The New Kid

Eric saw, and heard many troubling things from his Garden. his sharp ears caught every noise those dreadful people made, and with narrowed eyes he immediately knew action had to be taken... but he couldn't just run off with Ruth, that would hurt her far more than living there did... she had strength, she just didn't know it yet. he knew she hadn't skipped school that day, he had seen her there, how could that bastard think that Ruth was skipping school!? things had to change... but how could he change them without harming her own self confidence, what little there was? the next morning, Eric nearly missed first class. he had gone to the principal, and told the man that if Ruth was blamed for anything ever again, he'd be shedding light on a few... troubling things, he had seen in the school. the threat was topped with a very hefty bribe, and Eric had no doubt that no one would be calling Ruthaleen's parents for quite a while. he could only hope that it helped.

by the time he came into class, the bell had already rang, but he was looking much better. his lip had scabbed over, his black eye was barely swollen, though still very nicely bruised, and he was hardly limping at all. he sat next to Ruthaleen, but said nothing about the things he had seen the night before, he just grumbled that he was being made to pay the other boys medical bills. said other boy, was not in school, apparently he and his parents where hamming it up, and no matter what the hospital staff or doctors said, the brat was convinced he was dying. Eric had his own Lawyers on that, he wasn't about to be taken for a fool after all. the rest of the day was spent ducking and dodging girls who wanted to coo over his injuries. they only left him alone at lunch, when he sat down next to Ruth and set something in front of her. a brown paper bag, exactly same as the one he had. inside was a massive Turkey sandwich, an apple, a can of soda, and a pudding... that alone would probobly tell Ruth that Eric suspected something was wrong at the very least, but he said nothing about it, he just sank his teeth into his thick sandwich and watched her out of the corner of his eye.

"Ruth?" he asked suddenly. "i was wondering... how come all the students here pick on you?" he asked, looking confused. "you seam pretty nice to me, and your not weird or germ infested or anything." he admitted licking his lips. "did you do something? or steal something? kissed the wrong boy or what?" he asked, looking completely baffled. "i can understand being a social pariah... but not for no reason." he admitted, shaking his head. "so what did you do?"

"Thanks for the lunch but... I have my own. Infested... is a curiously semi accurate word. Let's just say... things used to happen and now I'm kind of paying the price for it. " Ruthaleen said before gathering her things, she had already eaten. She had worked hard to get to where she was now in school. Invisible. Much like those she tried to avoid so much. There weren't many here but there were enough that they were feeding off the energy the children let out and they were rather nasty. Half of the time Ruthaleen fell and it seemed like it was her own feet. It was actually her little enemies. At the moment her bag ripped out of the bottem and her full little bags of her own food fell out of the bottem. Her face went red, and she got off the bench from the table and started to grab her bags.

This always happened to her and the kids laughed, but nothing had happened. The bag just ripped out of the bottem and her stuff scattered. She was blushing hard as the rest of the kids nearby laughed at her plight. It wasn't really fair, after all they had left her alone for a lopng time. It had to be because of Eric, his house was always... well it hadn't been that way before. They all seemed to like him. "I have to go." Ruthaleen said softly, her things in her arms she pretty much ran out of the cafeteria and went to her locker.

he blinked, and blinked again, looking rather confused and stunned, his head tilted as he blinked at her. "...Oh!" he looked astonished as her bag ripped open and he bent down, helping her to gather her things, offering her a startled look before understanding dawned in his eyes. "oh! i get it, your cursed or something... are you being Haunted?" he asked, looking around as if he could see the ghosts. unlike the other kids, who might have said something like that to tease her, he was being one hundred percent serious, and unlike the other kids, who had once been afraid of her, he didn't even look phased. "Ruth! Wait!..." he turned his glare to the laughing students. "You lot aught to be ashamed of yourselves!" he spat furiously before shoving his nose in the air and stalking off with an armful of Ruth's things, which he stashed in his own locker since he couldn't find her.

he went to the library then, and sighed as he started on his homework.. or tried to, he hated his free period, he couldn't do his homework because he didn't understand it, but there was never anything else to be done. he was glad when school was over and he met Ruth at her locker before she could flee, her stuff in his arms. "you left this in the Cafeteria..." he muttered. "i'm sorry Ruth.. whatever i did to upset you... i'm sorry... hey, come over to my house tonight ok? i want to show you something." he admitted, offering her a hesitant smile, handing her, her things, blinking at her. "do you want me to walk you home?" he offered, his head tilted at her. "listen... Ruth... about your parents..." he muttered suddenly, glancing at her. "you do know... they need you, a lot more than you need them right? you could leave, if you wanted to... they can't control you for much longer, how long are you going to let them rule over you like that? i won't say anything to anyone... it's your business... but, i wanted you to know... if you ever decide you need to leave them. my door is always open."

