[ Lortel has Sharon's full attention, every bit of her curiosity plain through the Murmur. It sounds like positive news, and then—
Sharon lets out a bright, disbelieving laugh. ] Really? [ Delight rushes through her. It's almost embarrassingly satisfying, but she can't help it. She wants the people she cares about to get along. More than that, she wants her friends to like her girlfriend. And, admittedly... there's a smug little spark of triumph curling in her chest now. ] I knew it! I knew you two would eventually get along.
βlaughs, bright and warmed, unable to help it. she'd thought Sharon would be happy, but this delight is...
ah. there's no use regretting things she didn't do sooner. at least they're here, now, at last. ]
Did you? [ teasing. ] Do you have powers of foresight, too? I certainly wasn't sure it would work out! I truly thought she wouldn't believe me. We'd spent so long sniping at one another... she was much easier to convince than I expected. I'm glad, [ she'll add, soft. ] Truly. I'd never realized how sweet she is. Much as she'd make a face at my saying it.
I did. [ Grumbled. Not that her clairvoyance had ever done much good beyond saddling her with a creeping sense of dread and deja vu.
There's no missing the softness that creeps into Lortel's tone, and Sharon finds herself mimicking it, her attachment made audible. ] Jinx does a good job at hiding it. Sometimes, I think she's scared that if people see how soft she can be, they might overlook everything else about her. Or try to take advantage of it. But she needs more people to see it.
I really am glad you two are getting along, Lortel. Thanks for giving her a chance. [ It means a lot. ]
she hasn't told anyone, exactly, about what Jinx did for her. what it was that finally changed her mind, for real, for good, orβrather, made her realize she'd been so, so wrong about the other girl all along. she'd only mentioned to Silco, more or less in passing, that Jinx had done something kind for her.
taking a breath, Lortel relaxes, and lets flow into their tether her true feelings: grief, immense gratitude, and a powerful sense of being deeply touched. ]
I spoke to her, the dayβthe day after I ... realized Noah was gone. [ it's still hard to say. ] You know what she said to me?
[ somewhat lost for words, she replays for Sharon just a piece of her memory. only a piece; it had been a private conversation, after all. Sharon will get only these two comments, because if Lortel tried to repeat it aloud, she'd just start crying again.
He told me he loved me, Jinx.
And he still does. Always. That's never gonna go away. Not for a second. But. Stay with Sharon for as long as you need to.
even over their tether there's a watery quality to her hushed voice, the sound of barely restrained tears. but there's warmth, too. ]
It meant everything to me. Everything. I ... when I approached her, to ask if we could be friends, and spend time together, I apologized to her. I'd never... all along I'd never understood her. And that was my fault, completely. I'm so grateful to her, Sharon. [ okay, now she IS crying, albeit only a little. ]
Though she'd accuse me of calling her a softie if I told her all this. [ with humor, however teary. ]
I suppose I finally realized the least I owed her was to make amends.
[ all this just ... comes pouring out of her. she doesn't have the easiest time talking about her emotions to begin with, but here, with Sharon, safe with someone she can trust, it's like she can't even stop the words from tumbling out. ]
[ The memory comes through, brief as it is, and Sharon can't help the gentle smile that blooms across her face, soft as flower petals unfurling beneath the first touch of morning sun. Jinx is rough around the edges, splintered and aching from all the things she's endured, but she isn't made only of sharpness, no matter how often she tries to wear herself that way.
She can hear the tears in Lortel's voice, can feel the gratitude slipping through the bond between them, and Sharon folds herself around all of it, holding tight to the tether as though she were wrapping her fingers around Lortel's hand. ]
She's more understanding than most people would ever expect. I know she has her issues, but... She makes up for them in other ways. I'm glad she could prove that to you. [ More than that, she's grateful Lortel had the chance to glimpse this side of Jinx, the softer parts she keeps hidden beneath all those jagged corners. ] The three of us should do something together soon. Maybe a sleepover. The three amigos.
[ she'll sniff, but smileβwell, really, she's grinning brightly even through her tears. and she'll drape herself across their tether in return, with a feeling of linking arms, pure affection. ]
I would love that. We could watch bad movies and paint... [ she lights up just thinking about it. ] Why don't you both come to the Blue Note? I'm not sure Jinx has ever been. I'd love to show her around. And... well, we ought to get Ivan's bugs used to her...
[ in case she decides to just show up one day. their Insect Alarm System is not terribly permitting of strangers that aren't deliberately introduced or let in by Ivan himself. ]
Haha! I'm sure she would. She and Ivan know each other, actually, come to think of it... though I don't know how well. I ought to ask him. She might already be a, well, "designated guest," so to speak.
[ a beat, because this makes her think of something. ]
... she doesn't actually boobytrap the hallway outside her room in the Devil's Nest, does she?
[ it is a completely genuine question, though asked with a mix of incredulity and amusement. ]
I'm positive they know each other. Ivan and I spoke about her in the last dream. He'd picked up on our... relationship. [ Not that they were dating, but that they were close.
Lortel's question earns a bright laugh. ] I think she does. As far as I know, it's nothing deadly, though. Some of her traps are more like pranks. Others are definitely of the dangerous variety, though.
Really? [ that makes her laugh. ] How sweet... they don't always pick up on things like that, understandably. [ given the way they grew up... ] Till didn't realize Megumi and I were dating until I told him, either. He'd only guessed we were close. Somehow, I can see the two of them being friends... Ivan and Jinx, I mean. [ they have a similar sort of impish chaos to them, at times.
the confirmation gets a genuinely surprised reaction. ] She was serious?!
[ ...
in the end, she laughs, too, bright peals of it. ]
I didn't run into a thing. She really did clear the hallway for me. She said she would. I really couldn't tell if she was just messing with me or not...
