((Ximena continued from C-WALK))
"This has given me something wonderful and also the worst. It's a mixed bag. I have been taken to the -- uh, absolutely -- the depths of terror. I have had my whole soul undermined by this experience. On the one hand. On the other hand... um, in one sense, it has been about... finding joy."
The person behind the counter hesitated.
"So you don't want to be signed up for our 'What's the Scoop' newsletter?"
Ximena pushed her debit card at the person wordlessly while watching a man outside park his electric unicycle and enter the "Bontà Natural Artisan Gelato Tasting Room" (ice cream shop).
"No."
The transaction was completed and Ximena received her debit card. She took with her a cone with two scoops of "slow batch," artisan, handcrafted, ethically and sustainably sourced, premium, gourmet gelato contained within it.
Ximena was wearing dark taupe, straight-legged slacks with a flare at the bottom; white ankle boots; an oversized, white cable-knit cardigan; and a white camisole underneath. Her hair was pulled up into her usual high ponytail, secured by a white scrunchy. The bandages were no longer on her face and pink lines showed through her eyebrow and on the side of her jaw. Her left hand was still wrapped up, but the fingers were free.
She took a seat at a table by the window. A man wearing four scarves walked in.
You Have the Love of the Beast Like a Friend
O brood of abominations, will your mother not be ashamed?
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((A 2008 Toyota Corolla pulled up to the curb outside the window.))
Inside the Corolla, there sat two of Ximena's erstwhile biology classmates. At the wheel was Craig Clegg, who hadn't been on the fateful class trip. He looked the same as he always did: nondescript and wearing flannel. In the passenger-side seat was Astrid Millar, who, due to her distinctive appearance and the Twitter post she made during her rescue, was instantly recognizable to anyone who followed the 24-hour news cycle as being "that scary-eyed girl who wasn't prosecuted by the AG for committing an indeterminate amount of homicides". As usual, she had her hair in a short messy pixie cut, and was was wearing her normal outfit of a black tank top, a black leather jacket with metal studs on it, a black knee-length skirt, black leather goth boots that went up to just below her knees, and even a black choker around her neck. Very abnormally, she wasn't wearing any of the heavy makeup she usually had around her eyes, revealing they were surrounded by two patchy circular areas of skin heavily freckled by the same black pigment saturating her sclerae.
Craig put the car in park.
Astrid said something, which was inaudible to anyone outside the car unless they had superhearing. Due to having accidentally damaged a nerve while performing amateur self-dentistry that one time, the left side of her lips were still stuck in a sneer sort of like Sylvester Stallone's unless being moved as part of some reflexive facial movement like a genuine smile.
Craig nodded his head.
Astrid said something.
"Ahahaha," Craig looked like he said, and then he stepped out of the car and walked over to the door of the gelato shop. He opened it and popped his head through the doorway, giving the room a cursory glance as Astrid remained in the car. Then, he gave Ximena a brief wave, turned his head back to Astrid and gave her a thumbs up, and then stepped into the gelato line behind the four-scarved man.
Astrid then stepped out of the car, and quickly walked inside the gelato shop, keeping her head down. The familiar noise of her boots clacking against the ground was audible even before she entered. Once she was inside, her head swiveled to face Ximena, and then she walked over and sat down across from her at the table.
"Hi." She mumbled quietly, nodding her head.
Inside the Corolla, there sat two of Ximena's erstwhile biology classmates. At the wheel was Craig Clegg, who hadn't been on the fateful class trip. He looked the same as he always did: nondescript and wearing flannel. In the passenger-side seat was Astrid Millar, who, due to her distinctive appearance and the Twitter post she made during her rescue, was instantly recognizable to anyone who followed the 24-hour news cycle as being "that scary-eyed girl who wasn't prosecuted by the AG for committing an indeterminate amount of homicides". As usual, she had her hair in a short messy pixie cut, and was was wearing her normal outfit of a black tank top, a black leather jacket with metal studs on it, a black knee-length skirt, black leather goth boots that went up to just below her knees, and even a black choker around her neck. Very abnormally, she wasn't wearing any of the heavy makeup she usually had around her eyes, revealing they were surrounded by two patchy circular areas of skin heavily freckled by the same black pigment saturating her sclerae.