Ruthaleen went red as soon as he handed her things to her again. She stayed bright red as he spoke about her parents. "I know what I am Eric, and I know my lot in life. Even if I tried to leave I can't this land is. Thanks but I'll come over later, don't bother trying to bother my parents Eric, what ever you are... What ever you are I will be friends with you but only if you don't mess up my life. I know your not normal either... I don't know what you are but your not like the other kids and neither am I." Ruthaleen said taking her stuff and turning ehr back on Eric. She was headed home. She would go to his house after she made dinner and set the table. They did have to talk. The fact that she knew he wasn't human was something she had been hiding from the begining, but other then that how she found out was impossible.

There was no humanly possible way she could know he wasn't human, that was sort of the point though wasn't it. Ruth got home and cleaned the house and did more schoolwork. She was content with how she was and where she was, Even how she was living. Ruthaleen after she finished cleaning and her work made dinner and set the table and prepared everything, she left the house and went to Eric's backdoor. She knocked and waited tonight she went for comfort. Legging and slip on shoes, a long tee and a pull ovber sweater like top open in the front. Her hair was in a messy bun and she looked tired and stressed but she stood outside of his house and waited. She knocked things out of her face that weren't there while she waited and she hoped he would open the door and let her in.

Eric blinked at her a little. "i won't bother your parents Ruth... it's your life, and i won't interfere in it any more than i already have. if you want to leave, it's by your strength that it has to be done." he admitted. "just as i found the strength to flee, you might too someday." he promised her, smiling at her. "until that day, i'll be content just to bring you the little bits of peace that i can offer." he flooded a light pink tinge and he coughed into his hands a little as he shook his head. "no.. i'm not like the other kids in this school..." he agreed softly, watching her leave. "and your far more important than you let yourself beleive..." he muttered softly. he didn't know what Ruth saw, or how she had been cursed, if she had been cursed, but he had no doubt she was an important person.

he opened the door on the first knock once she came over and he offered her a smile. "hey..." he stated opening the door all the way for her, watching her bat at things. "ah... so you do see things.." he mused. "good, i might be able to help after all." he admitted offering her a smile. "come on, i have it all i the living room, it took me an hour to find all the right things." he admitted leading the way into the living room. the table was covered in a white tablecloth, and on top of it where four books. "these are books on... creatures." he explained, smiling at her. "things humans have long since stopped believing in." he admitted. "what i am, is in these books... and what you see, what's causing all of these problems for you, might also be in here." he admitted. "and, if you know what they are, and you can see them, then you should, in essence, be able to control them." he admitted smiling at her. "you can see them for a reason, and their playing... er, pranks... to get your attention.. or to make sure you don't think you CAN control them. depending on what they are..." he smiled at her. "would you like to know what i am?"

"Goblins. hobgoblins, fairies and brownies. The list goes on. I know exactly what they are they never shut up. Wood sprites and nereids bother me constantly. They want to play, they want me to cause mischief. They whisper mostly, and I used to listen to them when I was a child. Now they whisper about you." Ruth said softly as she went inside and looked down at the books, wondering which ones they were that he had gotten. Why was he so interested in her anyways. Always getting in her way and trying to help her in school. Then butting in about her family, she'd gotten so mad at his eaves dropping on her family yesterday. Her parents were her own problem to deal with. They had a problem as real as her own.

