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 Posted: Sat Aug 05, 2017 9:08 am
It had been almost a month since that terrible dinner, and Carlee hadn’t talked to Virell at all. She hadn’t patrolled with him, hadn’t texted him. Hadn’t done much except anxiously watch her brother for any signs that he had noticed that Nick was obviously cheating on him. She idly wondered if Arias had realized that she had stopped making jokes about him and Nick getting married and adopting kids…because those had stopped too.
Nick didn’t deserve her brother and she was very, very put out.
Tonight she was out patrolling again, wishing that it would be cooler out soon, the heat was almost unbearable, and her long hair hung limply against her back. Maybe she would cut it off again? It was just too hot to have waist length thick curls…way, way too hot.
There was another senshi nearby…and for a moment, Elvira was torn between going and saying hello…or going home and basking in the cranked up A/C…of course, her own friendliness got in the way of her comfort so off she went to see who it could be…and when she saw that it was Alya, the smile on her face slid away and was replaced by a scowl.
Should have gone home to the A/C. Shouldn’t have been so friendly.
“Oh. It’s you.” Her arms crossed over her chest and she looked at the senshi with disdain. This was not what she wanted to deal with right now.
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Posted: Sat Aug 05, 2017 9:14 pm
Alya’s eyes lit up as soon as he saw Elvira, but his expression faded somewhat when he caught her expression. He’d realized some time ago that something wasn’t quite right; for a while he was able to brush it off that she was busy, or he just had bad timing, but it was undeniable now.
He could only lie to himself for so long.
He was used to people not liking him—catty, competitive, rude models. He didn’t care about them; he didn’t like them, either.
But Elvira was different. She was his friend, and had been for a long time. A familiar twisting sensation returned to his stomach and he could swear he felt a cold sweat coming on. Usually confident and radiating it, he tried to keep a casual expression, a smile, even, but his brows knit and his smile wavered. He crossed his arms over his chest even as he continued to walk towards her.
“Yeah,” he said with a slight laugh, just trying to play it off. Trying to build himself back up. “It’s me. Long time no see. I was worried about you, how have you been?”
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Posted: Sun Aug 06, 2017 1:16 pm
When Alya looked so happy, Elvira faltered for a moment and her angry expression slipped a little. She didn’t...didn’t want him to be unhappy...she just didn’t know how he could think it was in any okay to be dating her brothers boyfriend! If it was anyone but Virell, she would have been able to utterly be angry, stamping her feet and shouting...but this wasn’t just anyone.
This was her friend and...but…
But blood was thicker than water so she should be mad for Arias’s sake...but really, wasn't’ the real bad guy here Nick? He was the one who was double playing everyone.
This was just too much for a fifteen year old to handle, and she didn’t know what to say or do or think. “I’m fine. Alya...I just don’t get it. Why didn’t you tell me it was my brother’s boyfriend that you liked? I saw you with him being all lovey dovey at the restaurant, and am just really...mad. I’m just mad! How could it be Nick, Alya! That’s...you can’t be with Nick!”
She stomped her foot in protest and pouted. Hardcore pouted. Well. She had tried to be mature about it. She really had tried.
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Posted: Sun Aug 06, 2017 3:35 pm
Alya’s face immediately fell. It wasn’t often that he couldn’t fabricate some mask, but for a split second he paled as he stared at the smaller Senshi in front of him. He stopped walking towards her and just stared as the information processed in his head.
It took him too long to speak, and even then he only managed to blurt, “What?”
He hadn’t missed the way she would give him dismissive answers, or constantly blew him off. The way she never seemed to want to talk and the fact that he hadn’t seen her in ages. He’d made excuses, but it didn’t mean there weren’t nights where he’d made himself sick worrying. Friends were hard to come by, and he’d always valued her. He’d spent a handful of nights waiting on a text that never came only to wind up crying until he wore himself out.
It was stupid.
He’d have been better if he could have been more apathetic.
At least now he knew why she was cutting him out.
