ETRAYA - inbox

[maellum]

Comments

[sophielicious]

/Nope.

I'm literally the most anti-human one, and I'm a little soft now. You're fine. I'm outside, okay?/

[maellum]

Okay.

[Maelle makes sure to say goodbye to Gustave with a big hug and a kiss on his cheek, knowing it's better for everyone if she's not around for whatever he needs to say to Sciel and Lune. Doesn't mean she likes it, though. No one needs to read minds to tell that Maelle is sad when she comes out of the apartment building, though she does muster up a small smile and a wave for Sophie.]

Hi. Sorry if--you were busy with other stuff.

[sophielicious]

If the other stuff is these dope nails? I was already done.

(She gives out her hand with her newest nail design, an attempt to get Maelle excited about how her day might go. It's fine. Her arm wraps around the girl's shoulder, and she starts making her way to the mansion.)

And, I might, maybe, enjoy spending my time with you.

(She's teasing. Nothing she has ever done says otherwise.)

[maellum]

[Big blue eyes, tinged with red from way too many recent tears, blink at the design. Ooh.]

That's pretty. You did that?

[They're like little tiny canvases. Art. Maelle doesn't flinch or fight Sophie's arm, the weight of it a comfort even if it feels like her heart is somewhere back in the apartment with Gustave. She glances back and up to where their place is, but then looks ahead.]

Even when it's a babysitting request?

[sophielicious]

Hey. If you were wearing mascara, you'd look like a panda, not that cute of a look. I have some tissues... And, yeah.

(She. Ugh. Gustave!! You forgot to mention this part. She needed a little more time to know what to say to these things, she was taken by surprise!! What part about her presentation says 'I'm great with people who are having emotions', you could have left some tips.

The way she puts it, though? Makes her pat her back.)

He didn't even think the word 'babysitting'. I can assure you that. Trust me, if I didn't want to, I'd not be here.

[maellum]

Did he tell you why?

[She doesn't think Gustave would go too in depth. It's complicated, and all of it must feel like grasping at broken glass for him.

Maelle sniffles. Wipes her eyes, then her nose. Why use a tissue when she has her sleeve?]

[sophielicious]

Nope, and I didn't ask.

(None of her business, which is so weird for her to think like. She's... Curious. Awfully so. But she assumed that eventually, she'd hear about it from at least one Expeditioner, with how close she is getting to them.

Oh, the horror. Nope, nope, nope. She's fishing the tissues, please, Maelle, gross.)

Two options. You can tell me, and we go through it like the dream team we are, or we can numb ourselves with TV like two very valid losers, but still a great team. Both options have ice cream involved. You get to choose.

[maellum]

[Fine, she'll take the tissues. No tears are actively falling, but with how often she's cried here, the odds are she'll probably cry again.]

Depends. Can you hear the TV over how much I'm thinking about Gustave?

[She knows he'll let her know once the conversation he has with Lune and Sciel is over, but she'll be worrying until then. She can't help it. Just when being away from him didn't fill her with complete anxiety, everything gets shaken up.]

[sophielicious]

I can just not pay attention to you. I mean, to your brain. It's not that hard. Besides, I don't need to read your thoughts to know. I just want to know how can I help.

(If that's what Maelle wants, anyway. She learned not too long ago that apparently, people get freaked out about it, so she is learning to respect people's boundaries and all.

She opens the gate so they can enter the massive grounds, her feet instinctively moving towards the girl's dormitory area.)

Do you want me to give you privacy?

[maellum]

[Maelle follows, head turning left and right, taking in the sight as she trails after Sophie. Interesting place.]

I don't think there is a way to help. That's part of the problem, you know? Gustave is... hurt and upset about things that happened at home. And here. It's... he's been having a hard time. We all have, but it's--worst for him.

[And that tears her apart.]

[sophielicious]

... Yeah. I mean, I think what you can do to help, you are. Letting him process whatever it is that he has to process, and taking care of yourself, or I guess letting me take care of you. From what he told me when I went to pathetically ask him for advice like a loser on how to deal with Scott — and don't you breathe that to him —, Gustave said he talks to you. That you help and all. That he listens. So, just give him a little while, yeah? I'm sure he'll work through it with you, too.

(Airing that may be weird, but whatever. Sounds like it's something Maelle should hear when she's so anxious.

It takes them a moment to get to her room, and it's basically purple e-girl gamer dream, lights everywhere, and she has a designated nesting oval chair hanging from the ceiling for herself. Maelle is welcome to the couch, to the rug, to her gamer chair, or to her bed.)