"What do you think I am then? Before we get to you we should clear up your confusion about me I think." Ruthaleen said softly almost everything she did was soft or small in one way or another. She really was a gentle person for all her harshness towards Eric of late. She knew what she was and she knew why no one could see what she could see. She wondered however why Eric couldn't see them if he knew she could. "Ask me the questions you want to Eric... then tell me about yourself if you want me to know about it." Ruthaleen offered as she took a seat on his couch gingerly. She hoped this would take up some time because she would sneak back into her house a little later after her parents finished eating. They rarely ever spoke to her anyways.

he looked astonished, startled even at her list, his eyes wide. "you... you can see all these things?" he asked, amazed and astonished. "shit..." he muttered softly before shaking his head a little. "i don't really... know much about others." he admitted his lips thinning. "i was... fairly sheltered growing up.. my..." his face darkened. "THEY, wanted me.. malleable, i guess." he admitted before shaking his head. "i just don't understand why everyone hates you here... it's so.. weird." he admitted frowning, looking confused. "these creatures that you see can cause problems... but surely you can't be blamed for every little thing that they do?" he asked, before gaping at her. "you o... don't you... they did things, and.. they can't explain it away... so they blame you..." he breathed softly, astonished before he shook his head and stood up. "that's.. that's!..." he sneered. "human's are disgusting." he finally growled. "they really are..." he sighed. "but our kind aren't much better..."

he turned back to look at her. "so.. what are you?" he asked, his head tilted. "i haven't much had a chance to read those books." he admitted, sitting back down, picking up one of the books and flipping it open, stopping at a page and setting it back down so she could see it. the title was 'Lycanthrope' the explanation of what it was, was a human like creature that could take the shape of a single animal at will. the Wolf clans where the largest and most common, but there where bear, rabbit, rats, deer, tigers, birds, everything and anything. "i'm a White Tiger." he admitted softly. "my Clan are one of the rarest..." he admitted, biting his lip a little. "there are only fifty of us in total." he admitted, fidgeting a little, wondering if she knew of the rumors that floated around the 'immortal' realms about the White Tiger clan. hints of incest, rumors of sacrifices for favors from the gods, talks of child abuse of all kinds, and inbreeding so bad that some of the children had to be killed at birth because they where too disfigured to live. they where only rumors of course, but Eric was ashamed to admit... that not all of them where just rumors...

"Wait those are real? Like Twilight?" Ruthaleen asked looking confused and a little well horrified hopefully they weren't just like in the movies and books. "As for what I am... I'm the grand daughter of a tree Nyaid. A tree spirit. You know the really big willow tree just outside of town in the park. The one thats got a plaque and everything? That's my grandmother. She laid with my grandpa and they got married she had to leave after a while and my father is the direct decendant but he banished his powers somehow with grandmothers help. I've been forbidden to go to the park ever... and I haven't told them I can see them or anything but they know something is going on. I'm tied to the land and so is my father. We can't leave. Not unless we take a seed from my grandmother with us but they don't live long unless they are planted... So a weretiger then huh?"

Ruth had read all of these books before, when she was studying what was wrong with her. She had learned about herself by accident. "shut up! I don't want to hear about that!" Ruth said batting at something near her ear. "Sorry... they are trying to tell me about.... your cleaning habits." Ruth said her face going red as she began to blush brightly. She hated most of the fairy creatures because of their magic, she didn't have much of her own. "Tell me more... about you and everything." Ruth asked softly.

he smiled a little. "not really like Twilight, more like the Anita Blake series, but that's not important." he admitted, waving his hand a little before he choked on air, coughing and hacking as he realized that his only freind was the granddaughter of a Tree Nyaid! "h...holy shit are you serious!?.. they... they... their almost extinct!" he gasped, staring at her. "your father... he knows what he is..." he whispered. "he KNOWS, what he is! he's punishing you because he hates himself..." he whispered, swallowing thickly. "sorry... i didn't want to mention your family again.." he muttered biting his lip a little. "it must be hard, having to live here." he muttered. "the people seam so..." he wrinkled his nose. "they stink... their shallow... hateful." he muttered shaking his head before laughing brightly as she slapped at something.

"no worries, Were's aren't exactly concerned with nudity." he admitted with a small grin. "so you know i prefer bath's over showers, oh well." he stated with a small shrug before smiling a little at her. "my clan where bad people Ruth... very bad people." he admitted softly. "i'd rather not talk about them right now.." he admitted softly shaking his head a little. "Were's are powerful, both in human, and animal form." he admitted. "my Tiger form is rather very large." he admitted. "larger than a natural tiger anyway." he admitted simply. " even in human form my senses are heightened. my smell, my eyesight, my hearing." he shrugged. "i didn't mean to interfere in your life..." he admitted softly. "but i can hear both houses, and i'm a little more interested in your safety, than about the five year old on the other side begging her mother to let her keep a kitten." he admitted wrinkling his nose. "she is really very annoying, her mothers going to give in, i know she is..." he complained before smiling at her. "you know... i've never been able to talk to anyone about stuff like this... i'm not really sure what to tell you." he admitted, blinking at her. "...if your part Nyad?... how come things don't grow vibrant and green all around you?" he asked curiously. "do you not have that gift or is it just the seeing of annoying creatures?"

