Human of the Year

[Rio Keâts]

Riocard had never been one to allow himself to be bored. Normally he would stumble into something that was completely over his head – that was happening more and more frequently, actually – or he'd make something happen. The latter was his fallback plan. The former was something that frustrated the man beyond belief and also let him pour out the pent-up energy he stored. Anyway, the point was that the man was rarely bored, but after he'd left Maria, not many interesting things had been happening to him. He'd even gone to the United States for some festival (all right, that had proved to be interesting) in search of something to capture his attention long enough for him to keep at it for more than a few days. But nothing. If his boredom had a body of its own, it'd put Goliath's size to shame.

Hence why he was in the middle of an alley a stealthy smile on his face. He was crouched behind a dumpster, bright green eyes fixated on a blissfully unaware squirrel. He crept closer to it, pausing as it looked up. The squirrel turned its head to the Frenchman, beady eyes wide in suspicion. Predator (Rio) and prey (That Squirrel) were barely two meters away. Rio debated his next move carefully, green eyes flicking from the squirrel to his surroundings. If he lunged now and missed, the squirrel could easily run out into the fairly busy street. And if he caught it? He'd probably just twirl around victoriously and hug the squirrel to his chest before letting the creature free.

The squirrel took its eyes off the human, returning to trying to get gum off its tail irritably. Rio grinned and sprung into action. The squirrel squeaked and fled into the street, Rio chasing clumsily after it. The Frenchman tackled the squirrel, catching it in his left hand as he tumbled into the street. He stood up immediately, his years on a volatile TARDIS virtually eliminating his motion sickness and shellshock. He dodged the cars as he scuttled back to the sidewalk.

Out of the way of impending danger, Rio looked up to where he had followed the squirrel. A rather impressive looking library – something Rio rarely visited, even though the translation circuit in Maria's TARDIS had granted him the ability to read (if not write). He felt a small pang of jealousy for the others of his race, the ones that had been raised by their parents in a 'normal' environment. The ones that had learned how to do math, science, reading, and all the other things kids learned in schools. He didn't know much about it.

Shrugging off his jealousy, Rio gracefully jumped to the top of the library's stairs railing, perching himself on a stone lion. He looked at the squirrel in his hands – it had been scratching futilely at Rio's hand in a violent effort to be freed – and smiled kindly, plucking the gum out of the tail gently. He set the squirrel down and let it jump off the statue, fleeing for the alley.

“Bye bye, Chipmunk!” he chirped brightly, mistaking the animal.

[Ada Clemency]

A sigh blew from Ada’s mouth as she exited the very library Riocard has placed himself outside. The thin girl was draped with a thin coat to protect her from the coming and going drafts of air, a dirty scarf around her neck. She muttered darkly, annoyed past reason that she just could not get a library card anywhere. She really hadn’t thought it would be this hard… though she should have expected as much. She didn’t have any way to prove residence, or a job, or much at all to tie her to this little town. Sad, wasn’t it? But she couldn’t go home. Her mind was breaking, and it was only a matter of time before everything fell apart. She wouldn’t let her foster-parents see that. They’d always been nice. So, so nice, just like everyone else where she’d grown up. She hated it. Whitewashed fences to match whitewashed lives.

At first, Ada didn’t even notice the boy. But something tugged at the back of her mind, something that said, “This is the beginning of something new.” Not that she wanted something new, really. She just wanted to read books, and figure out what kind of insanity she had, before entering some grove to sleep in for the night. That’s what homeless people did, right? Yet she found herself stopping and staring. Was he… playing with a squirrel? Seemed a bit dumb, squirrels could claw at him or something. And there it went, scratching away. She watched for a while until seeing Riocard free the little rodent, Weird kid. Ada shook her head, but stood stock still.

Her mind was calling up those images again. Tall men who didn’t have human faces, gravestone angels, people who changed form… Why now? She didn’t usually see those images in her mind but twice a week. But this was the fourth time. Ada’s eyes grew wide as she stood concretely in place, still watching Riocard. Eventually she gained the wherewithal to shake her head, and slunk down on the library wall right outside the entrance.

“Ugh… dang it.”

She had to put those thoughts away for now. Doing this was downright embarrassing. She stood with a few labored breaths as blood flooded her face. Being sickly was great. Added tons of excitement to her life, Ada thought. Knowing that by now she’d created quite the scene, dark haired, green-eyed Ada waved shyly over to Riocard, wishing she could just disappear. But then, she usually felt that way.

[Rio Keâts]

If there was one thing he learned during his travels with the Phantom, it was that he should always be prepared for danger. Sure, maybe it didn’t always come, but it was better safe than sorry. After he let the squirrel go, he felt a keen sense of… being watched. He gripped the statue that he was perched on and scanned his surroundings. And, pretty soon, he found the source of his discomfort. She was a pretty young lady with brown hair and eyes only slightly less green than his. He offered a bright smile that faded into a puzzled half-smile as she slunk down against the library entranced.

