like Adrienne too. She’s my favorite.
-I’m sorry that probably wasn’t nice to say. [/quote]
Silvio grinned, checking on his phone for open pizza places nearby the address Penny sent over. After purchasing the girl’s dinner, he went back to texting.
-Mitch already promised me a special surprise, I don’t wanna bug her too much for stuff. I bet lots of other kids want stuff like that too besides me.
-Heehee, did Mitch tell you I liked penguins best? They’re so cute and brave. Did you know the dads stand out all winter in the cold with eggs on their feet while the moms get food?
-Hey Silvio? Is it okay if we facetime now? I know the pizza isn’t here yet but I kinda want to hear you and see you if that’s okay.[/quote]
His heart gave a little lurch. Unbidden, memories of days spent home after school as a child came back to him. Homework completed without help, darkening skies, dinner made with whatever happened to be in the fridge, calling around to different bars to try and figure out where his father was. Nobody Penny’s age deserved to be alone; especially if they were scared for the only family member who gave a damn about them.
-Your wish is my command, princess.
[/font][/ul]
As Penny’s phone rang, Silvio took a moment to try and tidy the worst of his injuries before she caught sight of them.
The phone is answered promptly. Silvio is greeted by a skinny young girl with long, straight sandy colored hair and large hazel eyes that were a bit red rimmed, though it seemed that Pen was finished crying for the time being. Her arm had several band-aids on it, sparkly pink and purple and blue, the latter wrapped around her fingertip. At the sight of Silvio, a huge smile broke across her face.
“Oh my gosh it really IS you! Hi!”
She gave an enthusiastic wave. The room in the background is fairly neat but shabby.
“Thank you for the pizza. I can’t eat a lot of it at once but that’s okay cuz I can have it the next few days.”
YOU’RE GOING TO LET HER GET AWAY WITH EVERYTHING, AREN’T YOU?
It might have been true, but Silvio didn’t appreciate being called out like that.
“Hey, any time! I know it must be kinda scary for you right now, but you know what? I will stay with you for as long as you want me to. I don’t want you to feel alone. And if you’re good and eat your pizza? I’ll even tell you a bedtime story.”
“Awesome! … Oh, hang on.”
She got up, revealing pink and purple sneakers that may have had an owner or two before her. The girl returned in a moment, carrying a freshly delivered pizza, a plate, and a glass of milk.
“Oh gosh this smells amazing. I would eat the whole thing if I could.”
Picking up a slice, the skinny child almost ravenously sinks her teeth into it, devouring it like a hungry wild animal.
“I tshted mrr blrrd sggr… hrrng rrn…”
She swallowed, wiping her mouth on the back of her hand and smiling sheepishly.
“Sorry. I meant, I tested my blood sugar right before you called. It looks okay so I think I’ll be fine eating this if I’m careful. I probably shouldn’t have asked for pineapple but I can’t help it, I really love it a lot.”
Her brow furrowed, and she leaned a little closer.
“I know you said you were okay, but is everybody else? I never saw so many people get hurt in one show. It was kinda scary, and that Davison guy who beat Amber kinda gives me the creeps. Even Johnny Vegas doesn’t like him and he likes ALL the jerks.”
“We have really good doctors who help out everyone here at Carnage,” Silvio reassured her. Behind his smile, though, his thoughts churned and whirred over Mitch’s words; his actions. Even the tarot reading the Oracle had done for their match.
That’s what the Broken was here for. That’s what the fighting money was going toward. Testing your blood sugar usually meant diabetes. Penny didn’t seem to fit the bill for Type 2 Diabetes considering her age. Type 1, though? The kind where the person was dependent on insulin? That was it. Mitch was fighting for extra money to cover the cost - a cost that, in this country, never seemed to level out or go down. The cards were right; Mitch was sacrificing his health for the sake of someone else’s.
It made his heart ache and burn; sadness and anger at the unfairness of it all lighting a righteous little flame in his chest.
“And hey, don’t worry about the bad guys! That’s what people like Adrienne and your brother and Knox and me are for.”
“Okay. It’s hard sometimes, though. The bad guys are really scary, like the rat guy. Mitch says he’s ‘complicated’ though. I’m not sure what he meant by that but he punched Mitch in the head so hard he stopped moving. That’s pretty scary.”
Pen fidgeted, looking down at her pizza and picking off some of the pineapple with an obvious tinge of regret.
“...Silvio, are you really magical? Can you really see the future and stuff? And if you are… do you know if I’ll ever get better? It’s kind of a bummer not being able to eat candy and sweet stuff and things like that like other kids.”
