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 Posted: Wed Oct 25, 2017 1:46 pm
Yvaine wondered when it would happen; the revelation that would tip her over the edge. What would be her trigger? The thing that would put her into a psychiatric unit before a grave right next to her mother. She was tired but somehow managed to keep pushing forward, even though all she wanted to do was rest. She did not know how she managed to walk all the way to Jada’s house, how she found the strength to open the front door, drag her feet along the floor just long enough to find a couch and collapse onto it.
Grey eyes looked around, adjusting to the dark room. She had told him to meet her at Kam's place, and she did not know why. Maybe the apartment they had once shared was still her safe haven. Maybe she thought it was poetic; to meet the father of her future child in the home that belonged to the father of the one she had lost one thousand years ago. She did not know, but she would have to go there soon.
But she was tired, and on the couch, all she wanted to do was close her eyes. Rest, just for a minute. Just for one goddamn minute.
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Posted: Wed Oct 25, 2017 2:13 pm
She'd left her ballet shoes somewhere, and for the life of her, she couldn't remember where right now. Giulia had checked every room that she could think of- her bedroom, her bathroom, the kitchen, the pantry, Jada's room, Aidan's room, the shoe room, the smaller family room, the bigger family room, the theater, the art gallery, the gym room, the pool room, the library, Yvaine's bedroom, Zora's room... The downstairs guest living room was the last place she had to search that she could think of, because she never went in Lucas' room, but she might be able to check the laundry room? That was where her little tutu had been... It was to her pleasure that in this next-to-last room that she could think in to look, that she found something even better than her ballet slippers. For there, on the couch, was her Yvaine! Looking real tired, which wasn't a good thing, but the little blonde didn't let that deter her.
She scampered closer to the woman in the dark room, bouncing cheerfully on small, narrow feet. Teh floor did not creak beneath her, but the impact of her feet were clearly audible in the silence of the room. “Good afternoon, Vainey!” she practically crowed, filling the air with childish sing-song; blue eyes alight with joy and affection for the older woman who was practically- if not yet actually? Family. She had been with them for a while now, her pretty Mewdile, who wasn't Mewdile anymore? So was probably Mewdette? But either way, Giulia got to give her a much better name than Mewdile, even if it wasn't a proper princess name like Ofie- Ofelia- had been. But that was thinkings for another time, as this one wasn't actually an appropriate one for- “How are you? You look really tired. I'm about to go to dance class, are you going to take a nap? Do you want me to bring you anything before I go?” tea would be nice, wouldn't it? Everyone liked tea.
She scampered happily closer, arms outstretched, clearly seeking a hug, already swooping in for a small kiss to press to the older woman's tired cheek. “I was thinking I could have Cookie make something like a chocolate and salted caramel mousse for family night dessert this week. If it sounds good, you can let me know tomorrow, okay?” sometimes Vainey wasn't always sure what she liked. “You look real pretty today, I'm sorry I didn't get to see you before school.” pink tongue flicked out over rosebud lips, and there was genuine concern in her eyes, which she quickly tried to mask. Adults had a lot of problems, and sometimes young people like Giulia weren't the best to try and deal with them all. She was probably being a little bit invasive with her enthusiasm, when Yvaine was so clearly not doing very well, but she could hardly not say hello. First off, it would be rude, second off it wouldn't be very Giulia-like at all. She loved her Yvainey.
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Posted: Wed Oct 25, 2017 2:28 pm
Nope, she was not allowed that minute. Yvaine foreigned a smile across her face as she felt the lips press against her cheek. The little blonde haired Princess, the one who had started it all, now she was in on the lie too. “I am okay, just a little tired, I went to the doctors again because of my head. It is still sick and I need to rest so it can get better.” It was hard explaining it to a child, but Giulia did not need to understand, it was not her job to worry. “But I remembered some more things today. I remembered a very old friend of mine - he was a bear.” She added so it did not sound all doom and gloom, the Princess had been a very diligent and persistent helper when it came to her memory.
“I don’t want anything, but - could you go and get Jada for me? I need to tell her something important; tell her it is about- Elzo.” Heck, she almost said, daddy. Yvaine laughed, gently at the irony of it all. Her chest hurt and her eyes seemed to fill as the laughter turned into a cough. “I will be better tomorrow, and then you can show me all the dances you learned today. Sound like a plan?” She pushed herself up from her laid down position, and held a fist out to the little girl. That is what they did in the movie, with Baymax and the other heroes.
