ETRAYA - inbox

[maellum]

Comments

[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.

[maellum]

[Vanilla. Maelle makes a face, because that's an okay flavor, but beggars can't be choosers.]

I was going to say, were you describing yourself?

[sophielicious]

Aw! No, I've only dated one person and I dumped him, so, hooray me, I just do all that for sport and hobby. And vanilla is wonderful, okay? The amount of stuff we can mix.

[maellum]

I guess you'll just have to show me.

[The mixing, not the rest. Maelle gets to her feet. She feels heavy, but she's at least dodged crying in front of Sophie. Phew.]

[sophielicious]

(Hehe. Okay, that works.

She's on her feet too, walking slowly so that Maelle has a chance to just look at the mansion while they walk towards the kitchen. Sophie didn't attend this one, actually, but it's... Xavier's, still.)

So, I'm not allowed near the stove due to an incident, but the microwave is fair game. We also have a pool and a baseball field, so we have that going on for us.

[maellum]

[The good news is that it only vaguely reminds her of the manor on the Continent. They bad news is that some part of her misses it--and she can't tell if that "it" is the manor or the Continent itself.]

Oh, what happened? Did you almost burn the place down?

[sophielicious]

Well, kinda. I did disfigure a pan, though? I buried it in the backyard. Don't worry about it.

(Okay, the ice cream is out. Sprinkles, chips, cookies, marshmallows, syrups, all are coming out of the pantry surrounded by her pink signature, placed gently on the counter.)

[maellum]

Unmarked grave... cold. After fire. You know.

[There's a joke in there somewhere, but she's thoroughly distracted by all this extra ice cream shit! How did she not know this was a thing.]

Are we using all of this?

[sophielicious]

No body, no culprit. Prove I did anything.

(That's not a lesson you want to pass along, Sophie!! But, hey, she's right and she should say it.)

As much or as little as you want. Oh, and also? I'm super into strawberries, so I'm adding that.