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Post by JONATHAN WARNER BRASS on Aug 16, 2011 1:05:42 GMT -5
"Well, I appreciate the sentiment, but I know it'll take some time for things to get better." She nodded understandingly, a small smile on her face as she watched the girl in front of her carry on about her son. It was music to any mother's ears, but more so for her considering how hard the past few years have been. "Ah yes, archery. If there was one thing that could get him to talk when he came home during the holidays, it was that." She smiled at the memory. He had seemed so proud, especially as a freshman, to find something he had a natural talent for, that put him on a pedestal for once. She nodded along as Scarlet continued to speak, waving away her apology. "Don't worry about it sweetie. I love hearing how happy he is. I never got to see who he became when he went away to school." She shook her head, looking a little somber. "Sometimes all I can remember is that little boy screaming in his sleep." She sighed, while Scarlet offered to pour the tea, definitely earning the parent seal of approval with all the politeness.
Maybe it was the fact that most of the time Jon forgot that Scarlet looked a little different, especially now that her scars had come so far, but he hadn't given his parents any warning. They had the good sense not to stare, but Mandy had noticed the difference in skin colour, the edges of the marks on her face that she tried to hide with her hair. They were more obvious when the poor girl was nervously tracing them with her fingers, and it felt wrong for it to go as some big unsaid thing between them. Pushing away from the counter, the older woman gently brushed aside Scarlet's bangs, casting her sympathetic glance over the girl's face, looking like she just might start 'tut-tutting'. "Oh you poor dear." She murmured softly, blue eyes searching. "Those look like they took a brave girl to handle 'em." She shook her head, before surprise flitted across her face, and she let her hand drop, stepping back. "I'm sorry, I-" Now it was her turn to be flustered, embarrassed for letting her mind run away there. She was used to being the mom of the house- for Paul anyway. She just had that instinct to be kind and caring, making it a wonder that she had decided to teach older students rather than the young ones that needed a helping hand. "I know Jon doesn't like when I-you know..." She motioned to her back with a nervous laugh.
Stirring up her own tea, composing herself once more, she was eventually able to take up the same tone of cheerfulness as before. "I know Jon's 'unfriendliness' has a way of keeping people away." She even put down her mug long enough to do the air quotation marks, feeling that they were both speaking about the same thing- namely, the unnatural abilities. But then a smile grew on Mandy's face when she processed what Scarlet was saying. "That's great though- that you could do that. I assume you're the one responsible for getting him to control it better?" She didn't know what sort of things they taught at the school, but for the longest time Jon had had no control over the majority of his abilities, then all at once, when he had come home this summer, he had it all under wraps. She could only assume that Scarlet was some sort of catalyst in helping, if she was never affected in the first place.
Genuinely pleased at this news, she glanced up to see Mike wandering into the kitchen, having retrieved his sandwich, a looking a little more happy as well. Jon followed not long after, wordlessly going to stand behind Scarlet, wrapping his arms around her as if she needed protecting. Really he just liked having her nearby, so it was more for his benefit than anything else. Despite having seemingly resolved some things with his father, he looked much the same, just sort of frowning uncomfortably, but it didn't mean much. It would take him awhile to get over the surreal feeling of having her here, in his old house, in the same room as his parents.
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Post by SCARLET JOOK-LIANG LANCASTER on Aug 16, 2011 1:30:22 GMT -5
It took all she had to not reach up and grab Mandy's hand. She didn't even let Jonathan touch the scars half the time. But when she felt the warm skin against her own, she couldn't help but lean into the touch a bit. It wasn't a disgusted touch. It seemed like she was genuinely concerned about the well-being of the young girl. She bit her lip and shook her head slightly, almost begging for a mothers touch again. Her heart stuck awkwardly in her throat, and she brushed her hands over the scar. "It was a lot worse when I first got it. A teacher found me before the tissue damage set in." She laughed awkwardly and bit her lip. "I'm kind of proud of it, in a weird way. I got it saying no to a demigod who had a thing with paper and flames, and making them contact skin. He wanted to go on a date. It's alright though." She shrugged. "Jon's worth the scar. And it gives him less of a reason to complain about his own." She winked and laughed softly.