Craig put the car in park.
Astrid said something, which was inaudible to anyone outside the car unless they had superhearing. Due to having accidentally damaged a nerve while performing amateur self-dentistry that one time, the left side of her lips were still stuck in a sneer sort of like Sylvester Stallone's unless being moved as part of some reflexive facial movement like a genuine smile.
Craig nodded his head.
Astrid said something.
"Ahahaha," Craig looked like he said, and then he stepped out of the car and walked over to the door of the gelato shop. He opened it and popped his head through the doorway, giving the room a cursory glance as Astrid remained in the car. Then, he gave Ximena a brief wave, turned his head back to Astrid and gave her a thumbs up, and then stepped into the gelato line behind the four-scarved man.
Astrid then stepped out of the car, and quickly walked inside the gelato shop, keeping her head down. The familiar noise of her boots clacking against the ground was audible even before she entered. Once she was inside, her head swiveled to face Ximena, and then she walked over and sat down across from her at the table.
"Hi." She mumbled quietly, nodding her head.
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Ximena made a motion that was a bit like a salute at Craig, who ambled over to the counter.
Clack clack clack.
"Does he know what you want?" she said.
Her hand glowed and the glow slowly traveled up the length of the ice cream cone until the entire thing was enveloped in the effect, a bit like it had been outlined by a smart lasso in Photoshop. Ximena slowed time for the ice cream (gelato, whatever) so that it wouldn't melt.
"There's lavender and honey, sweet potato, bourbon and corn, golden milk, garlic butter, 1999 Chevy Tahoe."
Clack clack clack.
"Does he know what you want?" she said.
Her hand glowed and the glow slowly traveled up the length of the ice cream cone until the entire thing was enveloped in the effect, a bit like it had been outlined by a smart lasso in Photoshop. Ximena slowed time for the ice cream (gelato, whatever) so that it wouldn't melt.
"There's lavender and honey, sweet potato, bourbon and corn, golden milk, garlic butter, 1999 Chevy Tahoe."
"Oh, um, yeah." Astrid said, crossing her left leg over her right. "I'm getting Pacific squid ink with woodchip sprinkles."
She turned her head and glanced over her shoulder to the back of the room.
"But, um, yeah, no, yeah, Craig's also here to make sure you don't try to jump me," she said, turning her head to face at Ximena again. She gave her a flash of her shiny new teeth. "I got tackled from behind and punched by Martin Foster the last time I tried to go outside, so."
She crossed her arms and shrugged.
"You're the first person who was there -- other than Melodie Bernard -- to contact me so far, so I guess I'm assuming there's a reason why you wanted to talk."
She turned her head and glanced over her shoulder to the back of the room.
"But, um, yeah, no, yeah, Craig's also here to make sure you don't try to jump me," she said, turning her head to face at Ximena again. She gave her a flash of her shiny new teeth. "I got tackled from behind and punched by Martin Foster the last time I tried to go outside, so."
She crossed her arms and shrugged.
"You're the first person who was there -- other than Melodie Bernard -- to contact me so far, so I guess I'm assuming there's a reason why you wanted to talk."
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Ximena smiled and tilted her head back and to the right, eyeing Astrid. She stretched and the ice cream cone stayed balanced on its tip on the table, eventually slowly moving to the left. Ximena grabbed it again before it was in danger of meeting the table.
"Who? Me? I couldn't hurt a fly," she said and took a lick of her dessert, shutting off her control of time. She was quiet for a moment, studying Astrid.
Ximena supposed that all of the survivors were somewhat recognizable now, though the group of seven a little more because, well, they were a bigger group and because the intrepid group were also the first ones that the world knew survived the bus crash thanks to Astrid's post.
She had returned from the hospital to find a sudden explosion in her subscriber count. That was its own thing to grapple with, though selling spicy pics to keep things afloat was a lesser offense compared to murder for the vast majority of the populous (aside from a few deeply weird people, and those people had not attempted to make in-person contact).
"So he's your body guard?" she said looking over at the lanky boy. Ximena crossed her left leg over her right leg. "Mmm. Mm-hm," she said in response to the question of wanting to talk.
"Sorry I didn't take you with me," she said quietly, looking at the table, and sensing she didn't need to elaborate to be understood. "I should have."
