Mostly we talked about what we’d been up to without him, but we talked a little about you, yes. [Maelle deserves honesty, where she can have it.] He was worried. I think you startled him, that’s all.
[Sciel returns to leaning fully on Maelle, watching her calmly.]
The jump… not so much. But he’s healing, even if a little slowly, so I don’t think he’s in any danger. I felt okay leaving him alone last night.
[Sciel eases up off Maelle, but only to crawl up enough to flop down beside her, sprawled on her side on top of the covers. Humour slips into her voice.]
This isn’t grains of sand tipping a scale, we only have to give in when we decide to.
[And a bit more seriously:]
They might be at odds with each other, but they have us in common. Gustave couldn’t come back empty handed, and Verso wouldn’t let Gustave knock out somewhere alone. I wish they hadn’t brawled, but… their choice.
[Sciel runs her hand along Maelle’s arm, firm through the blankets.]
It’s going to be uncomfortable for him for a little while, and he may never like it, but he brought Verso back here himself. How we make a team with both Gustave and Verso is up to all of us, and we’ll make sure Gustave’s feelings are tended to, too.
[She could live with not knowing the answers to every question that’s come up since Verso first strolled into camp, but tension over that could bleed a friendship out, over time. Better to address it, and…]
I think Gustave needs answers that only Verso can give.
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[Sciel sighs, and she slowly drapes herself over Maelle’s hip, arms folded against the girl’s waist, trapping her in her own bed.]
How are you feeling?
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... bad. I shouldn't have told Verso to leave, but seeing Gustave like that...
[There was no way she wasn't going to react.]
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They both scared you, for different reasons. Verso will have to live with it.
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[Given what Gustave had said. Maelle's little frown becomes bigger, a grimace as she recalls the look on Verso's face.]
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He’s unwell, right now, but he’ll be okay. I talked with him awhile.
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[About the rooftop, about her. Her eyes finally meet Sciel's, still tucked in her blankets, pale face worried.]
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About you? Or about the jump?
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[For some reason, she doubts he did.]
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[Sciel returns to leaning fully on Maelle, watching her calmly.]
The jump… not so much. But he’s healing, even if a little slowly, so I don’t think he’s in any danger. I felt okay leaving him alone last night.
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I need to tell him I'm sorry. He's still... Verso.
[Frustrating, but a part of their team. A part of her world that she's missed.]
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You’ll get to. We’ll give him a few days to settle in, and hopefully he’ll be itching for company by then.
[It’ll be up to Gustave, of course, but there’s no need to warn or remind Maelle of that now.]
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[She'd want nothing to do with them. If Gustave hadn't mentioned the roof, she might not be as remorseful as she is now. How rotten.]
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Well, I’m not letting him off the hook that easily. We’ve been through too much to let an ugly fight scare him off.
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[Between Gustave feeling out of step and Verso complicating that now in a new way, Maelle feels defeated.]
I don't know why he came with Gustave here or why Gustave even brought him.
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This isn’t grains of sand tipping a scale, we only have to give in when we decide to.
[And a bit more seriously:]
They might be at odds with each other, but they have us in common. Gustave couldn’t come back empty handed, and Verso wouldn’t let Gustave knock out somewhere alone. I wish they hadn’t brawled, but… their choice.
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Verso gets this one pass. Regardless of who started it, if he does anything like that again, I'll...
[She trails off. Do what? Put his immortality to the test? Maelle sighs.]
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[Much as she loves a good spar with either, she’s not interested in refereeing theirs.]
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[Maelle is always happy to remind people she's all but sixteen every now and then.]
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They both better faint from it.
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[Another sigh, and Maelle still feels like someone is squeezing her heart in her chest.]
I don't want to hurt Gustave again.
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By defending Verso, mm?
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[The easy thing would be to ignore Verso. Somehow. But she can't even entertain the idea without it feeling like a knife in her chest.]
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It’s going to be uncomfortable for him for a little while, and he may never like it, but he brought Verso back here himself. How we make a team with both Gustave and Verso is up to all of us, and we’ll make sure Gustave’s feelings are tended to, too.
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It was easier when he wasn't here.
[It's the awful truth.]
I missed him, but... I don't know.
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[She could live with not knowing the answers to every question that’s come up since Verso first strolled into camp, but tension over that could bleed a friendship out, over time. Better to address it, and…]
I think Gustave needs answers that only Verso can give.
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