DT Serum, Primary Testing In Progress

"Good." Ashton said, satisfied for now. "I knew there was a reason I liked her. She doesn't take sh-." He looked out the window as they continued on their journey. He hadn't realized Lex was so good at driving cars.

Lex very carefully parked the car exactly where Gaster had left it and got out to help Ashton with the drums.
True opened the door for them, looking amused.  "The best place to put those is in the garage on some sort of rug."

"Garage is Sam's though." Ashton said. "Sam's and Jeffery's. And why wouldn't upstairs work?"

"Because the vibrations will shake the dust from the rafters, blinding us, while deafening us," True said dryly.  "You need a basement, first floor, garage, something like that.  The rug will act as a dampener so you don't deafen yourself, too."

Ashton shrugged. "True, you want the garage, and I'll set the drums up in your room?" He teased before he took the drums to the garage.

"That would take a lot more moving than just taking the drums out," True pointed out.  "Hey, Sam!  Will you please help Ashton and Lex with this?  You'll know best where to put it."

Sam ran over. "Oh cool, a drum set!" He smiled and gladly helped, even finding an old and unused rug to put the drums on top of. 

Ashton set them up as well as he could from memory before pulling up a reference picture on his phone and readjusting a couple of pieces. "Sweet." He said when it was done.

True stayed in the doorway, the tiny little steps down hard for him to navigate.  "Nice spot, Sam, and Ashton, that's an epic drumset!"
Lex tapped one of the drums cautiously.  "Nice find."

Ashton shrugged. "Thinking it'll be a nice hobby to keep me out of trouble. Just need to figure out and learn how to play." He shrugged. "But that's what the internet is for, I'm guessing?"

"I can give you a couple of hints, and you're free to use my laptop anytime," True said, "but yeah, most of it's practice, I think."

Ashton shrugged. "I'll play around with them for a bit, and maybe take you up on that offer later." He lightly tapped one of the cymbals.

Lex winced, tensing at the noise.  In the past, that kind of sound was a sure-fire trigger for a migraine.  But... no.   Huh.  He relaxed a little.  "I'm heading upstairs.  Have fun bashing things."

Ashton noted Lex's wince and nodded. "'Kay." After Sam, True, and Lex headed back in, Ashton sat behind the drums and paused. He now let the memory of his "payment" for the drums resurface, and his face heated. Did Tramp really just do that to fluster him? Why did he get so much enjoyment out of it? And why was Ashton thinking Tramp must be  good kisser?!

True was backing his chair out of the doorway to let Lex through, but he paused, noting Ashton's expression.  "You okay?" he asked gently once Lex was gone.  "You look a little flushed."

Lex headed upstairs with a book and sat on the couch.  Okay.  The compass book.  Let's see how it was...

"Fine." Ashton lied. He saw no sense in involving True in any of this. What happened between Ashton and Tramp was Ashton's problem; not True's, or anyone else'e.

The book was about a girl with a shapeshifting companion, searching boldly for her father, despite the dangers and perils, from Britain to the high Artic, with a magical, golden compass. The girl was a skilled, silvertongue of a liar that was able to talk her way out of multiple situations with smooth words and quick and imaginative thinking.

(Thinking of it more and more, that actually seems like a book I can picture Lex enjoying XD slight shadiness, plot twists and turns, adventure, some calculated fight scenes.....)

True smiled faintly, backing up.  "Hey, Ashton?  I know you're really close to Lex, but sometimes you need to talk to someone who's not so close.  If you need someone like that, you know where to find me."  He rolled back and headed for the main room to check on Shuni.  "Okay, pal, that's enough cooking shows for today."

Lex made his way painfully through the book, getting stuck on several words.  Maybe he should find a dictionary...

(I started to read it, but got bored because it wasn't that well written.  As I remember.)

Ashton just nodded, focused on his own thoughts for now.

After a while, it started to get close to the time Paul would need picked up.

(*shrugs* I don't remember that, but I also read it when I wasn't so keen on such things  )

(That's the problem with learning to read on Beowulf and the like.)

True let out a whistle.  "Hey!  Crew!  Who's coming with me to pick up Paul?"  He laughed as Bitty-Kitty jumped up on his lap and tried to find space next to Treble.  "Well, there's one."
"Me!" Shuni cheered, running to join him.

(Lol well aren't you incredibly literate then XD)

Treble flicked her ears and placed a paw on the smaller kitten's head, as if she were booping Bitty.

"I'll come." Sam said with a smile, grabbing a jacket just in case.

(That just means I can't enjoy a wonderful story hidden in bad writing.)

Bitty Kitty mewed respectfully.  She just wanted a ride to school!

Lex found Layla and asked, 'You wanna go?"

(*hugs* It's okay. There are better books in the store XD)

Treble lifted her paw and set it on Bitty's head again. She wasn't doing it to be mean; only playing with the other kitten.

Layla considered. "Sure. A walk couldn't hurt, right?"

Bitty Kitty batted at Treble gently while True helped Shuni into his coat.  "Ashton!  You coming?"

"Cool."  Lex led the way down to True.  "Ashton coming?"

"No!" Ashton replied, sounding a little tense. "I'm good!"

Treble pinned Bitty Kitty down before licking the smaller one's head.

Layla pulled on her faded denim jacket. "Is Ashton okay?" She asked Lex. "He sounds a little off."

Lex frowned. "You guys go on ahead.  I'm going to talk to Ashton.  I'll see you later."  He headed back into the house.

True shrugged.  "Come on, then, we don't want to be late."  He ushered the others out and toward school.  "Brr!  It's getting chilly out."

Layla nodded and followed True. "I think the forecast said it'll get to the thirties tonight even."

Sam shivered just hearing that.