"Who? Me? I couldn't hurt a fly," she said and took a lick of her dessert, shutting off her control of time. She was quiet for a moment, studying Astrid.
Ximena supposed that all of the survivors were somewhat recognizable now, though the group of seven a little more because, well, they were a bigger group and because the intrepid group were also the first ones that the world knew survived the bus crash thanks to Astrid's post.
She had returned from the hospital to find a sudden explosion in her subscriber count. That was its own thing to grapple with, though selling spicy pics to keep things afloat was a lesser offense compared to murder for the vast majority of the populous (aside from a few deeply weird people, and those people had not attempted to make in-person contact).
"So he's your body guard?" she said looking over at the lanky boy. Ximena crossed her left leg over her right leg. "Mmm. Mm-hm," she said in response to the question of wanting to talk.
"Sorry I didn't take you with me," she said quietly, looking at the table, and sensing she didn't need to elaborate to be understood. "I should have."
Astrid uncrossed her arms and leaned forward with her elbows on the table.
"I don't..." she said, trailing off like she was trying to find the right words, "... for what it's worth, I don't blame you. I don't think I'm in much position to, given I did the same thing to you and David with Emily. Melodie almost killed you."
She sighed and then idly carved a curved line into the table's wooden surface using her fingernail.
"I think... honestly, I think what was happening there was... Melodie was trying to seal herself away from reality, Yvette wasn't going to leave Melodie without her willingly snapping herself back into reality, and then I wasn't going to leave Yvette without making completely sure that she knew that if she stayed with Melodie, she was probably never going to leave -" she inhaled sharply and then winced, "- leave that room alive."
She was silent for a few moments. Craig walked up and placed a short, wide paper cup full of ice cream in front of her on the table.
"What flavor?" She asked.
"Stracciatella," Craig said.
"Stracciatellllla gelatttto." Astrid repeated in a possibly offensive Italian accent.
"Ahahaha," Craig said, and then walked over to a table on the other side of the room with his own gelato.
"Anyways," Astrid said, turning her head back to Ximena and stabbing a plastic spoon into a scoop of gelato. "Honestly, you made the right choice by not adding yourself to that chain. I don't think you could have stopped any of what happened after you left. I think maybe she would have killed you if you tried."
She took a bite of gelato.
"I can tell you what happened, if you want."
"I don't..." she said, trailing off like she was trying to find the right words, "... for what it's worth, I don't blame you. I don't think I'm in much position to, given I did the same thing to you and David with Emily. Melodie almost killed you."
She sighed and then idly carved a curved line into the table's wooden surface using her fingernail.
"I think... honestly, I think what was happening there was... Melodie was trying to seal herself away from reality, Yvette wasn't going to leave Melodie without her willingly snapping herself back into reality, and then I wasn't going to leave Yvette without making completely sure that she knew that if she stayed with Melodie, she was probably never going to leave -" she inhaled sharply and then winced, "- leave that room alive."
She was silent for a few moments. Craig walked up and placed a short, wide paper cup full of ice cream in front of her on the table.
"What flavor?" She asked.
"Stracciatella," Craig said.
"Stracciatellllla gelatttto." Astrid repeated in a possibly offensive Italian accent.
"Ahahaha," Craig said, and then walked over to a table on the other side of the room with his own gelato.
"Anyways," Astrid said, turning her head back to Ximena and stabbing a plastic spoon into a scoop of gelato. "Honestly, you made the right choice by not adding yourself to that chain. I don't think you could have stopped any of what happened after you left. I think maybe she would have killed you if you tried."
She took a bite of gelato.
"I can tell you what happened, if you want."
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Ximena uncrossed her legs and leaned forward with one elbow on the table and her other hand holding the ice cream. Her chin was resting in her bandaged hand and she looked pensive.
Craig came by and dropped off Astrid's gelato. Ximena tracked him with her eyes as he left. She didn't know what his Gift was, but there was something about him that she found unsettling. She would not want to be left alone with him.