"I'll go to the library and get some of those books you mentioned then. I'd better know all I can about your kind... As for me... I didn't inherit much, I can see the fey folk... as annoying as they are, occasionally there'll be angels coming for people once at halloween I saw a devil... but if I try I can see peoples feelings. It used to be really easy when I was little. No my yard is the way it is... because of my father. He sealed his powers somehow, now nothing will grow around him and the fey all flee when he's around. He's kind of like... a big steel door that nothing goes in or out of anymore. But if I talk to trees... I can usually understand their needs and if I stay with them long enough their life spans double, and they grow abnormally large. I accidently kept a tree green all year round once." Ruthaleen said softly with a shy smile at Eric. She would remember to get those books and read them too, that was the almost scary part about her. "As far as I know that's all about me...nothing good or helpful just things that make me weird. don't worry I get hourly updates on you though!!!!"
Ruth dropped her jaw and her eyes went wide after she spoke the last sentance. "SORRy! I didn't mean that! I mean they tell me but I don't listen! I don't know when you're naked! I'm so sorry!" Ruth said her face gone a deep red and she covered her face with her hands as she seened to just dig herself a much deeper grave. She slouched into the couch as if trying to make herself dissapear, she was so embaressed she couldn't really face him. All around them camea very very light tinkling as if little bells were being rung. All the fey around them were laughing in pure delight at the situation, at her.

he nodded a little and then. "you knew, the Fey wouldn't be such nuisances if you gave them tasks, something useful... liiike... oh! tell one to dust, they can make a game out of it even. Fey are creative like that." he admitted with a grin. "the fey are causing problems because their bored, if you give them something amusing to entertain themselves with, even something as simple as playing with some glitter or confetti, or giving them some string, or sparkly bits of tinfoil to play with, they won't bother you so much." he admitted with a grin before looking impressed. "wow! all year!? that's amazing!" he admitted grinning at her a little before grimacing a little. "i can't imagine locking away your powers." he admitted shaking his head before looking worried. "...he won't try to lock your powers away too will he?" he asked, his head tilted. "and if he does.. you won't let him? your gifts, their amazing..." he admitted softly, blinking at her, looking worried. "promise me, ok? never lock away your powers... it does things to you, emotionally, and psychologically." he admitted softly. "it kills parts of you that... that are just so important to how you live, and love, and learn, and grow!" he admitted. "most people... they don't keep their sanity when their powers get locked away... where i'm from, having your powers locked, is the ultimate punishment.." he admitted softly.

he paused, blinking at her before he burst into laughter at the hourly updates comment. "boy! the Fey must like me!" he admitted with a loud, chipper laugh. "don't be so mortified! like i said, for a creature like me, nudity isn't much of an issue. when i transform, i can't keep my clothes with me, so i usually come back to human form completely nude." he admitted with a small smirk before looking startled at the tinkling sound, blinking as he looked around. "oh!... those.. those are the Fey! i've never heard them before!" he admitted, blinking a little as he looked amazed. "that's really kind of cool." he admitted with a small smile.

"Oh! go away!" Ruth said as her hair was being lifted and tugged on. She swatted at the fey he couldn't see and she fixed her hair. "They like to play but they refuse tasks of any kind. Mostly they pick on me and tease me. I'm apparently the funnest game around. As for my father... he doesn't know I have real power, he just thougth it was residual... besides apparently you can't shut down my powers if you want to call them that. I'm not so much magical as organic. Being a female.... well I am magic I think." Ruthaleen said still blushing pink from the fey tricking her into giving up the information about the updates on his nudity and his actions.