Damn, she had watched too many kids movies this past couple of weeks.
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Posted: Wed Oct 25, 2017 2:54 pm
Giulia nodded wisely as Yvaine explained that it was her head still. There had been a lot of confusion for her lovely Vainey, and it made sense that some days would be worse than others. Still, the news that Yvaine had remembered an old friend- "A bear!" She clasped her hands together in delight, giving the woman a bright, beaming smile. "That is good that you are remembering things in your own! I am so happy for you!" it earned Yvaine another smooch, in fact.
"I can go get her for you," she agreed easily, happily, and did a quick scan of the darkened room. Aha! There were her shoes. "I had just come looking for these." she scooped up the shoes, waggling them. "Jada is in her study, I needed to say goodbye before I left anyways. I will have her come down."
Vainey coughed, and Giulia bent, brushing at the older woman's hair with the affection of a mother to a child- an action she had performed on her, when she felt yucky. "Sounds like a plan to me," she agreed, as Yvaine pushed up. "And if you don't feel better, I will help Cookie make you some chicken soup, so you know it is made with extra love for you to get well. Okay?"
She bumped fists gently, careful not to jostle at all. Not that fists had much to do with heads, probably, but it was better to be safe than sorry. "Jada will be right down, and I will see you tomorrow. I love you, Yvaine." she gave her friend the most dazzling smile she could manage, and darted out the door.
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Posted: Wed Oct 25, 2017 3:15 pm
”I love you too….” The words were barely audible.
The child was like a whirlwind, she always had been. Yvaine smiled and closed her eyes. She could feel herself drifting, and for a few moments, she was asleep. She made a small grunting sound as the Princess left the room and continued to talk. It had been a long day, and emotionally she was exhausted. She opened her eyes what seemed to be seconds later, as she heard a noise as someone else entered the room.
“Jada?” She asked, pushing herself up on the couch to the best of her ability.
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Posted: Wed Oct 25, 2017 3:50 pm
Her child- her sister- was a whirlwind. That much was known. When Giulia had burst into the office babbling about ballet shoes and Yvainey having a headache and something about bears and salted chocolate caramels, the older woman had prepared hrself to live in confusion for a little while longer before she got to the point. Shockingly, however, the girl had made her point quickly and then rushed out the door, leaving Jada with her last words echoing in her ears.
She wants to talk to you about Elzo. Love you mommy!
Closing the photo album she had been looking at, closing the cold pages on the little face hidden therein, she pushed to her feet. Yvaine was somewhere in the house, and if she remembered right, Giulia had said something about getting her shoes from downstairs. Meaning chances were good Yvaine had flopped down on the couch in the main living room. Not the most comfortable of them, but the easiest to get to, if her head really ached.
Jada?
"Hi." she answered quietly, noting the darkness of the room, and not wanting to disturb the other woman further. "Stay laying down, Yvaine, I know headaches suck. Giulia said you wanted to see me? Is everything okay?" Giulia had said Yvaine had remembered something, but how much of that was intended to be a secret and had only been poorly kept... "What's up?" she tugged over one of the heavy chairs, turning it to face the other woman before propping her feet up on the edge of the couch.
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Posted: Thu Oct 26, 2017 3:39 am
Yvaine did not need to be asked twice, she spread out on the couch and made herself comfortable. Grey eyes drifted to find a very dimly lit Jada, and she smiled softly. Where did she start? “I got a call from a man a few days ago, he said he wanted to meet the woman his son had taken such a keen interest in. He wanted to take me out to dinner so we could get to know each other.” Giovanni had seemed polite enough when setting up the meeting, it made sense for any father to be concerned about his son, especially when so much money was involved. More so when the family was in the public eye as much as the Xanis family was. She thought she was doing the right thing, but in the end, it was just poor judgement.
She waited a moment, trying to read the reaction from her friend at that news alone. "I went to meet him last night."
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Posted: Thu Oct 26, 2017 4:51 am
Hah! She didn't know that Yvaine had ever been that quick to listen to one of Jada's suggestions, at least since those first few mornings when she was still terribly discombobulated by what had happened to her. By the fallout from choosing a different path.