Look closer.

He scanned her critically. To a casual outsider, perhaps she would simply look as though she were frazzled. But there were smudges of dirt where there wouldn’t have been unless she spent a great deal of time outside. Her hair wasn’t frizzy, it was only hastily brushed. She was thin – not as thin as Melli, who had been on drugs, but not thin like celebrities – it was the type of thin that Rio himself was. The kind that happened when you had no idea when your next meal would be coming.

He cocked his head curiously, seeing her lips move but the wind catching her words. She finally made eye contact with him again, and he glanced away, unsure if it were okay that he was examining her. However, she waved at him. Taking this as permission, he grinned and waved enthusiastically back at him. With the grace that some thirty-odd years of living on the streets and running for his life had granted him, he flipped off the statue and nearly danced his way over to her.

“Hey!” he chirped blithely, plopping himself down beside her. He glanced towards the alley that he had just chased the squirrel out of. His messenger bag was still there – where he kept the stolen wallets and the majority of his food. He dug in his pockets and pulled out a chocolate bar, handing it to Ada. “Have some chocolate. I love chocolate. Do you love chocolate? It can make you feel better, you know,” he rambled, squirming in place beside Ada.

He flashed another bright smile towards her. “I’m Rio, by the way. What’s your name?”

[Ada Clemency]

Without a thought toward decency, Ada took the candy bar. After a few large bites (as she was quite hungry), the dirty-faced girl looked back at the boy. “Uhm…” She swallowed, then finished her sentence. “Thanks.” He was right about that, she did feel better. How long had it been since she’d had chocolate? Ada had forgotten how delicious this little brown bar could be. It called to her memories of sweet wafts in candy shops, with her little sticky fingers dirtying the counter. She’d only been a little tyke then. Mom, dad, cousins… hadn’t they been on vacation or something? But back to reality. There was no need to think on bygone days like a silly dreamer. She was doing what she had to, to survive now, and presently that job included being a pathetic looking female.

“Me? I’m Ada.” She hadn’t really meant to use her real name, not with some weird stranger. He didn’t really deserve it, right? Yet here she was, silly mad little Ada, going off and taking food from strangers, telling them her name. There wasn’t much to hide at this point. What was he going to do, stalk her? Fat lot of good that would do, stalking a homeless girl. Ada brushed her hair back with a free hand, wiping a bit of dust off her cheekbone as she did so. His voice was nice, anyway. Not that she was going to trust him so easily, but maybe this Rio kid could be mooched off of further.

Was that what she’d come to, a mooch? She sighed quietly at the thought. The boy was beside her now, and squirming awkwardly. What was up with him anyway? No, no, best not to think on that. He was giving her free stuff, and that was what counted.

“So, you like animals, I guess?” Gee, wasn’t that a stunning bit of conversation. It’d have to do for now, she was too tired to think of anything eloquent.

[Rio Keâts]

Usually people hesitated before taking candy from strangers, but not this girl. He smiled and hugged his knees, trying to stop his squirming. That told him that she was either extremely trusting – although he doubted that were the case – or she was extremely hungry. The hungry thing was probably his best bet given the way she scarfed down the chocolate bar. “No problem. I have a lot more chocolate,” he said lightly, digging in his pockets again. His fingers brushed against some pocket lint. The rest of his candy supply was in his messenger, which was tucked away in a little alley. He reached out his hand pathetically, muttering some foreign words under his breath that sounded suspiciously like accio bag. Whatever he said, nothing happened, and he dropped his hand back to the ground.

“In that general direction, the chocolate is.”

Concentrate, Rio, he scolded.

“Me? I’m Ada,”

“Excellent, Ada! Most wonderful. Yes, yes,” he said, continuing muttering under his breath to keep from being silent. He finally trailed off after around the fifteenth ‘indeed’ and sighed.

“So, you like animals, I guess?”

He looked over at her, eyebrow raised and a curious half-grin. What had he ever done to make her think that he liked animals? He looked down at himself, wondering if a cat had gotten its fur all over him again. “Not really. A dog bit me once. And don’t get me started on cats. Have I ever told you – oh, of course I haven’t we just met haven’t we? – anyway, my friend. He had this attack cat. And the attack cat… well, it, eh, attacked me, you see. Like a full frontal assault on my body. It was very intense, and I have no shame admitting that I lost to such a formidable foe.”

He looked off and frowned. “I got pecked by a chicken. In a place that… well…” he stood up and brushed himself off regally. “Anyway, miss Ada, all this talk of animals has absolutely made me famished. I’m assuming you’re hungry, too, so come along if you want.”

He turned towards her, still walking backwards. “So I was thi—” Rio cut himself off as he walked into an older man. Rio fell to the ground, watching irritably as the man walked inside. The look of irritation, however, melted once the man was far away from the glass door. Rio picked himself up and opened up a wallet.