"Well..." she said after a moment of deep thought. "I can sympathize with wanting to shut yourself off from reality when reality is that bad. However." Ximena paused and thought another moment. "I sympathize but I don't empathize. I get it, but when by denying reality you hurt other people -- either because you don't bother to think of them or you're doing it on purpose -- well, I don't think that's excusable. Getting pushed to violence because you are stressed, desperate, you don't think there's another way, I think that's less... awful than hurting people just because you didn't even consider that they're there or care. To be thoughtless."
Ximena briefly wondered if she was making any sense, and she was trying to choose her words carefully to express her thoughts but perhaps it was a failure.
Astrid said that it was for the best that she wasn't part of the chain and that she might have killed her regardless. She wasn't sure who the "she" in that statement meant.
"You can tell me if you think it would help me or it would help you."
Ximena maybe wouldn't trust Astrid in a number of situations and for a number of things, like driving a car or watching a kid, but she trusted that she could make the correct assessment here.
Craig came by and dropped off Astrid's gelato. Ximena tracked him with her eyes as he left. She didn't know what his Gift was, but there was something about him that she found unsettling. She would not want to be left alone with him.
"Well..." she said after a moment of deep thought. "I can sympathize with wanting to shut yourself off from reality when reality is that bad. However." Ximena paused and thought another moment. "I sympathize but I don't empathize. I get it, but when by denying reality you hurt other people -- either because you don't bother to think of them or you're doing it on purpose -- well, I don't think that's excusable. Getting pushed to violence because you are stressed, desperate, you don't think there's another way, I think that's less... awful than hurting people just because you didn't even consider that they're there or care. To be thoughtless."
Ximena briefly wondered if she was making any sense, and she was trying to choose her words carefully to express her thoughts but perhaps it was a failure.
Astrid said that it was for the best that she wasn't part of the chain and that she might have killed her regardless. She wasn't sure who the "she" in that statement meant.
"You can tell me if you think it would help me or it would help you."
Ximena maybe wouldn't trust Astrid in a number of situations and for a number of things, like driving a car or watching a kid, but she trusted that she could make the correct assessment here.
Astrid cut her spoon into the gelato again, her eyes facing at Ximena unblinkingly.
"Well yeah, I mean, I'm getting a restraining order against Melodie if she ever tries to talk to me again." She said.
She shrugged.
"You can tell me if you think it would help me or it would help you."
She shrugged again and then her shoulders slumped down slightly. Her face turned down towards the table.
She was silent for a moment, sitting frozen, still holding her spoon stuck halfway into the gelato ball.
She shrugged a third time.
"I dunno."
She closed her eyes and then exhaled softly out through her nose.
"It, um... after you left, around the time when Isabella did the bug thing, it was... Jenelle Greene. Jenelle Greene showed up. I didn't see her come in. She just, she was suddenly just there next to Yvette, between me and Melodie." She said quietly.
She was quiet for a moment, then inhaled. She opened her eyes.
"And so Yvette chained herself to her instead of Melodie. And Jenelle was still acting the same as she always did, just hurting people because she felt like it, and Yvette was standing there making excuses for her, and Melodie's sitting in the corner with her thumb up her ass, I'm just standing there trying to get everyone's shit together because we're in a life and death situation, like literally I was already drenched in Spencer Ross's blood. Then, the owl lady went on the intercoms and yelled at everyone. You'll remember that, I guess." She said.
She finally brought the spoonful of gelato up to her mouth and then swallowed it.
"Anyways, I gave up during the announcement. I began to leave. Nobody noticed because I had my flashlight off. But then Jenelle says to Yvette that she doesn't care about anybody here, and neither should she." She muttered. "And, like, when she's saying it, she already knows Yvette's going to listen to her."
She was quiet for another few seconds, and then scratched the side of her nose.
"And I..." she trailed off. "...I've read a lot about, about power dynamics, about psychological manipulation. About psychological abuse. So I saw right through that. And I just, I just, I just, I couldn't leave Yvette with her. I couldn't leave her there. So I tried to talk to her into leaving, and then Jenelle blows up at me, starts just saying whatever random bullshit she thinks is going to hurt me. And one of the things she called me was brain-damaged. And I... I actually, I'm, I..."
She sighed and closed her eyes.
"...when I was eleven months old, I, um, I fell off the bed, and I hit my head. And so I, um, I have damage to my frontal lobe."