“Did you think I was deliberately trying to steal your brother’s boyfriend away from him?” he asked, unable to resist the slightly defensive tone that drew into his voice. “I didn’t know Nick was dating him. I had no idea, it’s not like we ever talked about who he was with.”
His arms were still crossed over his chest and he seemed clearly on edge. “You’re the one who told me to even talk to him and tell him how I felt. But it’s not like you even have to worry about that because he doesn’t even like me like that, so I don’t know what you’re upset about. He’s not going to leave your brother for me.”
His nails dug into his flesh as he spoke; he kept his face as even as he could, kept his voice even, but he was gripping his arms so tightly he could have drawn blood. He’d been with Nick since then, and been happy to spend time with him, but he hadn’t forgotten how that conversation had gone.
“He said things were going really well with him and they were in a good place. He said he was scared to death of your brother finding out, so I’m going to guess that you haven’t told him anything because I haven’t gotten any calls from Nick telling me he never wants to see me again because I ruined his life.” His voice caught for a second but he pushed through the emotions and wondered if Elvira would notice if he used his magic on himself. He’d been upset about things for a while but really didn’t want tonight to be the night things just bubbled over.
“Yet.”
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Posted: Sun Aug 06, 2017 3:36 pm
Elvira frowned and opened her mouth to say something. Anything, but nothing came out. She couldn’t find any words to say at all. Part of her wanted to keep being mad, and part of her wanted to cry. He just looked so, so sad...and he was her friend first and this was so stupid and she was being childish but…
He hadn’t known...she should have known that he hadn’t known and she should have talked to him about it first before getting mad and clearly she was in the wrong but…
No, she wasn’t going to let him keep feeling bad...and she could stop it. She really could. “Elvira Garland!” The words burst from her lips before she could stop them and she held her hand out towards Alya, making sure he got to feel at least some happiness. This was stupid. She was stupid.
---
Julienne had been out taking a nice walk when she had felt the super and basic senshi aura, and upon closer inspection, it was both Elvira and Alya, and for a moment, the cat was filled with some excitement. These were her senshi and she had missed them! But...why did Elvira look so upset...and why did Alya look so upset…?
...and why was Elvira using her attack on Alya?
The siberian ran over, hissing lightly and headbutting Elvira first, and then Alya, looking at the two sternly. “Hey! What are you two doing? You’re not supposed to be fighting each other!”
...Unless it was a practice fight...but for some reason, she didn’t quite think that was the case here.
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Posted: Sun Aug 06, 2017 3:36 pm
When Elvira used her magic, Alya had expected she was actually attacking him; it was instinctive and he had braced himself for pain or something, but instead he was met with happiness. Her happiness, her magic. He knew what her magic could do; they’d talked about it.
While it felt good to forget the pain that felt like it had come crushing down on him, a little voice in the back of his head reminded him that it was synthetic happiness. It wasn’t his to enjoy, not really. And not for long.
She hadn’t said anything but he clung to the emotions, desperate for some break from the ones he had been feeling.
He’d been struggling to decipher thoughts and emotions when Julienne appeared; the head butt hadn’t exactly hurt but it had been enough for her to have his attention. The effects of Elvira’s magic were still twisting inside of him; he felt happy, even if his mind couldn’t come up with a single reason to be happy.
It was better than hurting, though, so that was something to be happy about at least.
He smiled at Julienne, with the fake happiness. Ordinarily, he might have actually been glad to see her. “It’s fine,” he insisted, but he didn’t know if that was true. “We’re fine.”
He didn’t know if that was true, either.
But it felt nice to say.
His grip loosened on his arms; he hadn’t drawn blood but his nails had left sharp, red indents on his flesh. He crouched down to pet the cat, keeping his eyes on her because he wasn’t sleeping with her brother’s boyfriend so he had nothing to be ashamed of, there. The emotions still bubbled inside of him, but he could feel the voices, the thoughts, creeping back.
He made sure he had something else to keep his eyes on so he didn’t have to keep Elvira’s gaze. Julienne wasn’t quite big enough to hide behind, but she was small enough that he could crouch and keep his head bowed and not have to worry about what his face was doing.