Scarlet grinned a bit when his mother made the quotations however, and raised an eyebrow. "Ahhh, yes. The ever-famous awkward, "does the parent know what we are" situation." She laughed and nodded slightly, looking to the side, before shrugging. "See, I'm a demi-god. I suppose Jonathan has filled you in slightly about us. I come directly from the union of a God and a human. More specifically, Helios. He's a sun God or something." She waved her hand absently. "The reason that Jon's powers don't work on me is because mine are counter-productive... That, and I was already pretty unhappy when we met." She blinked, putting her hand to her mouth. How awkward, admitting that the first time you meet your boyfriends mother. Good job, Scarlet. Good job. "So anyway... My power... Uhm... One of them, at least, is the ability to bring cheer to people. I couldn't control it for a very long time, so I was just as alone as Jonathan..." She frowned a bit at herself. There she went, blabbering her life story.
She was about to continue when Mike and Jonathan walked back into the kitchen. She felt Jon's arms wrap around her and smiled weakly, gripping his hands against her, leaning her head back slightly, while still sipping her tea. "Want some?" She looked up to Jon, wiggling the mug a bit in front of his face. "We boiled enough water for a few cups..."
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Post by JONATHAN WARNER BRASS on Aug 16, 2011 2:12:40 GMT -5
Mandy raised her mug to her lips, intent on the girl as she explained. Jon was so reluctant to talk about these things- hearing them now was like reading a good book that she had only ever been able to see the cover of. Eighteen years ago she would have been horrified, despite being the one to submit him to the experimentation process, but with time had come acceptance of all the little intricacies, and she was perhaps the most accepting of all the family. It was refreshing to be told more, though she had to admit that it wouldn't take much to overwhelm her.
It was nice to know that her boy had ended up with someone like Scarlet. They seemed to be well matched, in more than just powers- there was something different about him with her here. At least now Jon didn't have the excuse of being able to retreat to a dark room- Mandy could see that it just wouldn't do for someone like Scarlet, and that was perhaps more uplifting than anything else.
Mike settled against the counter next to his wife, sharing a look with her over his sandwich while Scarlet tried to tempt Jon with tea. The young man shook his head, stooped slightly to accommodate her shorter stature so that he was speaking softly only to her. "Nah, I'm pretty tired. I might head off to bed soon. Big plans tomorrow." For the first time since setting foot in the house he smiled. His parents looked a bit dumbstruck, and once again looked at each other, though of course it was a pleasant surprise. Jon blinked, seeming to just notice how they were watching him, and straightened with a scowl once more.
"Don't worry about waking up early- I'll have breakfast ready for you two whenever you feel like getting up." Mandy offered, setting her mug down next to the sink while covering a yawn with her hand. "As for me, I think I'll head up. Wouldn't want to miss a minute of tomorrow." She smiled, really meaning what she said. She was eager to get to know Scarlet- how often did she get the opportunity to treat someone like family who wasn't one of her boys? Mike, with years of practice under his belt of knowing when it was time to just shut up and go with it, wandered back out of the kitchen ahead of Mandy, making his way up the stairs with a loud yawn of his own. The older woman had stopped in the doorway, fixing Jon with an iron stare, for the first time not acting like her son was about to explode at any second. "And you, don't keep our sweet girl up, I want her wide awake for tomorrow. And get her some towels- I forgot to do that when I washed the sheets for the guest room today." With that she turned and whisked away, leaving Jon looking like he had frozen on the spot. "Well..." He honestly didn't know what to say to that, and it took him several seconds before he got his brain moving again. "I guess that was a successful introduction." He ran a hand through his hair (which had been mercifully cut before their trip, so he didn't look so homeless), before his dark eyes found Scarlet again, looking relieved. "I hope that wasn't as painful for you as it was for me." He laughed quietly, taking her hand to lead her toward the basement. "You can bring the mug by the way- I'm pretty sure my mom is already in love with you, and wouldn't give a damn if tea spilled on the carpet." That was certainly a weird thing to admit. It was like Scarlet was the perfect ice-breaker, regardless of her powers. He just felt better with her nearby, and crazily, she seemed like the one who had lived here all these years, not him. He was the stranger, and it was certainly a...different...feeling.