Silvio had never been shot before. Stabbed? Yes. Punched? Obviously. Thrown onto a guard rail chest first? Got to check that one off the list as of tonight. Shot? Never. However, if Silvio had ever been shot - specifically through the heart, in this case - he figured it might feel a little bit like the sensation currently radiating from his chest at Penny’s words. Probably less painful, but he figured it would be something similar.
“My readings don’t always know everything,” he said gently. “But I can tell you this - you are loved by your brother. And when we’re loved by someone that much? It’s better than any sweet. And Penny - you’re so lucky to have somebody like your brother that loves you! You know how some people have nightmares about monsters and evil things? Do you know what those monsters and evil things have nightmares about?”
“Nuh-uh.”
Taking a drink of her milk, Pen leaned forward, expression curious.
“What do they have nightmares about?”
“They have nightmares about Mitch Heart. He is so scary, that even the monsters think twice about messing with him. Now, if I were you, I’d want somebody like your brother in my corner. Because if someone like that loved me that much? I don’t think I’d be afraid of anything really hurting me. I know things might be unfair right now, but your brother loving you so much is kind of a way for the universe to make up for that.”
“I love him too. I love him a lot. I wish he didn’t have to work so hard. I mean it’s not that he doesn’t spend time with me, but he’s away a lot. Over there, or downtown at the clubs, and he’s tired a lot when he’s home. I just wanna be with him for a while, more than just a day without him having to go somewhere. But I know it’s cuz my medicine is expensive and stuff.”
Sniffling, she wiped at her eyes with her hand.
“I know some people might not think he’s very nice but he does all this stuff for me and he’s always done his best, and now he got hurt really bad, and… I wish things were different, Silvio. Like if we had a million dollars and I wasn’t sick anymore, and he could have a new motorcycle and not have to be a bouncer but he could still fight with you guys cuz I think he actually likes it a lot, and…”
She stopped, giving a laugh that seemed too world-weary for someone her age.
“...I guess it’s kinda silly to wish for all that, huh?”
It was all too familiar to Silvio. Little hopes and prayers whispered into the night when no one else was nearby. Turning to the only possible authority figure you could have when you were small and powerless and all the others seemed intent on mortgaging your childhood in order to extend their own.
Please God help my dad love me more. Please make me important enough to him to stop drinking. Please help my mom find a nice boyfriend; one that won’t hurt her. One that will let her see me more. Please help make me smart enough so I can get a good job when I grow up and not be poor anymore. Please.
THAT IS NOT WHAT GODS ARE FOR.
No. That’s what people were for.
“I don’t think that’s a silly wish at all, Penny,” he said softly. “Everything in this world that anyone has done started as a wish. I think it’d be more silly not to wish for things to be better. The world needs more wishes like that, and I’m glad somebody like you is making them.”
“I hope they come true someday. Hang on one more minute, I’ll be right back.”
The girl gets up again, taking the dishes and pizza box with her. There’s some soft noises off camera- clinking dishes, the open and shut of a refrigerator door, and very faint in the background, a few sudden loud popping sounds.
Returning, Pen sits back down, an obviously well loved plush penguin in her arms.
“Sorry, wanted to put the pizza away before it got all nasty. I also wanted to get Brrr. … Say hi, Brrr.”
The little doll waved a flipper, assisted by his owner’s hand.
“You’ve been really nice, Silvio. Just as nice as on TV. You don’t gotta stay there all night talking to me, though. Don’t you have to go home?”
“Hi, Brrr!” Silvio said, waving back. “I’m really glad you’re there to keep Penny company. You look like a kind, brave fella.” At the little girl’s inquiry, he shrugged and made a dismissive gesture with one hand. “Aw, don’t worry about me. I’m fine! If Mitch wanted me to be the person you came to if something went wrong, then I want to make sure I’ve earned that trust. Besides, don’t you and Brrr wanna hear a bedtime story?”
“Heck yeah we do! I bet you tell really cool stories, Silvio. What kind of story are you gonna tell me? Something scary, or adventure-like, or romantic?”
Tucking her legs under each other and folding her arms over Brrr, Pen’s eyes widen, her face alight with childhood eagerness.
“Well,” he said, going to rifle through his backpack, “I was thinking--aha!” Grinning triumphantly, he took a sketch book and a fistful of sharpies out. “When I was your age, my favorite story books were the ones with pictures in them.” Flipping open the sketch book, he pulled off the cap of one black sharpie with his teeth and began to do some quick artwork. “So, how about you get ready for bed and I get the pictures for your story ready. Once you have your teeth brushed and you’re all tucked in, I’ll get started.”