[maellum]

[Oh. Maelle is quiet for a moment. She knows she and Gustave, despite all the trouble lately, have a good relationship. That's never in doubt. It... feels good to hear that he's told someone else, though. That he still feels that way, too.

So they'll be okay. He'll be okay. Eventually.]

You asked him how to deal with Scott?

[This room is a delight to her eyes and she decides to plop onto the couch. Spill, Sophie.]

[sophielicious]

(Oh. Yeah, okay, cool. She didn't put her foot in her mouth for that one, so that helps.

And then, Maelle points out when she did. Ugh, fine. Sure. Yeah, whatever distracts baby girl, baby.)

... Yes. Because I decided I was going to mentor him, the least I can do is try to be better than my mentors. Gustave seemed good at it, so I asked. What of it?

[maellum]

Ooh. Defensive.

[Maelle leans onto the arm of the sofa, making herself at home. She likes Sophie that much!]

Well, Gustave is the best. So you went to the right person. It wasn't just me. He took me in, but his apprentices adored him, too.

[sophielicious]

Yeah, he gave me some advice. Which, uh, it's not how I was brought up. Mostly because I wasn't brought up at all? So, I just wanted to see what the professional not-dads had to say.

(There's a shrug from her, because to her, that's just gathering her resources, see? Not gross like 'I need to shape up for the kid and I don't know how and he's always so mad at us and the world'.)

To be fair, if you or Scott or any of the kids around me don't fucking die, I'm doing great. Much better than Emma, anyway. Can't wait to tell her that one.

[maellum]

[Maelle makes an amused sound from her throat.]

Don't you die either. It's pretty traumatic.

[Ask her how she knows!!! Or don't. It's only that her whole life seems to revolve around that moment.]

[sophielicious]

I've died like, six times, babe. I'm fine. I mean, probably wouldn't be fine to you, but for me?

(It's not fine, but Sophie spent more time dead than alive, so. Ya know. Some of us are kind of used to the concept.)

But, yeah. Whole thing, huh? Family and all.

[maellum]

I was talking about me. Or Scott, I guess. Is he aware he's been adopted?

[Death, death, and more
death. As long as it's not Gustave--]

Family is complicated. Even Gustave, sometimes.

[sophielicious]

Oh, yeah, from day one. The 'For the Children' gene Emma has didn't activate in me? I don't think, so I told him that, and he's fine with it, so here we are.

(Not that Scott is that younger than her, neither is Maelle. Sophie is just barely out of her teens, early 20s, or whatever age she is, nebulously so. Confusing, but here she is for the two of these kids.)

Course it is. It's people. People equals confusion noises.

[maellum]

[She's old enough to be called in for babysitting, even if Gustave didn't name it as such. Maelle doesn't mind. She very much did not want to be there for whatever conversation was going to be had with Sciel and Lune. Still. She hopes he's okay.]

Yeah. He... I don't know. He used to always make it okay, somehow. Until he couldn't, and now everything is messy and complicated. Not just the usual complicated.

[sophielicious]

(All we can hope for, right?)

That's because things change. That's literally the principle of living. It doesn't mean he's unable to quote unquote make it okay, it's just. You know. He has to go through whatever this is first, right? He's probably more mature than the two of us put together. He's going to be fine, in time.

(Bar's low, but shhh.)

[maellum]

Well... he is essentially our supposed ages put together. I would hope.

[Fine, in time. Maelle sure hopes so. Except, actually...]

He will be, yeah. He has to be. I'm not going to let him not be okay.

[sophielicious]

See? Another advice, I'm always right aside from the times I'm not, but we don't talk about those. So, he'll be fine. I said so? So, yeah.

(Half joking, but when Maelle finishes that thought? That feels good. Like she did actually help, so that's... Wow, crazy, and that's nice?)

Exactly. Now, wanna go get ice cream and watch movies?

[maellum]

I'll be sure to tell him you said that.

[He'd probably find it funny. That's a thought that makes Maelle smile, and it's all the more easy to perk up at the mention of ice cream.]

Depends on the ice cream and the movie. Don't steer me wrong.

[sophielicious]

Vanilla, and you're watching classic girl movies from Earth. Legally Blonde, for starters. Barbie girl gets dumped by asshole boyfriend and he's like, I'm going to this expensive and very difficult school, you wouldn't get it, so she gets it. And she rubs on everyone's face you can be smart and girly and pretty and fuck whoever tells you otherwise. God, my damn idol.