Flicking the switch the the basement, it lit up a carpeted staircase, the walls a soft sort of tan colour. He led her down, stopping at the bottom to flip yet another switch, exposing a small rec room, with two doors leading off it. "The bathroom's over there." He pointed to the door on the left, while heading for the one of the right. Opening the door for her, to show that his dad had already put her bags on the tall bed, where the cover corners had been neatly folded, and a large mound of pillows set up. Jon shook his head slowly, rolling his eyes. "I could have stayed here too, but someone had to open their mouth and be polite." He teased, bending down to kiss her lightly on the lips before drawing back with a yawn. Sort of unattractive, but he couldn't help feeling drained from the whole day of flight hopping.
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Post by SCARLET JOOK-LIANG LANCASTER on Aug 16, 2011 2:38:16 GMT -5
Scarlet grinned as his parents walked off, before letting Jonathan whisk her off into the basement, brushing off the whole part about the encounter being horrible, and how much he hated interaction. Instead, she pulled him into her guest room and kissed him when he finished yawning, before smiling up at him happily. "Your family is wonderful. Your mother is the most kind woman I've met in my entire life, and your father isn't so tough." She made a tough face before kissing him again. "You should really take into consideration the fact that they're probably feeling guilty for putting you through the testing, conflicted about what to do when you become angry, sad because they feel like they're failing you as parents, and upset because you don't want to try to get along with them, because you've somehow manifested your hate towards being an unnatural into their feelings, when it's really you who won't accept yourself." She spoke calmly, holding him close as she stared up at him.
Everything she said seemed to make sense in her head as she spoke, and the further she went, the more it pieced together. "You need to move past it, Jonathan." She kissed him softly. "You're so paranoid that they hate you because you hated yourself for the longest time. Let's face it. You can't even find a reason to feel that way anymore because you've learned to accept yourself deep down. Of course, that was my doing, by being the most awesome girlfriend ever..." She laughed softly and pressed her forehead to his chin. "But they love you. They do. I've seen it already and I just got here. So stop being such a little brat and accept the fact that the only reason your parents acted the way they did was because they blame themselves more than anything for what happened to you." She swayed a bit to the imaginary music playing in her head.
Mmm. Also, we know one good thing came out of you going to Thaddeus." She mumbled, looking up at him with a bit of a blush on her face. How embarrassing to be all therapist, then lovey-dovey. With the confused look on his face, she took her chance to continue speaking. "If you hadn't of come to the school, you never would have met me, I never would have learned how to control my powers, and... Well... The real reason I was out on that archery lane wasn't just to soak up the sun." She frowned slightly and ran her fingers through her hair. "I wouldn't be alive right now if it weren't for you. So you better be damn grateful to your parents from now on, and let your mum hug you, and stop punching your dad in the face, and blinding your brother!" She spoke sternly. "You are going to be a family, and you are going to like it, so help me, I will rain fire from the sun with the help of Helios!" She pointed upwards, before grinning cutely.
"Now. Go away. I'm sleepy." She wiggled out of his arms and walked to her suitcase, pulling out some shorts that she slept in normally, and one of Jonathan's t-shirts she kept all the time to sleep in.
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Post by JONATHAN WARNER BRASS on Aug 16, 2011 10:48:11 GMT -5
He followed her into the room like a little lost puppy, looking bemused when she started off in that matter-of-fact voice. But it soon turned to a skeptical frown when it all turned into advice. He didn't mind that she was fond of his parents- in fact, that was probably one of the best outcomes- but he didn't want to be blamed for the years of tension. He opened his mouth to argue, but she was just serenely carrying on, holding him close and punctuating each important point with a kiss.
Unable to defend himself, he was forced to just stand there and listen, growing more and more unsure. He didn't hate himself...or he hadn't, he knew why he was angry, and who he was angry at, right?...He shook his head, lost again, looking confused as she swayed in front of him, biting back the desire to say something like 'gee, thanks dr. Phil'.
"If you hadn't of come to the school, you never would have met me, I never would have learned how to control my powers, and... Well... The real reason I was out on that archery lane wasn't just to soak up the sun."
He had bent forward, this time to kiss her, but that stopped him dead in his tracks, not even cracking a smile when she grinned and danced away from him.
"Now. Go away. I'm sleepy."
"Scarlet..." He murmured her name to her turned back, taken by surprise by the confession, before straightening up without an answer, turning on his heel and stalking from the room.
He returned a couple minutes later with the towels from upstairs, putting them gently on the bed. He seemed to want to say something, but stopped himself, instead heading for the doorway again. "Well...night..." He sighed- they would talk tomorrow.