"They like you very much, they say you feel like their world or something... It's not so cool when people hear it and think you are doing it. Anyways if my father saw this or heard this he'd probably have an anurism... If you get some cat toys... They would probably play with those... Leave a dish of thick cream if you want help with chores. Never ever leave any alcohol around. I mean none." Ruth warned carefully, she wanted to know more about him but he seemed to only want to hear about the fey. To her it wasn't that anmazing, they were mostly trouble.

he laughed a little and watched her hair lift, as if being tugged on by invisible strings and he grinned. "you can play with my hair if you like, i don't mind." he promised smiling at her. "i am glad that you can't be harmed in such a way." he admitted softly. "i suppose the less your father knows, the better in this case... if you like, i know a place where you can practice controlling your powers in privacy?" he offered, smiling at her. "and of course, i won't ever tell anyone." he admitted before nodding. "my magic is very earthly in nature." he admitted. "to transform, i literally connect to the earth, and it reverts me to a natural form." he admitted smiling. "that's probobly why i was so attracted to you to begin with, you where Nature... in a sense..." he admitted chuckling a little. "Cat toys, i can get some of those." he admitted getting to his feet and opening his fridge, pulling out a quart of heavy whipping cream, and a plate, pouring the whipping cream into the plate, he left it on the living room table. "there you go guys, drink up, i'm happy to share." he promised winking at her. he figured, if they where busy with the cream, they wouldn't bother Ruth so much.

"... Weretigers..." he paused, hesitating and then. "we're led by the Queens." he admitted. "the Females are in charge really." he admitted simply. "the men are usually subservient unless their mated to a Queen." he admitted. "the Queens are top of the food chain, and then there are the Queen's mates." he admitted. "the Queens decide who mates to who..." he shuddered a little. "they don't care if your related, if they demand you to breed... you do it." he admitted shaking his head. "if they order you to roll over and bark, then you do that too." he admitted. "i was the Son of a Queen, who was particularly volatile." he admitted. "she was the top dog, even the other Queens did what she told them to do." he admitted sighing a little. "anyone who disagreed, or disobeyed her, where severely punished." he admitted simply. "if you had an opinion different to hers, you kept quiet about it..." sounded like Ruth wasn't the only one with a troubled family.

Ruth sighed and picked up the dish with cream. She took it outside and put it on the back doorstep. "If you could Eric would like to make friends with you and if would like to help him in the garden with things he would appreciate it a lot. This is his gift to you." Ruth said softly before going back inside and closing the door. "Half the time the neighborhood cats drink it but the brownies do like it. Even if it's only you acknowledging them being around. Though with me here I wouldn't be surprised if they did try to help you." Ruthaleen said before sitting back down on the couch. "If it makes you feel any better after I was born and hints of weirdness around me began my mother stopped talking to me. I think I was around two or three when plants would get better if I was around and I would laugh at things that wasn't there. Mother had a breakdown. She was in therapy for a long time. After she got back... She can't even look at me anymore."

ruth sighed softly and sat near Eric. "Look I know you want to help... but I really can't go anywhere. I have to stay here and take care of my parents. Even if my mother has to live without remembering I'm her daughter. I'm sorry your mother was so bad. But you got away right? You've come here." Ruth asked softly as she put her hand on his knees. She hoped his life wasn't as lonely as her own. Knowing she was different from anyone... from everyone, knowing she was the only person in the world that was like she was. It was terribly lonely.

he blinked a little, his head tilted as he watched her. "oh... right." he chuckled a little. "i was actually trying to distract the ones who where playing with your hair." he admitted with a small chuckle. "i'm glad to help the brownies though." he admitted with a nod. "i'd love their help, my poor garden just isn't doing well... i think someone spread too many pesticides out there or something." he admitted with a shake of his head before looking at her with utter shock. "...oh, i see..." he was quiet now, staring at her with astonishment. "your such a good person Ruth." he muttered softly. "taking care of those people... i won't say anything about it anymore." he promised softly. "just know that if you ever have to get out, even just for an hour... my house is always open to you, even if i'm not here." he promised smiling as he settled something into her hand. a key to his house. "so no matter what, you can have a safe place to hide."

