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Post by JONATHAN WARNER BRASS on Oct 13, 2011 0:03:10 GMT -5
The older woman frowned a little, hands tightening on the wheel just a bit as she continued to stare out the front window. "Well, difficulties with Jon aren't exactly a new concept..."She admitted, nodding slowly. "He can be blunt- from what I understand he's not always the most-uh-warm of people." She glanced over with a lopsided smile. It was surprising how little she knew about Jon, but apparently he hadn't changed that much in the years since he had stopped coming home from school during holidays.
When Scarlet expressed her hesitancy, Mandy felt her heart drop a little, but resisted the urge to give the girl an encouraging pat on the shoulder- there still felt like a gap between them, but it wasn't as pronounced as it probably should have been with, say, any girl that Paul went out with. Scarlet was something special, even if only for the reason that she had managed to bring Jon around in Mandy's eyes. "Don't worry about making a good impression on us hun, you have no idea what a treat it is for me to have Jon back home, even if he insists on fighting with Paul." She rolled her eyes, smiling a little. The boys fighting wasn't as worrisome to her as it had once been, but she couldn't tell if it was just because they were older, or if it was Scarlet's presence that seemed to make it feel as though Jon might reign himself in a bit.
"And, Scarlet," She looked over again, the smile replaced with genuine worry in her pained face. "I don't think you're a freak- none of us do." She quickly looked away as if to check the road, but there was no one else with them on the country highway and she knew it. "I-I'll admit, I don't know half of what I should about Jon's life in Seattle, and the school both of you went to, but we've had years and years to see for ourselves that being different, in-uh-your particular ways, doesn't make you a freak. Just different. Maybe even better than the average person." She smiled weakly, unsure if she was coming across how she wished. Her son would never be a freak, especially not when she was the one who had allowed him to be experimented upon. She didn't cringe outwardly, but it felt like she did. Sometimes the guilt still haunted her, but she had had a little less than twenty years to heal more fully than Jon had. Had she not had that time to get used to the notion that there were gods and demigods, and the superhuman test subjects, she might have felt differently, but from what she could see, there was nothing shameful about having powers that set you apart from the average human. And she meant what she had said about powers making them even better- she could see it in her son, how he was able to control himself better. Not only was he just like everyone else, but he had something extra that set him even higher above others, and that had played its part in his submission into the tests, though she had to say she regretted making that decision on his behalf. Whether she could ever bring the topic up in face-to-face discussion with Jon was a matter she was willing to put off for another day.
Mandy nodded in agreement with the idea to let things blow over. Time worked well enough, but she was still pleased to see that Scarlet put in the effort to make her opinions known, even if she didn't know what they were fighting about.
"What are we doing today, anyway?"
"Oh, well," She suddenly split into a beaming grin. "According to Jon you're both using his apartment at the moment- I thought you and I could do some hunting for some proper furnishings- think of it like a gift." She suddenly looked a little worried and downcast, like Scarlet might not like the idea. "I haven't been able to give Jon anything in years- he doesn't like coming home for holidays...or, well, accepting our calls, or letting us buy him things." She tried to look like this was only a small inconvenience, but it was just another cause for guilt in her eyes. "Mike can bring it up when he drives Paul up to Seattle in a few weeks." Her brows shot up as she startled herself into letting out a little 'oh'. "That's right, he probably didn't tell you yet." Paul tended to be the one the most reluctant to give Jon and Scarlet a warm welcome. "Paul's attending the university up there." She heaved a sigh- her last little baby, leaving home. She just hoped that with the size of the city, it would be unlikely that Paul and Jon would have to interact if they didn't want to.
There was a silence as they pulled onto the main highway heading toward the city. "If you prefer, we can look at any of the stores- maybe you want to pick up clothes or something." She gave a little shrug, not wanting to pressure the girl into anything she felt uncomfortable with. "I didn't want to force you to have a spa day or something- I'm happy even if you want to go your separate way and have a look around." She laughed a little, really meaning it. She was just pleased to be spending the day with someone who seemed eager to accept Mandy's kindness, and who could build a bridge, however small, between her and her estranged son.
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