“Okay! Wait right here, I’ll be real quick. I don’t want you to get bored.”
No kid washed, brushed, and got into their jammies faster. It was about fifteen minutes before Silvio found his view changing- plucked up off the living room floor and carried down a hallway with watercolor murals of nature scenes painted on either side.. There were two doors at the end, the one on the left festooned with penguin stickers. Inside is a typical kid’s room. The toys seemed mostly secondhand as did the furniture, but there was a dresser and a bed and a desk, the latter of which was covered with art supplies and coloring books.
After being jostled a bit, Pen’s face filled the scene again, tucked into her bed with Brrr under one arm.
“Okay, I’m ready. I can’t wait to see your pictures.”
Silvio had propped up his phone in one of the empty lockers to get a better view of the pictures he’d sketched out. Clearing his throat in an exaggerated manner, he held up the first until it filled the camera view. This one was of what appeared to be an ice floe dotted with little black and white penguins.
“Once upon a time in the Kingdom of Frosta,” he began, “there lived a community of penguins. Among them, there was the Tattoo Penguin...”
He lifted his first drawing; a penguin in sharpie with lots of little doodles on its belly.
“...The Purple Penguin...”
The next showed a penguin in purple and white instead of black and white with a tiny sword in one of her hands and a butterfly perched on her head.
“...The Angel Penguin...”
The third penguin was black and white with face paint that looked suspiciously like Matt Knox’s. On its back were a pair of black raven’s wings.
“...And the Heartbreaker Penguin.”
The fourth penguin was red and white instead of black and white, with angry eyebrows and a black sleeveless hoodie.
“Everything was wonderful in the Kingdom of Frosta until one day, a big, hungry Leopard Seal showed up.”
The next picture showed a leopard seal splashing through the water with what appeared to be a muzzle over its mouth.
“This was a big problem because what do hungry leopard seals usually eat?”
“Penguins!”
Pen’s hands went to her mouth, eyes widening, Brrr held tight under one arm.
“Oh no! What’d they do?”
“Well, first,” Silvio said, showing her the next illustration that depicted all four penguins hopping up and down on the seal, “they tried fighting him off! But, that Leopard Seal was just so tough and dangerous, they couldn’t make him go away!”
Flipping to the next picture showed the Leopard Seal rearing back his head and roaring, the four penguins scuttling away.
Clearing his throat, Silvio spoke in a higher pitch, doing his best to imitate Adrienne. “‘What should we do now?’ asked the Purple Penguin in dismay.”
Switching up to take on Knox’s velvety slur, he continued. “‘I don’t know,’ said the Angel Penguin. ‘We did our best!’ said the super cool Tattoo Penguin. ‘But it wasn’t enough!’
“They all turned to the Heartbreaker Penguin, who said, ‘...I have an idea.’” Silvio did his best imitation of Mitch’s rock salt rasp. “‘I know of a penguin who is the wisest penguin in all of Frosta. If anyone knows what to do, it would be her.’
“And at once, the three other penguins knew exactly who the Heartbreaker Penguin was talking about. Because there was one Penguin in the Kingdom of Frosta who was smarter than anyone else! Her wisdom was known far and wide, and animals from all over the world - not just penguins - came to her to solve their problems. She was…”
Silvio pulled out the next picture showing a little black and white penguin with a colorful crown, a scepter in one hand, and a slice of ham and pineapple pizza in the other. Rainbows, hearts, and sparkles radiated from her.
“The Princess Penguin.”
“YAAAAAY!”
Pen bounced a bit, giggling, blushing a little.
“She’s so cute, I love her. Okay, what did I… I mean, what’d she tell the other penguins to do? I bet it was a really awesome plan because I bet she knows a ton of stuff about the arctic. Cuz the arctic is super neat.”
“Well, the Heartbreaker Penguin led all of his friends to the Princess Penguin’s castle.” The next picture showed a castle that looked to be made half from ice crystals, half from frozen fruits and ice cream. “And they asked her, ‘What should we do? If we can’t solve this problem, the Leopard Seal will eat the whole kingdom!’ So, the Princess Penguin thought and thought, and at last, she came up with a solution. ‘The answer to our problem is simple,’ she replied. ‘If the Leopard Seal is hungry, why, we just have to find something that he likes to eat better than penguins. And it just so happens, I know the most delicious thing in the world.’ With that, she raised her royal pizza slice high. ‘Ham and pineapple pizza!’