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Posted: Sun Aug 06, 2017 3:38 pm
Elvira’s lip trembled, and when Julienne came into the picture and hit her leg, that was it. The senshi burst into tears and fell to her knees, hugging Alya tightly. Of course they were fine. They were friends. That was what mattered...not who was dating who or anything like that. Just Virell and...and everything. “I’m sorry. I should have talked to you first and not gotten so mad...please don’t hate me Alya...I just...Nick is really, really mean! I don’t think I like him at all anymore...he shouldn’t be hurting you and Arias...that’s not fair. It’s not fair at all!”
Nick was to blame...and hopefully, Nick would get hurt in the end...or...not hurt so much as he would find a way to make all of this up to all of them eventually...because that was what needed to be done. It was only fair.
---
Julienne purred softly as Alya pet her and when Elvira burst into tears, she was once again quite alarmed and pulled away, frowning slightly. Well...at least they weren’t fighting anymore...and the both of them...clearly things had been going on...but...maybe...maybe she could make tonight at least a little bit better. She couldn’t fix whatever this ‘Nick’ had done, but perhaps she could work on making the both of them smile at least a little.
“There now, Elvira honey, don’t cry. It’s all going to be okay. There’s nothing to cry about...now. The both of you. You’ve been training hard, haven’t you? I can see that. I need both of your henshin pens, please. I think you’ve both gotten to the point where you need some new powers...so...honey, stop your crying and let’s do this thing, okay? Alya, you too. This is all okay, so chins up, please. There’s no time for tears when the world needs to be saved.”
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Posted: Sun Aug 06, 2017 3:54 pm
Alya did not look up, even when Julienne said ‘chins up’; he kept his firmly tucked to his chest. The happiness was well on its way to wearing off but he wasn’t ready to let it go. He tried to cling onto the happy feelings but it just felt so much emptier than it had before. But Elvira wasn’t mad at him. She was crying, though, and that made his heart hurt more than he cared to admit.
She shouldn’t have to deal with all of this; she shouldn’t have to deal with secrets like this.
When Julienne first asked for their pens, Alya honestly thought she was revoking his. He hadn’t even hesitated, though; when she said she needed the pen he was already reaching for it to surrender it before she explained her intentions.
For a second, his eyes flicked up to see her, but it was short lived. He placed the pen on the ground in front of her.
“I don’t hate you,” he said softly to Elvira; he was still thinking about using his magic on himself while he sorted everything out. “I could never. I didn’t know that’s why you were mad at me. I didn’t know it was your brother.”
He didn’t know if he could stop spending time with Nick just because of that, though, and the thought made his stomach twist with guilt. Would Carlee get mad at him if he still wanted to see Nick? How was he supposed to give him up, though?
He couldn’t. He wasn’t going to be that alone again. But he doubted Carlee would understand what that was like; she had such a happy, supportive family, and she was so well adjusted to everything.
“I’m fine,” he continued; regardless of his circumstances, it was something he’d gotten used to telling everyone, even himself. Elvira was close and he felt obligated to hug her, try to reassure her. He didn’t want to lose her, so even as he kept his head down he gave her a hug. “Nobody’s hurting me. And everything’s okay. And I’m sorry, Julienne. I hope your head is okay.”
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Posted: Sun Aug 06, 2017 3:59 pm
Elvira had given her pen to the cat without looking at her too, not seeming to have heard what she said, or not seeming to have cared in the slightest. When Alya returned the hug, she relaxed against him, burying her face against his fuku and hiccuping softly. “I know it’s not your fault...I know that you didn’t know, and I know that I didn’t know...but I can’t believe that Nick would do that and hurt the both of you...I don’t want my brother to be sad...but I don’t want you to be sad either, I just...how could he be so mean and kind of horrible and do that to the both of you?”
She sniffled, rubbing her face against him to wipe her nose a little. It wasn’t that she thought he deserved boogers...but she kind of thought he did. A little. Just a little.