She sniffled and then slumped forward slightly, resting her head in her hand with her palm over the right side of her face.
"Which she didn't know. But it still, it still, I got really, really angry after she said it, and I started yelling too. And, um..."
Something clear trickled down from the corner of her left eye.
"... she, um, she popped her collar. She said what she was doing was my fault, and then she popped her own collar because she knew it would kill Yvette too." She mumbled quietly.
Her gelato was starting to melt.
"It got bad. It got really really bad. I couldn't see. I couldn't breathe without getting her in my lungs."
She was silent.
"Well yeah, I mean, I'm getting a restraining order against Melodie if she ever tries to talk to me again." She said.
She shrugged.
"You can tell me if you think it would help me or it would help you."
She shrugged again and then her shoulders slumped down slightly. Her face turned down towards the table.
She was silent for a moment, sitting frozen, still holding her spoon stuck halfway into the gelato ball.
She shrugged a third time.
"I dunno."
She closed her eyes and then exhaled softly out through her nose.
"It, um... after you left, around the time when Isabella did the bug thing, it was... Jenelle Greene. Jenelle Greene showed up. I didn't see her come in. She just, she was suddenly just there next to Yvette, between me and Melodie." She said quietly.
She was quiet for a moment, then inhaled. She opened her eyes.
"And so Yvette chained herself to her instead of Melodie. And Jenelle was still acting the same as she always did, just hurting people because she felt like it, and Yvette was standing there making excuses for her, and Melodie's sitting in the corner with her thumb up her ass, I'm just standing there trying to get everyone's shit together because we're in a life and death situation, like literally I was already drenched in Spencer Ross's blood. Then, the owl lady went on the intercoms and yelled at everyone. You'll remember that, I guess." She said.
She finally brought the spoonful of gelato up to her mouth and then swallowed it.
"Anyways, I gave up during the announcement. I began to leave. Nobody noticed because I had my flashlight off. But then Jenelle says to Yvette that she doesn't care about anybody here, and neither should she." She muttered. "And, like, when she's saying it, she already knows Yvette's going to listen to her."
She was quiet for another few seconds, and then scratched the side of her nose.
"And I..." she trailed off. "...I've read a lot about, about power dynamics, about psychological manipulation. About psychological abuse. So I saw right through that. And I just, I just, I just, I couldn't leave Yvette with her. I couldn't leave her there. So I tried to talk to her into leaving, and then Jenelle blows up at me, starts just saying whatever random bullshit she thinks is going to hurt me. And one of the things she called me was brain-damaged. And I... I actually, I'm, I..."
She sighed and closed her eyes.
"...when I was eleven months old, I, um, I fell off the bed, and I hit my head. And so I, um, I have damage to my frontal lobe."
She sniffled and then slumped forward slightly, resting her head in her hand with her palm over the right side of her face.
"Which she didn't know. But it still, it still, I got really, really angry after she said it, and I started yelling too. And, um..."
Something clear trickled down from the corner of her left eye.
"... she, um, she popped her collar. She said what she was doing was my fault, and then she popped her own collar because she knew it would kill Yvette too." She mumbled quietly.
Her gelato was starting to melt.
"It got bad. It got really really bad. I couldn't see. I couldn't breathe without getting her in my lungs."
She was silent.
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Ximena noticed Astrid's 
stracciatella was beginning to sag a little, and poked the cup with her pinkie. The gelato shimmered and a glob that had been rolling down from the top now seemed to barely budge.
"Don't worry. Time is vegan, gluten free, fat free... but it's not cruelty free."
Ximena looked into Astrid's eyes and saw her own reflection gazing back at her, like mirrors. The two were seated both with their head resting on their hand and an elbow on the table looking like inverted mirror images, one in black and one in white.
Astrid introduced a hereto-forth unknown player into the scene, which was Jenelle. Ximena knew her vaguely as unpleasant by reputation beforehand, but that was it since they had never crossed paths. As such, she mostly discarded any info about her (and other names she didn't know) when they were announced as dead. However, she was of interest now for a few reasons. One, Ximena had learned that her dream boy was Austin and that this was his sister. Two, she'd been told of her demise from Alan, who counted her as a friend in his band of............. humans. Alan aside, Ximena was not very impressed with this group so far, but maybe the greasy dude had been okay -- she couldn't say.
