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[shesgotguts]

house #1490
husband ❧ daughter ❧ son
sister ☆ daughter ☆ nope ☆ no way

owner of Good Golly, Miss Holly!
principal's assistant at Altaciere High School
member of the Holly Heights Welcoming Committee

"Your queen, Milly Ashford, isn't here right now, so feel free to leave a message!! She'll have a servant get back to you ASAP!"

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[shesgotguts]

We are. We really are...

[she catches the trace of a smile on his lips, and she just stares at him for a moment, then takes another sip of her coffee.]

But my grandfather said that if you want something done right, you have to do it yourself. So, here we are.

[sealant]

It's a good rule to live by.

[ He thinks on it for a little bit, which makes him realise something. ]

...did you live with your parents back home, Milly-san?

[shesgotguts]

Ah, well...

[that's... quite the question. and it's a little bit loaded. anything about her parents is loaded. but she just smiles and opts for a very easy answer.]

I had my own place in the Settlement. I was a working woman, after all.

[and it's not a lie. but that didn't feel like an answer to the question he was asking.]

[sealant]

So you're used to doing things yourself.

[ It explains a lot, that. In the same way, thinking about his parents...well, it never stops being hard, but that wound has long since scabbed over. He tips the cup, pouring the last few remnants of good coffee into his mouth.

Courage, Makoto. He sets the cup down and meets her eyes. ]

I lost mine. A long time ago.

[shesgotguts]

Do or die. I had help, but it wasn't like you think.

[it's never quite like anyone thinks. but who every actually thinks about these things?

she watches him attentively, and her eyes go wide when he speaks. she could've said she saw that coming, but that would've been a lie. she sighs softly, keeping her eyes on his.]

I'm so sorry to hear that... It must've been so tough for you to go through that.

[many things had happened to her, but losing her parents-- fully, forever, to death-- had not been one of them. at least she had the hope of seeing them again...]

[sealant]

[ He shrugs. ]

It was a long time ago.

[ Things have been tough since, but he doesn't complain. He hopes it's clear that this is an offering, something to prove that he does actually consider her a friend. ]

That's why it's so different here.

[shesgotguts]

I see. I'm still sorry to hear it.

[she looks to her coffee cup and shakes her head. she wonders how many of her friends here have secrets like that. she's got her fair share, too, so she supposes they all hide them for the same reason she hides hers.

but what that reason is, she couldn't say.]

I... can see why it must be strange for you. To actually have some semblance of family. Do you... do you like it?

[sealant]

It's not that it's family. It's more like...

[ He trails off, his shoulders bobbing again. He'd been pushed from relative to relative for many years now, so family was never the issue. It was people he could get close to and start to trust - someone who wouldn't end up packing him away to be someone else's problem.

Plus the whole 'terrifying murder hour' thing. Living alone with that for a few years creates its own burden. ]

It's just me and Ayame-san. So it's fine.

[ She's much more room-mate than mother, and that's how he likes it. A sense of distance is much more familiar than the loving family Milly has created for herself. ]

[shesgotguts]

I don't know if I'll ever understand how you really feel. [and she won't. her parents might have used her, and made decisions she didn't agree with, but they were there, and she still loves them. and she made her own family, a group of teenagers she misses every day. all of them... she built a family-- natsuru, sayaka, euphemia, suzaku... and makoto too-- here. she's never been without a family.] But. I'm so glad you have Ayame-san. You deserve to have someone around you. You deserve so many wonderful things. and I think she's, at the very least, a start.

[she says that earnestly, looking him in the eye.]

[sealant]

[ He doesn't answer that time. Neither does he. That same family she's made here, Natsuru, Sayaka, Ayame and Milly, is his own as well by this point.

He just...isn't gonna tell anyone that. Ever. ]

Maybe.

[ He exhales softly. And to think this started because he wanted to impress a girl with pink hair. ]

...can I have another cup of coffee, Milly-san?

[shesgotguts]

[she tries to give him a weak smile, but it slips away so easily. he's such a brave young man... for a moment, she focuses on him, trying to figure out what to say, but she sees that he's speaking before the words he says register. when they do, she stands up quickly, a little bit confused and frantic.]

Coffee! Right! I'm sorry, I should've refilled your mug sooner. [she starts out the door, running in her stockinged feet, then turns around to go to grab his cup, then decides against it and runs to make him another cup. this time is faster than before, and she returns with two mugs.] There you go, sweetheart. I'm sorry I wasn't paying attention. Must be sleep deprivation kicking in!

[sealant]

[ In all the hurry, Makoto reverts right back to sitting quietly. The caffeine is starting to work, but it's not quite there yet. He stares forward until she returns, trying not to think too deeply on old wounds. ]

It's fine. [ He accepts the mug, taking a sip straight away. ] You should rest.

[shesgotguts]

[she smiles and slumps into her seat, finishing the first mug in one gulp, and starting on the second one.]

I should rest, but no rest for the wicked, you know! [she chuckles and smiles.] The wicked also don't have time for it.

[sealant]

...

[ Whoa. He hasn't seen swallowing like that since Akihiko on free beef bowl night. ]

Still...it's not good.

[shesgotguts]

[swallowing like that? if he wants to see more of that, her bedroom's the right place to see it. (smooth jazz)

she shakes her head and laughs.]

I know. And if I were younger-- [if i wasn't trying to make a new life for myself, if i wasn't trying to change this world for the better peacefully, if i wasn't unintentionally trying to bury so many things...] --I would be insisting on beauty sleep! Ah, youth. I miss it already!

1/2

[sealant]

...

[ He can tell she's hiding something. There's a deep pain inside of her, one that he senses all too well...

Shing. Social Link up. ]

[sealant]

[ But more importantly. ]

You're still young.

[shesgotguts]

And what I wouldn't give to be younger.

[another sip, then she smiles.]

I suppose there's no point in pining over the past, right? And things like fine wines and art increase in value with age. Maybe I'll be an excellent burgundy one of these days.

[sealant]

Maybe.

[ There's an awful lot of smooth follow-up lines here. "You're fine already", "you don't need any beauty sleep", or even "I thought you were a teenager until you told me otherwise."

Were he not keenly aware of how Milly felt, he'd probably deliver one of those. But there's no need to make her hurt. ]

I wouldn't mind being older.

[shesgotguts]

Older? Well, you can switch with me. You can be my age, and I'll be yours! I miss being a teenager already.

[she yawns softly, and pushes her bangs away from her eyes.]

Though, if you were older... gosh, I can imagine it already, and my heart can barely handle it.

[sealant]

You're exaggerating, Milly-san.

[shesgotguts]

I'm not! You're so many wonderful things now, but if you were older...

[she swoons a little, and laughs.]

I wouldn't know what to do with myself. I'd probably become a flustered, bumbling mess.

[sealant]

...

[ She's totally serious. It's times like this that he wishes he did like her like that. ]

...I guess we'll find out eventually.

[shesgotguts]

We will! But maybe by then I'll be able to keep calm around you. Maybe your masculine charms won't work on me!

[a girl can hope...]

Hopefully, I'll age with grace and dignity like my mother did. A few wrinkles, maybe some greys but not too many, the ability to make a robe look as intimidating as a business suit! Which, that last skill is very important.

[sealant]

You will.

[ He pauses a bit, taking another gulp of his coffee. It's finally reaching the point where he's properly awake - or at least as awake as he ever gets. ]

...I thought you were my age at first.