I told him I thought his Offering form was beautiful—he asked if Jinx was rubbing off on me. [ To her, that implies they've bonded over his bug-ishness. Sharon doesn't doubt that Jinx thinks he's cool. Jinx makes friends in the strangest ways. ]
The last place she lived was so trapped that when I visited, she had to escort me to the backroom because if I stepped wrong, I'd lose a limb or something. When she says she's got something trapped, believe her and never risk it. [ She's beaming, though. She likes that about Jinx. ]
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
April, early week 4
and last week, she was ... a little preoccupied, soβnow, finally, she reaches out to her closest friend for a long-due chat. ]
I went to see Jinx, a couple weeks ago, when things were going wrong with our tethers. It was ... nice. I think we might actually be friends now?
[ not something she'd ever normally make a question, but honestly, it surprises even her, still. ]
no subject
Sharon lets out a bright, disbelieving laugh. ] Really? [ Delight rushes through her. It's almost embarrassingly satisfying, but she can't help it. She wants the people she cares about to get along. More than that, she wants her friends to like her girlfriend. And, admittedly... there's a smug little spark of triumph curling in her chest now. ] I knew it! I knew you two would eventually get along.
no subject
βlaughs, bright and warmed, unable to help it. she'd thought Sharon would be happy, but this delight is...
ah. there's no use regretting things she didn't do sooner. at least they're here, now, at last. ]
Did you? [ teasing. ] Do you have powers of foresight, too? I certainly wasn't sure it would work out! I truly thought she wouldn't believe me. We'd spent so long sniping at one another... she was much easier to convince than I expected. I'm glad, [ she'll add, soft. ] Truly. I'd never realized how sweet she is. Much as she'd make a face at my saying it.
no subject
There's no missing the softness that creeps into Lortel's tone, and Sharon finds herself mimicking it, her attachment made audible. ] Jinx does a good job at hiding it. Sometimes, I think she's scared that if people see how soft she can be, they might overlook everything else about her. Or try to take advantage of it. But she needs more people to see it.
I really am glad you two are getting along, Lortel. Thanks for giving her a chance. [ It means a lot. ]
no subject
she hasn't told anyone, exactly, about what Jinx did for her. what it was that finally changed her mind, for real, for good, orβrather, made her realize she'd been so, so wrong about the other girl all along. she'd only mentioned to Silco, more or less in passing, that Jinx had done something kind for her.
taking a breath, Lortel relaxes, and lets flow into their tether her true feelings: grief, immense gratitude, and a powerful sense of being deeply touched. ]
I spoke to her, the dayβthe day after I ... realized Noah was gone. [ it's still hard to say. ] You know what she said to me?
[ somewhat lost for words, she replays for Sharon just a piece of her memory. only a piece; it had been a private conversation, after all. Sharon will get only these two comments, because if Lortel tried to repeat it aloud, she'd just start crying again.
He told me he loved me, Jinx.
And he still does. Always. That's never gonna go away. Not for a second. But. Stay with Sharon for as long as you need to.
even over their tether there's a watery quality to her hushed voice, the sound of barely restrained tears. but there's warmth, too. ]
It meant everything to me. Everything. I ... when I approached her, to ask if we could be friends, and spend time together, I apologized to her. I'd never... all along I'd never understood her. And that was my fault, completely. I'm so grateful to her, Sharon. [ okay, now she IS crying, albeit only a little. ]
Though she'd accuse me of calling her a softie if I told her all this. [ with humor, however teary. ]
I suppose I finally realized the least I owed her was to make amends.
[ all this just ... comes pouring out of her. she doesn't have the easiest time talking about her emotions to begin with, but here, with Sharon, safe with someone she can trust, it's like she can't even stop the words from tumbling out. ]
no subject
She can hear the tears in Lortel's voice, can feel the gratitude slipping through the bond between them, and Sharon folds herself around all of it, holding tight to the tether as though she were wrapping her fingers around Lortel's hand. ]
She's more understanding than most people would ever expect. I know she has her issues, but... She makes up for them in other ways. I'm glad she could prove that to you. [ More than that, she's grateful Lortel had the chance to glimpse this side of Jinx, the softer parts she keeps hidden beneath all those jagged corners. ] The three of us should do something together soon. Maybe a sleepover. The three amigos.
no subject
I would love that. We could watch bad movies and paint... [ she lights up just thinking about it. ] Why don't you both come to the Blue Note? I'm not sure Jinx has ever been. I'd love to show her around. And... well, we ought to get Ivan's bugs used to her...
[ in case she decides to just show up one day. their Insect Alarm System is not terribly permitting of strangers that aren't deliberately introduced or let in by Ivan himself. ]
no subject
Sounds like a plan to me. I bet Jinx'll get a kick out of the bug alarm system.
no subject
[ a beat, because this makes her think of something. ]
... she doesn't actually boobytrap the hallway outside her room in the Devil's Nest, does she?
[ it is a completely genuine question, though asked with a mix of incredulity and amusement. ]
no subject
Lortel's question earns a bright laugh. ] I think she does. As far as I know, it's nothing deadly, though. Some of her traps are more like pranks. Others are definitely of the dangerous variety, though.
no subject
the confirmation gets a genuinely surprised reaction. ] She was serious?!
[ ...
in the end, she laughs, too, bright peals of it. ]
I didn't run into a thing. She really did clear the hallway for me. She said she would. I really couldn't tell if she was just messing with me or not...
no subject
The last place she lived was so trapped that when I visited, she had to escort me to the backroom because if I stepped wrong, I'd lose a limb or something. When she says she's got something trapped, believe her and never risk it. [ She's beaming, though. She likes that about Jinx. ]