"...i did get away." he admitted, his eyes going haunted. "but escaping came at a price, i wasn't willing to pay." he admitted smiling at her a little. "sorry... i'm, i guess i'm just feeling lonely today... all those humans at the school, they want to be my freind... because i'm new, and i'm handsome, and i'm different... but." he shook his head. "they can't ever really know me, you know? they won't want to, i know that for a fact..." he sighed and stood up. "well, shall i order us something to eat?" he offered. "i'm starved half to death, and there's a nice Mexican place that delivers out here." he admitted with a small grin. "i'll order us some fried ice-cream! i love fried Ice-Cream!" he was pushing himself away from his past, it had touched on subjects he wasn't ready yet to deal with.

"I'll... Help with your garden tomorrow. Right after school, no one's around at thet time. I don't know what I'll do but I'll do something. I've never had mexican before... or fried ice cream." Ruthaleen admitted with a face of almost disgust on her face at the thought of fried ice cream. She didn't even really know how that worked out. But he was done talking about himself, and she could respect that. She had only told him enough to stop questioning her as well. But it was wierd, having someone know what she could see and believe her. Not only that but... still want to be around and have fun with her. She didn't even know how to have fun. As for the key... she would only use it for an emergency.

No one bothered her once she was in her room, having someone to actually talk to... might get her in more trouble though. She wasn't sure what she was going to do, it was true he was very handsome, and very different. Very. But he might try to take her to the park... to her grandmother. Ruth didn't know if that was a good idea or not. She had seen pictures of her grandmother but had never met her and her father had expressly forbid it from ever happening. But then again with his powers sealed how would he know?

he smiled at her a little but shook his head. "no... you can't help, it's too close to your house, someone might see and tell your father and i don't want to get you into that kind of trouble." he admitted with a shake of his head. "if your parents don't know, you should keep it that way... if they act like this to you now, when your apparently unaware... i fear the reaction they might have when they know your using your powers, even if you can't help it." he admitted. "you should keep it a secrete for now. at least until you can find your own place to live, legally anyway." he admitted shaking his head. he fed her Chinese, and showed her how the fried ice-cream was deep fried, and then frozen again, tasting like wonderfulness. he had to admit, he had no idea how one deep fried ice-cream without killing the ice-cream, but he loved it, and ate whatever she didn't, or wouldn't. he wished her a good night, and smiled as he watched her go home, his head tilted a little, and he sighed as he looked around his house.

"...i should learn how to clean..." he grumbled, glancing around the house. "...if there are any little Fey around here... i've got some more heavy cream... and honey... and some strawberries, and some chocolate ice-cream for you if you help me keep my house clean!" he admitted, looking around to see if the offer was taken before laying out the items anyway and heading for bed. he was at school rather late the next morning, yawning as he slumped into his seat with a grumble of a hello as he rubbed his eyes. clearly, someone had overslept by a lot. "remind me... never to ask the Fey to clean again." whether they had been cleaning, or had just wanted to make a lot of noises... there was no telling, but the thuds, and thumps, and little crashes he had heard all night had kept him from sleeping. "at least they enjoyed the strawberries." he grumbled with a small snort of disgust. "they made a horrid mess of my house..." he admitted, sulking. "i asked them to clean and instead they knocked all the stuff off my shelves... i guess bribing them wasn't one of my brightest of ideas." he admitted blinking at her. "how did you sleep? better than i did i hope."

"No it wouldn't have worked anyways, they like playing tricks on people. But the more you feed them and the less you ask of them the nicer they'll get. Your garden was completely weed free though, and apparently they either tilled or added fertilizer too, at least the Brownies did. They are usually helpful if your kind enough." Ruthaleen said very softly, she didn't want to discuss things out loud, or the picking would start again. Besides as long as her own yard was half dead and mowed the proper length her parents didn't pay attention otherwise. Or at least her father didn't. "I slept well enough, I've got the next two weeks worth of school work put into notes... I'll bring them over tonight and help you catch up and maybe even get aheada little."