{Sorry it's shitty. :[ Time skip?}
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Post by SCARLET JOOK-LIANG LANCASTER on Aug 16, 2011 13:51:12 GMT -5
Scarlet spun Jonathan around quickly and gave him a hard kiss on the mouth, holding his forehead to hers as her eyes slid closed. "I love you." She kissed his nose a little more gently and smiled at him, patting his bum. "Go on. Before your parents think we're ca-hoodlin' or whatnot down here." She squeezed his hand gently and let go, stripping down to her skivvies to get dressed for bed.
After he was gone, she curled up happily in the bed and snuggled her face into one of the pillows on the giant mound, grinning when the rest of the mountain engulfed her entire body, before yawning loudly. "Tomorrow will be good..." She told herself quietly, letting her eyes slide closed and sleep take over for the night.
~*~ Time Skippy-Lippy-Dee ~*~
The next morning, Scarlet awoke to the sound of footsteps above her head, and the distinct noise of crackling bacon. She grinned excitedly and shot out of bed, throwing on a pair of shorts and a tank-top, brushing her hair quickly as she could, and rushing up the stairs, slowing down when she reached the top, so she wouldn't seem overly-eager. Silently, she strolled into the kitchen from the hallway, humming to herself as she tip-toed over to Mandy, peering around the rest of the kitchen. Jonathan and Mike were no where in sight. "Would you like some help?" Scarlet announced her arrival loudly, before smiling at Mandy, and motioning to the table. "I could set the table..." She ran a hand along her neck. "Or something." With a shrug, she waved her arms from side to side, before tucking them neatly behind her back.
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Post by JONATHAN WARNER BRASS on Aug 16, 2011 14:13:23 GMT -5
"Love you too." He sighed in dramatic defeat, lingering in the doorway longer than necessary until she shooed him from the room.
When he got upstairs, making his way quietly over to the tv room, he found the couch all made up with sheets and pillows, just as he had been promised. It wasn't as luxurious as the bed, but at least it was long enough, and he probably wouldn't roll off. As tired as he had been before, when he lay down, he just couldn't seem to force his eyes shut. All was quiet, but for the longest time he just lay there thinking, waiting for his brain to wind down.
Mandy was usually the first one up. She prodded Mike awake, before making her way downstairs. Passing by the front room, she paused, just watching Jon for a short while. He was passed out completely, one arm hanging off the couch, his mouth open while he slept. With a small smile she padded off down the hallway to start the coffee.
It wasn't too long before she thought she heard the soft creak of the basement door, but didn't hear Scarlet until she announced herself. With a broad smile she turned from where she was flipping the bacon, an open egg carton on the counter nearby along with a bowl of what appeared to be pancake mix. "Morning," She saw no reason to whisper either- it was about time everyone got up, even though the night had been a long one. Opening one of the cupboards with an appreciative smile, she pointed to a stack of plates. "You could put those out dear. Did you want something to drink? Orange juice? Coffee?" Unlike Jon's apartment, the house seemed to be well stocked to serve breakfast cravings, but that was how it usually was in the Brass residence. Mandy loved playing the hostess, but everyone appreciated a good hearty family breakfast. "I hope you slept okay, I know the basement gets a bit cold with the air conditioning, so I left some extra blankets out." She piled the bacon out of the pan onto a plate, wiping it down before beginning to crack eggs.
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Post by SCARLET JOOK-LIANG LANCASTER on Aug 16, 2011 14:29:29 GMT -5
Grinning excitedly, Scarlet hummed to herself more as she set out the plates, laughing a bit at Mandy's concern. It was nice having someone to worry about her. Someone who wasn't an over-protective male. She already felt like she could confide in the older woman about certain aspects of her life that she couldn't really tell Jonathan or her father... Namely things to do with woman-problems. But she'd hold off on that for quite some time. She didn't want to push her luck with Mandy; considering that they had just met, it was weird to consider her like a mother already. She'd get attached too quickly if she did that. So, she held back her feelings for now, and took a deep breath, choosing to reply to her question in a sweet voice, mixed with a slight tone of apprehensiveness, trying to save herself from being hurt. Although the thought of Mandy actually hurting someone was just... bizarre.