“Come on, Ada. A Mr. Jake Hutchinson is paying for our lunch. Care to accompany me? We can talk while we eat or eat while we talk or maybe we can walk, talk, eat while eat, walk, talking. Any of those combinations are absolutely fine with me although I do prefer the third, just a little preference.” He paused from his ramble and fixed her in a stern glare. “If you order fish, I will never speak to you at all ever.”

[Ada Clemency]

Apparently the weird kid—no, she corrected herself, Rio—was a talkative one. All the better for her, but she found it a bit weird to be asked out to lunch. She’d already eaten candy from a stranger, talked to him, been told of his… animal fights, and now she was going to get lunch with him and some other guy. Could she be making worse decisions? Maybe, yeah. But this was getting just a little too sketch.“But the food…” Ada thought to herself. Food was so nice, and something that didn’t drop into her lap too often. She could put off hiding in a bush somewhere a few hours longer, what was there to lose? There was always her life, she guessed, but what the hell. She could do with a little excitement if it came to that.

Honestly though, this guy really got into a lot of fights with animals. No more talk of that, though. Even if her earlier statement hadn’t garnered too much awkwardness, it wasn’t a feeling she wanted to repeat. She could think about something to talk about, something interesting, something…

“I’ll go with talking, I guess.” Ada sneezed for a second before continuing. “So, um, who’s this guy we’re eating with? Hutchinson?” She’d certainly gotten used to conversation quickly for meeting the fellow a mere minute or two ago. Maybe her luck would hold out and she wouldn’t put her foot in her mouth, or talk about his dead mother or cat or something. She had a way of doing that, after all. Ada stared off into the distance for a second as she waited for his reply, the idea that she needed to remember something tugging at the back of her mind. These feelings came so often now. Each day they bothered her more, and each time she shook them off. Blinking three times, the girl’s eyes ceased being glazed over, and returned to whatever Rio was talking about.

[Rio Keâts]

“I’ll go with talking, I guess. So, um, who’s this guy we’re eating with? Hutchinson?” Ada asked.

Rio blinked. “Hutchinson?” he repeated quietly under his breath. He looked down, his brain not putting together the pieces until he glanced down to the wallet in his hands. He opened it again. “Well. His name’s Jake, his birthday is in April, the twenty-third if you’re curious, and his eyes are brown. He only uses his credit cards sometimes; the cash section of the wallet has been stressed. Maybe he just doesn’t like cards, maybe he was involved with drugs, maybe he robbed a few banks in his free time. Dunno, and, to be honest, I don’t really care about the lives of the people I pickpocket.”

He put the cash in his pocket and tossed her the wallet. On the front cover was a picture of the man that had bumped into Rio earlier.

Riocard began to walk down the stairs two at a time, humming cheerfully. He scuttled into the alley and returned with his messenger bag and cap. “Anyway, miss Ada, are you in trouble? I’d guess not since you’re hanging around in public, but…” he trailed off, trying to phrase his question delicately. His usual mode was to just blunder on in without caring about feelings, but Maria had made him less antsy.

“I mean to ask if you needed anything. I chose to live on the st—” he cut himself off.

How do you know she lives on the streets?
She’s taking food from me!
You’re a cute guy! Of course she’d take food from you!

Rio squirmed awkwardly. “Completely disregard everything I just told you. Now, the question remains… how are we ever going to find decent food in this country?” he lamented, holding his stomach. “Oh, how I long for those days of infinite chocolate! Where the chocolate just poured from the sky like blissfully delicious rain!” he said, heaving a sigh.

Not that those days ever existed, mind you, but Rio could long for the imaginary choco-rain couldn’t he?

[Ada Clemency]

“Whoop!” A weird word came from Ada’s mouth as she caught the wallet. So that’s what he meant about their “friend” paying for it. Pickpocket? She’d seen them around, but he didn’t seem like the type. Did she seem like that type? Ada hoped not, it would make getting free stuff like this a lot harder. She’d only been out of the house for a month, and honestly, she was really bad at this living on the street gig. Her clothes barely fit anymore, which wasn’t something she was proud of at all.
“Well, uhh—“ She started, ready to answer Rio’s question regarding what kind of trouble she was in. It certainly was a fun little experience, all this. How was she going to lie about it this time? Lost her house, maybe? A sad story about dead parents? Only half a lie, that one. But before she could speak these little untruths, the boy continued. She caught something about living on the streets before he told her to disregard it. Like she could do that. Now she was getting curious, despite her wisdom otherwise. Maybe he’d spill later. She’d have to wait and see, Ada wasn’t really one to pry.

“Well, if you’re a pickpocket anyway, couldn’t you just steal food?” She asked curiously. There had to be an open market or something, right? Ada placed her hands in her pockets, staring at the ground as they walked. She didn’t really reply to his chocolate rain comment, that seemed like a silly phrase he’d thrown out just to kill the silence. It was nice of him, but she wasn’t that good at humor, even when she’d had enough food and sleep to be in working order.