Ruth very serious about helping him with his garden, and it should work just by sitting on the ground and helping him with homework, at least that's what she did when the tree responded. "If you need help cleaning, I can help with that too Eric." Ruthaleen offered softly, he was the first person to know her secret and still want to be her friend, she wanted to do as much as she could to help him with his too. After all, in her reading of books that's what friends did, they helped each other whenever the other needed help. So that's what she was going to do. whether she had to be crafty about it or not.

he chuckled a little and nodded. "well, i'll just leave honey and strawberries out every night... they like those things right? they didn't seam to eat any of the chocolate ice-cream i left out." he admitted, speaking just as quietly as she was. "i'll have to thank the brownies, i wasn't awake enough this morning to notice." he admitted sheepishly before blinking at her. "oh! you don't have to do that...!" he protested, startled. "that's too much work just for a tutoring..." he protested before flushing a bright red. "uh... thanks but i think i'll learn how to clean on my own... the Fairies spread my underwear all over the house..." he admitted sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head. he smiled at her a little, his head tilted. "you know... you really are kind." he admitted, smiling at her. "i've never known someone who was as nice as you.. i mean, some people will act nice to get attention... but your just... naturally nice." he admitted with a smile at her.

class started, and once again, no one bothered Ruth, Wary of Eric's temper. he had said she was nice, but he was just as kind as she was, helping anyone who needed it. but as nice as he was, he could also be cruel, anyone who got bullied got his protection, for the first time in recorded history, the bullies where scared, and the nerds where safe. Eric just, all around seamed to have a problem with anyone who thought they where better than someone else, and during lunch he gave the lead cheerleader such a tongue lashing that she ran out of the lunchroom sobbing, because she had shoved one of the chubbier girls and called her an 'oinker'. Eric clearly had a temper, but he never lost control of it, aside from that first fight, he'd never so much as raised his fist. so he had a temper, yes, but he didn't do anything that the school could do anything about, not that any of them would with Eric's combinations of bribes and threats, no one was going to do anything to him, even if he stripped naked and ran through the halls screaming... it was almost like he was single-handedly trying to change the way the world worked, starting with the school.

Ruthaleen smiled at Erik and kept silent. As long as her parents didn't see or hear about her actively trying to use her powers then it would be fine. She waited until the school day was over and she gathered her things quickly and was soon on her way. It was only a twenty minute walk home and she learned a very long time ago taking the bus was far more dangerous then walking alone on her way home. Besides she wasn't ever really alone, not with all the fairies and whatever following her around all the time and getting in hey way. Usually they only picked on her but occasionally they would strike out at other people if they had ill intent.

SHe got home though and cleaned up a bit and got food started in the slow cooker, she would take the longer route of cooking today so she could go and tutor her neighbor and new found friend and help him in his garden. Which is what she was doing in the yard, before she went inside or even to the door. All the weeds from the garden were piled in one spot together, the dirt was freshly churned and smelled bad. But Ruthaleen sat down on the edge where there was stull grass and she breathed deeply and tried to find that content feeling she always got when reading under the trees or on the lawn. She knew it had to do with something when it came to her powers.

Erik was late on his way home, because he walked and took a wrong turn because he was distracted thinking about ways that he could make Ruth's life better. he got home just as she was settling int his Garden and he smiled a little as he watched her from his Doorway, his head tilted a little as he studied her. "you look really happy when you do that." he muttered softly, smiling a little. "like there's nothing at all to worry about." he admitted, smiling at her, looking rather at peace himself. as if seeing her happy made him happy too. "well, if your hungry, i have Pizza Rolls." he offered her, smiling a little more. "i got lost on my way home and stopped at the grocery." he admitted with a chuckle. "i really have to remember not to think so hard when walking home, i take wrong turns." he complained, shaking his head as he headed back inside to clean up the mess that the Fey had left for him, grumbling as he realized they had stuffed a pair of his boxers into the microwave, and weaved another pair into the blinds. there where feathers all over the place from his feather duster, which was nothing more than a wooden handle now.

he put the Pizza rolls into the oven and set out a bowl of coffee creamer out on the counter for the Fey that had followed him inside, he'd run out of whipping cream... and went to clean up the mess of movies that the Fey had flung everywhere. at least none of the movies where broken... though he DID wonder how hos boxers had been crammed into some of the cases... and the VCR. "jeez! i didn't even know i HAD this many underwear! what did you little tykes do? raid the underwear department at the grocery store?" he asked as he held up a pair of white boxers with little red hearts all over. "now i KNOW i don't own boxers like these..." he muttered, looking a little baffled. "their not even in my size!"