Astrid stopped speaking and Ximena sat there, silent, for what felt like hours as she deliberated.
"That shit's fucked up," she said quietly, finally, slightly raspy.
"Yeah. I mean, telling someone not to care about other people, that's isolation. It's like, page one of manipulating people. I think... it's not revelatory or anything, but some unhappy people lash out and they wanna pull whoever they can down with them. I think you did everything you could have -- maybe more than you should have. Still, at least Yvette had someone who really did care about her at the end, and I know you did or you'd have left."
stracciatella was beginning to sag a little, and poked the cup with her pinkie. The gelato shimmered and a glob that had been rolling down from the top now seemed to barely budge. "Don't worry. Time is vegan, gluten free, fat free... but it's not cruelty free."
Ximena looked into Astrid's eyes and saw her own reflection gazing back at her, like mirrors. The two were seated both with their head resting on their hand and an elbow on the table looking like inverted mirror images, one in black and one in white.
Astrid introduced a hereto-forth unknown player into the scene, which was Jenelle. Ximena knew her vaguely as unpleasant by reputation beforehand, but that was it since they had never crossed paths. As such, she mostly discarded any info about her (and other names she didn't know) when they were announced as dead. However, she was of interest now for a few reasons. One, Ximena had learned that her dream boy was Austin and that this was his sister. Two, she'd been told of her demise from Alan, who counted her as a friend in his band of............. humans. Alan aside, Ximena was not very impressed with this group so far, but maybe the greasy dude had been okay -- she couldn't say.
Astrid stopped speaking and Ximena sat there, silent, for what felt like hours as she deliberated.
"That shit's fucked up," she said quietly, finally, slightly raspy.
"Yeah. I mean, telling someone not to care about other people, that's isolation. It's like, page one of manipulating people. I think... it's not revelatory or anything, but some unhappy people lash out and they wanna pull whoever they can down with them. I think you did everything you could have -- maybe more than you should have. Still, at least Yvette had someone who really did care about her at the end, and I know you did or you'd have left."
Astrid shrugged with her left shoulder.
"I mean, I dunno if I'd go that far. I think maybe I just thought she was sort of neat and really pretty. I don't know." She said.
Then, she inhaled sharply through her nose. Her eyebrows kneaded. A very slight tinge of red appeared in her face, which she then pointed down at the table. She quickly stabbed out a spoonful of glowing gelato.
"I meant her blood was pretty." She mumbled.
"I mean, I dunno if I'd go that far. I think maybe I just thought she was sort of neat and really pretty. I don't know." She said.
Then, she inhaled sharply through her nose. Her eyebrows kneaded. A very slight tinge of red appeared in her face, which she then pointed down at the table. She quickly stabbed out a spoonful of glowing gelato.
"I meant her blood was pretty." She mumbled.
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"Whatever you say, Toni Topaz" she said, rolling her eyes with a smirk and then flicking her tongue out quickly like a snake.
Ximena held her hand up briefly and the time of Astrid's gelato returned to normal.
"My... aunt Photoshopped me out of all the pictures of our family on Facebook and then also put those in the frames at her house instead of the real pictures. It looks really stupid since she's not good at it and probably didn't use Photoshop. There are just these big, obvious, wavy holes in the pictures. Isn't that pathetic? Looks so stupid," she said suddenly.
She licked her gelato vigorously, though it hadn't changed from its perfect shape since she'd used her Gift on it.
Ximena held her hand up briefly and the time of Astrid's gelato returned to normal.
"My... aunt Photoshopped me out of all the pictures of our family on Facebook and then also put those in the frames at her house instead of the real pictures. It looks really stupid since she's not good at it and probably didn't use Photoshop. There are just these big, obvious, wavy holes in the pictures. Isn't that pathetic? Looks so stupid," she said suddenly.
She licked her gelato vigorously, though it hadn't changed from its perfect shape since she'd used her Gift on it.
"...,"
Astrid took another bite of gelato, and then switched the hand she was resting her head in. For a few seconds her eyes stared in some ambiguous direction. Then, she blinked and very subtly shifted the positioning of her feet so that they were no longer both pointed directly at Ximena.