Her spine stiffened as soon as Yvaine said his son - it didn't take much effort for her to connect Giulia's it's about Elzo to one particular face, and her hackles were immediately raised, alarm and grief warring over her face before she tried to smooth it into neutrality. Her shoulders could not be smoothed. The man who had stolen her Hope. Who wanted Giulia and Aidan one way or another, and who was waiting in the wings to tear her apart- if he could.
A smooth inhale, exhale. And then the next news dropped. "You went to meet him?" incredulous, fury, no small amount of terror. Her mind immediately went to the worst possible excuse for Yvaine's headache, for her discomfort. "Did he- Did he r-" she couldn't even get the word out. "Did he touch you? I swear to god, if he hurt you Yvaine, I'll-"
And that, she supposed as she tried to reign herself in, made it clear what her opinions were of Giovanni Xanis.
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Posted: Fri Oct 27, 2017 2:50 pm
Grey eyes kept focused on Jada before drifting to the rooftop. Yvaine smiled as if she found the situation humouring; though it was not directed towards Jada. No, she herself was the punchline of this joke. “Well, if that is where your mind goes, then I guess I was stupid for taking up his offer.” She shook her head, wondering how lightly she had made it out of the situation. Alas, such things were not worth dwelling on. Yvaine had wanted to do the right thing, she wanted to build a bridge in Elzo’s family, now she felt like she had made everything worse.
“No, he did not touch me Jada.” She reassured her. Jada’s mind seemed to be jumping to all kinds of assumptions and Yvaine knew it was best to put her at ease. Her friend looked terrified. The brunette pushed herself to sit up on the couch, no longer comfortable with laying down. She sat up straight, hoping the body language acted as a second confirmation that she was not hurt.
Resting her hands on her lap, she thought of the best way to approach the topics she wanted to address. “We just talked; and I can only assume he wanted to cause some rifts in our circle. He told me some things that I am sure were meant to upset, I guess he was barking up the wrong tree, huh?” She shrugged, before looking up at Jada once more.
“But the twins are his children?”
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Posted: Fri Oct 27, 2017 3:40 pm
"Not stupid." Jada answered quickly, firmly. "We just- it's hard to believe it until you encounter it. He's charming, and he's handsome, and..." she inhaled through her nose, shaking her head. Her small hand reached out, and it was shaking when it made contact with Yvaine's leg. "I am glad he didn't-" she couldn't bring herself to say it. "I'd probably have to get in line to take him out, though."
But the twins are his children?
Jada huffed out, softly, and gave a short, jerky nod. "My mother was a beautiful woman," she said after a moment. "Tall and slim, bright green eyes. But by the time the twins were conceived she was probably aged a bit beyond Elzo's particular interests. Giovanni's too, frankly." it was a poorly-kept supposition that Giovanni had used her mother to satisfy his other interests. "You've seen what he's done to Marlo and Elzo," she said after a moment, "Even my mother could see it, and she was almost as self-centered as he is. She refused to put a father on their birth certificate, claiming she had too many lovers to know. It broke my father's heart."
She clasped her hands on her lap, straightening. "Of course, he assumed he was father to the twins. But while mother was alive, I suppose he didn't push the way he did after her passing. They weren't useful to him." A swallow, her chin tilting up. "The things he's done- Yvaine, if he's legally recognized as their father, he'll ruin them."
Just like he was probably ruining Hope. But his offer of marriage was still there. Still on the table. A way to get to her child. "So Elzo is their father on paper, because Giovanni can't prove otherwise. And if he gets the other things he wants, he's a fail-safe to protect them."
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Posted: Fri Oct 27, 2017 4:05 pm
“No. No I haven't. Neither of them have even mentioned his name.” She stated in reaction to Jada’s comment. She had not seen the impact he as having on the brothers and it made her wonder; how well did she know them? She stiffened, looking down at the hand on her leg. It was meant to be soothing, but all it did was make her eyes swell. Yet no tears fell, they were bitten back.
“I would like to think it is because of my current mental state, that my brain is so scrambled that it would be unfair to involve me.” She tried to explain, shaking her head. “But that is not true. I was kept in the dark before my purification.” And despite how much she wanted to be part of this family, she was not- not really. She leaned back on the sofa, relaxing in a way that made it seem like she had exhaled the rest of her strength.