"If you want to protect your underwear get some wolfsbane and let it dry, once it's dry put a small bundle on top of your dresser and beneath it. They HATE wolfsbane." Ruthaleen said, she got up off the ground and patted her pants clean. She followed him inside and giggled as he was so surprised at finding his underwear all over the place. "It would probably be best to tell them you wouldn't mind help but nothing else. They like dollhouses too, and the little furniture that comes with it. Ruthaleen laughed when he held up the heart boxers. "Oh they find them drying on lines and take them, they are horrible evil little tricksters, and ugh! Perverts! They don't care for the smell of sage either so you could sprinkle that around your important stuff too, but if they want to mess with you bad enough they'll do it anyways. They aren't like tinkerbell, disney makes them seem swwet and caring, they aren't they are mean most of the time, and horny almost all of the time."

Ruth blushed softly telling him about them. It was so wierd she had never been able to talk about any of this stuff before to anyone and yet here she was talking to Erik as if she'd known him forever. She sat on the couch though and kept her hands to herself and on her lap. Not only that but she felt awekward in his house while he was cleaning. And he had caught her in the yard while she was trying to work on his garden. He had told her not to and it was a bad idea but she wanted to help.

he choked at the word Wolsbane and shook his head hard. "you do realize that wereanimals are highly allergic to Wolsbane right? it's not just werewolves." he admitted blinking at her. "just having it in my house could make me very sick." he admitted shaking his head a little. "and i am NOT buying a Dollhouse! i'm girly enough as it is!" he complained with a roll of his eyes, snickering at her comment of the fey being perverts. "i knew fey weren't sweet but i didn't realize they where tricksters." he complained with a small chuckle. "but as to the horny thing, their basically your average male teenager hmm?" he asked grinning with a laugh as he pulled a thong out of a book. "...oh my god..." he was blushing furiously as he held up the leopard print man thong. "...now their just being cruel." he whined, sighing a little. "memo to self... don't hang clothes on a clothesline..." he muttered shaking his head before pausing. "hey! the Fey are the ones who steal socks aren't they!?" he demanded, astonished. "that's why i always end up missing socks!" he complained, shaking his head. "i suppose it could be worse..." he mused shaking his head as he gathered all the underwear into a clothes basket, blinking at her.

"you know... i'm not going to yell at you if you relax or if you touch something." he promised her, looking amused. "i'm going to go run a load of laundry quick." he admitted. "make yourself comfortable." he ordered playfully, vanishing to do laundry. as soon as he left, several of the Fey appeared to knock the books he'd just put away, back onto the floor. giggling. the book had said that Werecreatures where favored targets of Fey, something about amusing reactions and power attracting power. when Eric came back down, he could only groan as he saw the books on the floor again, shaking his head. "damn... i'm going to be constantly cleaning up after these guys. it's like having toddlers!" he complained, bending down to pick up the books, stuffing them back into the shelves. "oh... thanks for helping with my Garden." he stated, smiling at her. "just be careful ok? i don't want you to get in trouble or anything.."

"Um... I'll get you some sage... to help ward off the Fey... I'm sure it will help, they are aweful for a long time. Until they get tired of you or you begin ignoring all of them and they get bored. Eric... Thank you for being... so nice to me. I should go home and finish getting the table set and ready for my parents." Ruthaleen said softly, she stood once he came back from where ever in the house he ahd been and doing his laundry. She felt awkward in his house and sitting there in his living room on his furniture. SHe didn't know what to do with ehrself, she'd never had friends before or hung out in ehr own living room. She stayed in her own room most of the time or read outside on the back deck.

he smiled at her and nodded a little. "as long as they stop leaving underwear all over the place, i don't mind cleaning up after them." he admitted with a shrug before blinking at her, smiling a little. "no Ruth, thanks for being my freind." he stated simply. "i've never had one before." he admitted smiling at her. "and i think your always going to be the best freind i'll ever have." he promised grinning at her before showing her to the door, just to be polite. "if you need to come over tonight, for any reason, i have a spare bedroom you can borrow." he promised smiling at her. "if not, i'll see you tomorrow... i think those damn cheerleaders are finally getting the point that i don't care that their sluts." he admitted, looking amused as he studied her. "maybe next time you come over, i'll break out the deck of cards and we'll really have fun!... i know how to play solitaire, and Kings in the corner is always amusing!" he admitted with a small grin. "i know... i'm pretty boring." he admitted with a laugh. "maybe if your up for it, i'll Shift and you can ride my like a pony through the woods." he teased, winking at her before heading back inside as he heard a crash. "OI! that's my LAMP!" well, at least it wasn't broken.