“Why do you let him hurt you, Virell…? That’s not fair to you...you should be happy, and you shouldn’t be with someone who makes you cry...that’s not fair.”
---
While the two were talking, Julienne had been working on the pens, concentrating her own special magic into them both, purring in contentment as they changed shape. Yes, this was what was needed. This would make the two of them very happy, she was sure...and that would fix all of this, she was also sure of that.
“All right. Go ahead and take the pens back, Alya, I need you to hold yours and say, ‘Alya Asteroid Power, Make up!’ And, Elvira, please take yours and say ‘Elvira Eternal Power, Make up!’ And I just want you to know that I’m very proud of the both of you and I hope this...eases whatever tensions that you’re having, and I adore you both and I want you to be happy. The both of you. So...please, do try to cheer up, won’t you? I don’t want to be that cat that has to purr forever to keep you happy, but I will, if it comes to it.”
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Posted: Sun Aug 06, 2017 3:59 pm
Alya either didn’t notice or didn’t care about serving as Elvira’s oversized tissue. “I don’t let him hurt me,” he insisted. His words were firm, like he was trying to sound convincing. “I don’t let anyone hurt me. I’m happy. And I can’t cry, or my makeup would smear.”
It was partially a joke; he didn’t want Elvira to stay sad. He might have been blindsided by all of this, but she had never done him any wrong. Sans ignore him, but he didn’t want to blame her—or anyone—for that. At least, not if his options were to blame her or the guy he had too many feelings for.
He didn’t lift his face entirely, but he seemed to have control over what emotions he was letting slip through. He managed a smile to Elvira, and then to Julienne before he took his pen. “You are too kind, Julienne.” He wasn’t sure there was anything to be proud of on his end; apparently he was mostly good for sleeping around and making people cry.
Or—no.
He knew that wasn’t true. Tonight had just been a little stressful, and everything leading up to this had just been building and building.
He repeated the words she’d said somewhat halfheartedly; he didn’t have any enthusiasm for it, but he didn’t want to disappoint her—and he was grateful for what she’d done.
Powering up just seemed…strange. It was a rush, like he’d been exercising, or just went on a really good date.
It felt nice, despite everything else.
Though, he felt bad; he sort of just wanted to power up and go home. But then, he really didn’t want to be alone.
A fresh pang of guilt flushed through him when his first thought was to see if he could text Nick to come over.
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Posted: Sun Aug 06, 2017 4:00 pm
Elvira sniffled again, finally pulling away from Alya and wiping her nose again, this time on her glove. “Thanks Julienne…” She murmured, picking up the pen and repeating what she told her to say. When she looked down at herself again, she blinked. “Woah...Alya!” Her voice was excited again. “You’re super now! You’re super and...and look! Look I have buttwings!”
She pushed herself up onto her knees and wiggled her hips to show them off, hitting Alya in the arm and knocking poor Julienne to the ground. “Oh! Oh I’m sorry Julienne! Are you sure about this? I’m really...I’m really strong enough for this now!? Oh Ida will be so excited!”
In all honesty, she herself was excited. This was something she hadn’t anticipated on getting for a long time...and it made her feel really, really good...even despite all that had happened. And…
Elvira looked to Alya again. “Can I come over tonight…? We can maybe give each other facials and you can do my hair really nice if you want? And maybe I can do yours too? I don’t want to not be friends anymore...and I’m sorry I got so mad at you, I really am...this isn’t your fault…”
---
Julienne let out a small yelp as she was knocked over by Elvira’s new wings, but she laughed after getting back to her feet. Well...at least her gift had worked on one of the two...it would have to work for now. She sat on her hind legs and reached up, licking Alya’s cheek and then nuzzling it with her nose. “I’m glad to see you smiling again...I take it you like the gifts, hm? Well...Good. You both really do deserve it.
She stretched and gave a great yawn. “Well. I should be heading home now. It was good to see you both again...if you ever need anything. I’m never too far away, okay?”
The Guardian rubbed her head against Elvira, admiring the way her fuku upgrade sparkled. It was a nice effect. Finally, after another yawn, the satisfied Mauvian slunk away into the night.