She was silent, staring for another few seconds.
She blinked.
"Sorry, brainfreeze. I'm better now." She said finally. "I... I mean, that's like... that's, like... that's a super fucked up thing for her to do. And she wasn't even good at it. That's fucked up. You didn't even do anything wrong, I don't think you were even in any of the footage that got released. I'm sorry you're going through that. I-"
Suddenly, she inhaled sharply through her nose and shut her eyes tight. A few tears started trickling down along both her cheeks.
"- I'm homeless right now because I told my parents I didn't want them to have conservatorship. I'm living in Craig's car. Craig's the only person I have left." She muttered quietly.
Astrid took another bite of gelato, and then switched the hand she was resting her head in. For a few seconds her eyes stared in some ambiguous direction. Then, she blinked and very subtly shifted the positioning of her feet so that they were no longer both pointed directly at Ximena.
She was silent, staring for another few seconds.
She blinked.
"Sorry, brainfreeze. I'm better now." She said finally. "I... I mean, that's like... that's, like... that's a super fucked up thing for her to do. And she wasn't even good at it. That's fucked up. You didn't even do anything wrong, I don't think you were even in any of the footage that got released. I'm sorry you're going through that. I-"
Suddenly, she inhaled sharply through her nose and shut her eyes tight. A few tears started trickling down along both her cheeks.
"- I'm homeless right now because I told my parents I didn't want them to have conservatorship. I'm living in Craig's car. Craig's the only person I have left." She muttered quietly.
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"I mean, I didn't do anything wrong, but it wasn't because of anything that happened out in the desert," she explained, after Astrid seemed to recover from her ice cream injury.
Then she started to break down and Ximena dropped her cone in surprise. She managed to shoot a blast of time at it before it fell too far, and she composed herself, collecting the cone from where it was floating down like a feather.
She closed her mouth but still looked appalled.
"No," she said firmly. "Come home with me. I can't let you live in some..." she looked over at Craig, "...guy's 2008 Toyota Corolla. He doesn't have a couch? No. No! No. He can visit if he has to. I just got an apartment this week because -- "
She shifted and faced her body towards Astrid.
"Because of all the attention and stuff, my family found out that I'm an Only Fans girl and well... I don't know, I'm not sorry about it. We needed money, and I liked it more than being yelled at over a fryer basket. It let me have time to study. And I'm good," she said, a bit forcefully. "AndalsobecauseI'mbi" she said a bit quieter, hoping to skim over that. "But! Now I have a lot more income. It's not that I'm disowned, per se. My sister talks to me and my mom does but it's become... tense, and I decided this was best. So I have somewhere. And you can, too. It doesn't have to just be Craig."
"You can come with to Ikea. I owe you -- for the phone."
Then she started to break down and Ximena dropped her cone in surprise. She managed to shoot a blast of time at it before it fell too far, and she composed herself, collecting the cone from where it was floating down like a feather.
She closed her mouth but still looked appalled.
"No," she said firmly. "Come home with me. I can't let you live in some..." she looked over at Craig, "...guy's 2008 Toyota Corolla. He doesn't have a couch? No. No! No. He can visit if he has to. I just got an apartment this week because -- "
She shifted and faced her body towards Astrid.
"Because of all the attention and stuff, my family found out that I'm an Only Fans girl and well... I don't know, I'm not sorry about it. We needed money, and I liked it more than being yelled at over a fryer basket. It let me have time to study. And I'm good," she said, a bit forcefully. "AndalsobecauseI'mbi" she said a bit quieter, hoping to skim over that. "But! Now I have a lot more income. It's not that I'm disowned, per se. My sister talks to me and my mom does but it's become... tense, and I decided this was best. So I have somewhere. And you can, too. It doesn't have to just be Craig."
"You can come with to Ikea. I owe you -- for the phone."
Astrid blinked twice. She sniffled.
She opened her mouth as if about to say something. Then she closed her mouth. She sniffled again. Her mouth warbled around.
"I-I-I..." She stuttered.
She was silent for a moment. She sniffled once more.
Then, both corners of her mouth lifted up into a closed-mouth smile.
"I can't believe you would just make me go to Portland like that." She said, still smiling.