"It was fine. I prefer sleeping in the cold. Jonathan's apartment is really warm, so it was a nice change." She nodded and placed the last plate down, before looking up to Mandy again, putting her hands into the pockets of her shorts.
"How was your sleep?" Scarlet asked, smiling at the woman. It was so weird to actually talk with someone about things that women normally talked about. Even weirder that it was her boyfriends mother, and not even her own. She glanced down to her phone, seeing a reply to the text she had sent her father last night. She had told him they needed to talk about her mother, and all he had replied with was a simple, "alright." What was that about? She frowned slightly and turned her phone off, tucking it back into her pocket as her hands found her hair, running through the long strands, before pinning up all of it in a ponytail, using a elastic she always wore on her wrist. Next, she walked over to the counter and stole a piece of bacon, popping it into her mouth, with a cute little smile to Mandy.
"You wouldn't happen to have any eggo waffles, would you?" She tilted her head and blinked, swallowing the piece of bacon. If there was one thing she loved, it was two eggo waffles stuffed with peanut butter.
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Post by JONATHAN WARNER BRASS on Aug 16, 2011 14:49:03 GMT -5
"It was nice to be able to finally relax," She admitted with a small eye-roll, turning back to the eggs. "Eggos...Maybe, I don't know if Paul left any." She sighed, opening the freezer to peer inside. "Looks like we've only go those little poptart things. But pancakes will be coming up, so you might not want to fill up." She warned, as Mike strolled into the kitchen, hunting for a cup of coffee. "Mornin' Scarlet, hope you slept well." He was certainly in a better mood than the night before as he went to sit at the table with a newspaper. He seemed like the sort of man who liked his routine, as if it had carried on every Saturday of his life, and no one was going to derail that. Mandy just cast him a pitying look, shaking her head.
"Hey..." Jon walked into the kitchen, blinking around at them all. Apparently he was the only one showing up to breakfast in his boxers, but what the hell, he lived here...sort of. Yawning, he was at a loss for what to do after his parents each sent a 'good morning' his way. He turned to Scarlet, smile a bit uncertain as he quietly asked her, just the same as everyone else, how she had slept.
"And you're okay, after last night? I dunno, things just seemed kinda..." His voice was no more than a murmur, and he shrugged, coming to lean against the counter next to her, copying her move and stealing a piece of bacon while Mandy turned on Mike.
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Post by SCARLET JOOK-LIANG LANCASTER on Aug 16, 2011 15:06:27 GMT -5
Scarlet bit her lip as Jonathan walked in, only in boxers, nearly letting out a small noise approval, instead she looked awkwardly to the side and took up a glass of water she had poured for herself, taking a long drink before looking up to Jonathan when he started to speak to her. Blinking, she tilted her head and turned fully towards him, placing a hand on his chest. She stood on tip-toe and kissed his jaw, smiling. "I slept great, and I'm fine. Really. Good morning, though." She laughed and pulled away from him, taking another sip of water, before looking around at the little family in the kitchen. The sun poked through the window and she closed her eyes, breathing in deeply. She needed to be outside for a bit. "Is it alright if I go for a run before breakfast?" She looked around. When no one seemed to object, she skipped off to the door and pulled on her sneakers, leaving through the front. She'd just ran one way, loop around, and come back. It wouldn't take more than 15 minutes. She even timed her watch to go off halfway through, so she'd know when to turn around.
Finally, she took off from the front yard, running down the driveway and street, humming to herself as the sun beat against her skin. Even when she was absorbing so much, her skin stayed cool to the touch, but gained a slight glow to it. Her running sped up slightly when she felt juiced up enough, and she found herself at the end of the road before her time was up. Blinking, she shrugged and took a 3 minute break before turning around and jogging back, singing out loud to herself. A few cars passed her, and the people inside would wave. She would just grin and wave back happily, and continue singing. What a great place to live.
Scarlet reached the house again fifteen minutes later, looking like she was covered in stardust or something fruity like that. Her cheeks were all bright, and her eyes looked like they could stun someone without even using her powers. The only downside to this, was that she needed a shower. So, while she heard the sizzle of pancakes, she ran downstairs and showered as quickly as possible, threw on some clean clothes, and ran upstairs, walking into the kitchen happily. "Back." She announced, taking a seat at the table as Mandy set the first plate of pancakes down.
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