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Posted: Sun Aug 06, 2017 4:00 pm
Alya managed a smile and pushed himself up; he had remained sitting for a few seconds after Elvira had gotten up. He thanked Julienne and waved before she left, but a part of him was sad to see her go. He gave his new outfit a quick look over, but it was certainly Elvira’s outfit he was more interested in, even if it was only because he could see hers better.
There was so much that he wanted to say that he knew he couldn’t.
“You can come over tonight,” he said, really just desperate to make sure she wasn’t mad at him. “But I might not be really interesting. I’m a little tired, and my place is a little messy.” But that wasn’t anything that would stop Elvira; it was just a little warning. The idea of not being friends hurt and he instinctively moved to rub his stomach despite knowing that wasn’t the problem.
“I’m sorry,” he added a few seconds later. “…I really didn’t know why you were mad at me. I feel awful about all of it.” It wasn’t a new feeling, though; these feelings just came and went as they pleased. “It’s probably easier to blame me than Nick. Don’t…blame him.”
He reached for his braid and began playing with it—a nervous habit, something he’d done since he was uncomfortable or unhappy “I guess, there’s a lot that we could talk about, though. Maybe we should talk. I just want us to be okay.”
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Posted: Sun Aug 06, 2017 4:00 pm
“I’m not mad anymore, Alya.” Elvira reached out and took his hand, giving it a squeeze. “You have to remember that I’m only fifteen and things like this are beyond my...it just seemed...really, really bad and I got upset and I have to remember that you’re not the one who I should be mad at...but if you don’t want me to blame Nick…”
Her voice trailed off and she squeezed the other senshi’s hand once again, trying to reassure him. “We can talk about that later...but...let’s just go and hang out and fix everything and then we can go back to the way things were, okay? I don’t like being mad...it kind of makes me feel really sick so…”
Elvira shrugged, tugging Alya. “So...let’s go and be friends okay? I’ll...I’ll leave the relationship things to you guys, but you don’t have to worry about me being upset about it anymore, I promise. I won’t...I won’t let what happens get in the way of our friendship. We were friends first, and you and me will be friends forever, okay?”
She looked at the blonde senshi and gave a smile, one that lit up her whole face. “I couldn’t imagine not having you in my life...the past month has been awful, honestly…”
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Posted: Sun Aug 06, 2017 4:01 pm
Alya flashed a slightly more convincing smile and squeezed her hand in response. They could talk later, sure; he wasn't quite sure he could manage anything too serious anyway. His emotions were a patchwork quilt, poorly stitched and rayon. At the seams already. One good tug threatened all of it, and he'd already had a few good yanks wearing him particularly thin.
"It has," Alya agreed quietly. He didn't want to make her feel bad for pushing him away; there had been days when he'd really needed someone to talk to but she hadn't been around.
He'd realized, rather painfully, how pathetic it was that the only friend he trusted enough to listen to him was a fifteen year old girl. So he had just gone back to keeping his thoughts and feelings all bottled up, and it felt like he could have exploded. He couldn't tell her the things he wanted to, even now. Not when he knew who Nick was dating.
"Let's just...forget about all of that...relationship stuff. I won't bring it up again. It's--it's over, no big deal." Except it was, but he was more lies than truth these days, and he would rather the people around him be happy and in his life than him be alone and more miserable without them. So he put on a facade; he smiled again and stood a little taller. "We can pick up a pizza on the way home, we'll put on some movies. I got some more samples from a shoot I did, I think the colors would really bring out your eyes. I've got a month of things I've been collecting for you so you have a big box waiting. And some cute things I found while I was out. A really cute jacket that's too small for me. Some perfume. Just, some things."
He smiled again and tugged her with him before powering down. Ha wasn't as dressed up as usual; he had come from a late night math class and hadn't gotten dressed up after he has gotten home; he'd just powered up. If they went quick, maybe nobody would see him and judge him. Carlee, though. She'd seen him in mud masks and pajamas. She wouldn't judge him too badly.
He hoped.
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