“Thank you, for telling me Jada. I am not mad though. It is just-.” She did not know how to put it into words. “I feel like-” She began, her breath catching in her throat. “That people think just because I find it hard to express how I feel, that I am a husk. That just because I act so put together does not mean I am not struggling and-” She shook her head, she just wanted to feel like someone was in her corner.
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Posted: Fri Oct 27, 2017 4:34 pm
How much did Yvaine know? How much would Jada overstep her bounds with honesty? Her brow furrowed, her head dropping.
How much of Elzo keeping Yvaine- Ofelia- in the dark had been because of heartache from Audrey? Daphne? Lina. How much was his own unwillingness to trust anymore? How well did she really know the man he was, when for years their friendship had been kept light and almost superficial because of shared pain, and her inability to stay still?
"I didn't know you well before the purification," she said honestly. "I know you are the woman who protected my daughter, when she didn't have to. The woman Elzo has chosen to open up to, when his heart was-" she shook her head. "Wounded. For a long time." Did Yvaine know just how much? "If I have been treating you poorly, I apologize."
She exhaled, considered. "I met them when I was 17 years old. I rather latched on, and have tried to be their friend since- they helped me, and I try to never let a good deed go unpunished." her lips curved in a soft smile. "Some of the things I know are just a hazard of years, and a hazard of..." A hazard having been born rich. And their father wanting it.
"How can I help you, Yvaine?" she held out her hand to the woman. "My home is yours, not because of them. But because of what I've seen in you so far, between your choices in that old life and this one. If you have questions, if you need support-"
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Posted: Fri Oct 27, 2017 5:12 pm
“I just want to know the truth, Jada.” She reached and rested her hand in her friends, the one that had given her a home when she had nowhere else to go. “I am trying to work out who I am and how I fit into this life, and I can’t do that if the foundation I am building on is false.” She wanted to tell her that she had not failed her, that Jada had been so good to her and had no reason to apologise. Yvaine felt selfish, utterly selfish to be thinking of herself when everyone caught up in this situation must be hurting. But, she felt she needed to be because it was not just herself she had to think about anymore.
She just needed to tell someone, so she did not have to carry knowing alone.
“I am pregnant."
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Posted: Fri Oct 27, 2017 6:30 pm
The truth- Jada swallowed, squeezing the hand that lay in her own carefully, wordless on what to say in this moment. She wanted to open her mouth, to explain that there was just so much, that there were years of heartbreak and betrayal that- well. She didn't know how long Ofelia and Elzo had been together. But opening up all that pain wouldn't be something...
I am pregnant.
Her hand clenched on Yvaine's, fierce and tight. And she lowered her head, pressing a soft kiss to the other woman's fingers. So many things ran through her mind, and over her face. Elzo, who had given away his child before. Giovanni, who had stolen Hope. Maria, dying alone and who would probably never have the chance to know this grandchild. Marlo, who might get to watch his brother live those moments that Jada had denied him. That Giovanni had stolen even after Jada.
And that was assuming it was Elzo's. Though she didn't know Ofie- or Yvaine- all that well, she didn't think it was some random guy's.
"Good thing you have excellent health insurance, for whatever you choose to do." Keep it... or not. "Do you plan to tell the father?" no assumptions, careful.
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Posted: Sat Oct 28, 2017 6:12 am
“I am going to meet him now.” She shrugged having sent a text not too long ago; she was building up the courage to actually leave. “But I am afraid.” It was a hard thing to admit, but she felt so powerless in that moment. She had no control over her life anymore and things were going to change again before she had even found her footing. She was caught on a current - and she was afraid she was going to drown.
All she could think about right now was her Sylvi, what a terrible mother she had been. How she tried to protect her by pushing her away and all it ever really did was hurt her. Sylvi deserved better and Eir had died wishing she could take it all back. Her dying thought was of running away with Sylvi after she was born, starting a new on some distant world where nobody could hurt them. It was a too prominent a dream to shake, one that made Yvaine shiver thinking about it.
Jada’s lips were soft on the back of her hand. ”In this life, I need to put my child first.” She whispered, knowing that meant casting her feelings aside and looking at events more coldly and logically than she wanted to. She had no hatred in her heart for Jada, she had none for Elzo or Marlo. She loved the twins- but, with Giovanni lurking and with so much she did not know, was it safe to be here? Was her child just destined to be a pawn in this game like the rest of them?
“Jada, if you were in my shoes. What would you do?”
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