Outside the gelato shop, a brightly-colored Fox News van pulled into the parking lot. Astrid stopped smiling. Her eyebrows raised up.
"Oh fucking great, the press is here. Craig," she said, turning her head to face Craig, "Craig, I need you to distract them. Also, I'm moving in with Ximena."
"Will do! And ahahaha, that's great news!" Craig said, standing up from his table and walking towards the gelato shop's front door.
Astrid turned her head back to face Ximena.
"We can leave out the back if we need." She said, taking another quick bite of gelato.
A man holding a big news camera stepped out from the van. Craig snapped his fingers at the man, and suddenly the camera changed into a 2006 Canon HV10 camcorder.
She opened her mouth as if about to say something. Then she closed her mouth. She sniffled again. Her mouth warbled around.
"I-I-I..." She stuttered.
She was silent for a moment. She sniffled once more.
Then, both corners of her mouth lifted up into a closed-mouth smile.
"I can't believe you would just make me go to Portland like that." She said, still smiling.
Outside the gelato shop, a brightly-colored Fox News van pulled into the parking lot. Astrid stopped smiling. Her eyebrows raised up.
"Oh fucking great, the press is here. Craig," she said, turning her head to face Craig, "Craig, I need you to distract them. Also, I'm moving in with Ximena."
"Will do! And ahahaha, that's great news!" Craig said, standing up from his table and walking towards the gelato shop's front door.
Astrid turned her head back to face Ximena.
"We can leave out the back if we need." She said, taking another quick bite of gelato.
A man holding a big news camera stepped out from the van. Craig snapped his fingers at the man, and suddenly the camera changed into a 2006 Canon HV10 camcorder.
-
Carrion Queen
- Posts: 427
- Joined: Tue Aug 14, 2018 6:35 am
Ximena leaned forward in anticipation of the answer, and then eased back into the chair in relief when it came.
She smiled back at Astrid and laughed when she accused Ximena of threatening her with a day trip to Portland.
Then everything started going sideways, as they sometimes do.
Ximena looked outside when Astrid said that the press had come and saw the news van. She looked around the small shop and zeroed in on the man who was behind her in line, nervously tapping away at his phone, then looking up, then back to the phone.
"Quad-scarf, you bitch," she hissed at the man, who looked alarmed and was typing like a jerk, except he was an actual jerk.
Both girls stood, Ximena knocking over her chair and not bothering to set it right again.
Not knowing quite what to do, she threw her half eaten gelato and cone with super speed at the Fox News employee who was now holding an ancient cam corder. It hit the guy, sending him stumbling backwards, while Ximena grabbed Astrid by the hand and started running towards the back.
"Y-You --" she sputtered looking at Craig, slightly bewildered at the reveal of his Gift. "OK, fine."
She couldn't think of what else to say to the strange guy, instead opting to just keep running for the back of the store with Astrid in tow.
"C'mon. Let's go buy some Malms or Hemneses or Släkts or whatever," she said, fumbling for her car keys in her pocket.
And so, she had a roommate.
((Ximena continued elsewhere))
She smiled back at Astrid and laughed when she accused Ximena of threatening her with a day trip to Portland.
Then everything started going sideways, as they sometimes do.
Ximena looked outside when Astrid said that the press had come and saw the news van. She looked around the small shop and zeroed in on the man who was behind her in line, nervously tapping away at his phone, then looking up, then back to the phone.
"Quad-scarf, you bitch," she hissed at the man, who looked alarmed and was typing like a jerk, except he was an actual jerk.
Both girls stood, Ximena knocking over her chair and not bothering to set it right again.
Not knowing quite what to do, she threw her half eaten gelato and cone with super speed at the Fox News employee who was now holding an ancient cam corder. It hit the guy, sending him stumbling backwards, while Ximena grabbed Astrid by the hand and started running towards the back.
"Y-You --" she sputtered looking at Craig, slightly bewildered at the reveal of his Gift. "OK, fine."
She couldn't think of what else to say to the strange guy, instead opting to just keep running for the back of the store with Astrid in tow.
"C'mon. Let's go buy some Malms or Hemneses or Släkts or whatever," she said, fumbling for her car keys in her pocket.
And so, she had a roommate.
((Ximena continued elsewhere))