“The other penguins felt so silly for not realizing this sooner! Truly, the Princess Penguin was the wisest among them. And so…”
The last picture showed all of the happy Penguins and the Leopard Seal seated around a table made of ice upon which was a large ham and pineapple pizza.
“...They all ate the wonderful pizza and lived happily ever after.”
“That’s a good story. I mean I would’ve also said that the Tattoo Penguin could call his bestest buddy the Arctic Fox to chase the seal away, but I think I like everybody having pizza even better.”
She yawned sleepily, snuggling into her pillows.
“Thanks so much, Silvio. You’re the best.”
“Like I said - any time, Princess Penguin. Now, I’m gonna plug my phone in and keep it turned on, okay? If you need anything or you have nightmares or get scared, just yell, and I’ll hear you. If you wanna turn it off, that’s okay, too. But I’m here, okay? You’re not alone and we’ll talk with Mitch in the morning; I promise.”
“Okay. … Wait, you’re gonna stay at the arena all night? You don’t gotta do that.”
Pen yawned sleepily, but still blinked in concern.
“You gotta get some rest too, especially cuz you’re hurt.”
“Aw, don’t worry about me!” he assured her with a smile. “I’ll be fine.” Picking up his backpack, he balled it up a little and stuck it behind his head, leaning against the lockers. “See? It’s comfy. Besides, this place has air conditioning and my apartment doesn’t. It’s hard for me to sleep when it’s too hot, so it’s actually not a bad change of pace. Get some rest, Pen. I’ll be here if you need me.”
“Okay. Goodnight, Silvio.”
Blowing a kiss to the camera, Pen closed her eyes and went quiet.
“Sil. Sil! Hey, kid, wake up.”
The next morning, the self-proclaimed Oracle would find himself with a hand clapped on his shoulder, shaking him a bit. The first thing he’d see when he awoke was a certain Detroit tough, covered in bandages and bruises, one eyebrow raised.
“Jesus Christ, kid, did you not go home last ni-- oh.”
Mitch’s gaze turned to Silvio’s phone- the battery running low, but still showing an image, this one of a kitchen featuring a little girl reaching up for the box of Wheaties.
“...you Facetime with my kid sister all night?”
Silvio gave a little snort as he woke, blinking the sleep from his eyes as he looked up at Mitch. A number of florid bruises had begun to blossom on his skin as a result of last night’s match, and he’d fallen asleep before getting a chance to change out of his ring gear. It took him a moment to register Mitch’s question before he nodded, rubbing his eyes. He winced, snatching his hand back as it grazed the cut on his brow.
“Didn’t wann’ her to be scared,” he replied drowsily, shifting amid a few scattered penguin illustrations. “Bein’ a little kid alone’s hard. I was always scared goin’ t’sleep alone in my house when I was a kid.” He was being a bit more candid than he might have been otherwise, caught between soreness, sleep, and wakefulness.
“I know the feeling. I appreciate it.”
He gave a smile to Silvio that was wholly unlike the smirks or half grins he usually offered- it was something grateful, something that was, believe it or not, warm.
“Hey Pen! You sleep okay last night?”
“MITCH!”
Nearly dropping the cereal box, Pen scurried over to the camera.
“Are you okay? Yeah, I’m fine, Silvio bought me pizza and drew me pictures and told me a penguin story!”
“I’m good, sweetheart. I’m gonna get on the road soon, I just gotta meet someone real quick first. You take your medicine this morning?”
“Yup!”
She held up an arm, a new bandaid stuck on- this one with unicorns on it.
“Good girl. Hey, Sil’s phone is gonna die. You gonna be okay till I get home?”
“Uh-huh! I’ll see you tonight. Thank you, Silvio! You oughta go get some sleep in a comfy bed now. Bye!”
Blowing them both kisses, she hung up. Mitch turned to the younger man once more.
“I’m serious. I appreciate it. I’m sorry I didn’t let you know I gave her your number, you were just the only person I could think of that I could trust, especially since you knew about her anyway.”
“Any time. I didn’t...really have too many adults in my life I could trust. I just kinda figure I should try and be for kids the grown-up I needed when I was little,” Silvio said, getting up a bit stiffly and wincing. “Aw, man. I think I’m gonna hit the showers and follow your very wise sister’s advice.” Taking a moment, he gathered up the penguin illustrations and offered them to Mitch. “I think she’d like these. Oh, and uh, that reminds me. Before you go…”
He turned and fished through his rumpled backpack once more before plucking out the temporary tattoo he and his friends hadn’t used as part of their pre-match ritual at WAR; the Ace of Hearts. Extending it to Mitch, he smiled.
“Got a proposition for ya.”