Hey, thanks for everything. [Ness] on At Home

Evelyn Stones

July 20, 2020 10:29 PM

Hey, thanks for everything. [Ness] by Evelyn Stones

OOC - Set before all the other active threads at the McLeods' this winter break.

CW - Brief allusion to past trauma. BIC -

The break had begun and was a bittersweet reprieve from the bustle of school in the months before CATS. Evelyn was not a bit excited for her exams and normally would have rather enjoyed time away from it all, but this year wasn't like other years, and things had been more than a bit rocky for the Pecari. Unfortunately, that had extended to her relationship with her best friend. While they were on reasonably good terms now, Evelyn was under no illusion that anything was easy anymore, simply because she was experiencing firsthand that that was not the case. Still, she was determined to enjoy the break. She was going to spend time with her little brother, she was going to see Heinrich, they were going to play DnD and go to drag, and, right here right now, Evelyn got to spend time with Ness. It was the first time the two had shared a room, as Evelyn had generally been given her own private space when at the McLeods', and the whole silly thing where people couldn't stay over in each other's dorm rooms meant they never shared at school. Between Kir and Heinrich and CJ and all the other guests who may or may not be staying for all or part of break, however, Evelyn had opted to share a room with Ness over CJ. Sorry, kid.

So far, the only things that had happened were the return to a place that was now home to Evelyn, albeit for a possibly short time. It was good to see everyone again and to get wrapped up in hugs she'd been missing. Fionn and Marijke had been her surrogate parents for the past four years practically, and she couldn't thank them enough or be grateful enough to see them. Especially now. Still, as Heinrich had not yet arrived, CJ had mostly recovered from the excitement of seeing "Ebewyn," and everything was mostly about settling in and getting some much needed sleep right now, it felt quiet.

Sharing a room, listening to Ness breathing in a bed on the other side, Evelyn had the distinct urge to climb over and curl up with her friend. Her fuzzy pajamas kept her warm outside, but she was feeling cold and sad and lonely laying here in the dark, and it was still uncomfortable for her to hear anyone else in the room when she was trying to sleep. She was anxious about the upcoming sleepover for this reason, as well as other reasons (who would she sleep nearest to on the floor?????), and she realised that this was the first time she'd shared a room with someone in her life. She had no roommates at Sonora, she usually had no roommates here, and she had the room to herself most of the time at her dad's as well. The only times she'd ever been asleep in the same room with someone else were when she and Heinrich had napped 'together' in the MARS room so long ago and when she occasionally fell asleep in the library and such over the past few months. She and Ness had occasionally fallen asleep on the couches here before, but Evelyn nearly always woke up to some sound or another and returned to her own bed. The sound of people breathing in her shared air was no longer as threatening as it once had been, as evidenced again by her desire to curl up with Ness instead of across the room. She wasn't sure if that counted as 'cheating' now though? Were friendship cuddles allowed if you were dating someone? She'd have to talk to Heinrich about that, although it sounded like a weird conversation to have. Since Heinrich knew about the library chair and had been around Ness and Evelyn enough to see their closeness, she doubted he would mind. Still . . . good to check in.

The silence weighed on Evelyn for a moment and she began to wonder if she should go ahead and say anything or if Ness was sleep. But she was restless, and yolo, so she went for it.

"Hey," she whispered, lifting her head to peer across the dark room and see if she could spot any signs of consciousness. "Are you up?" Adrenaline and excitement made her feel wriggly and she rolled over a little. "I'm really glad you're my friend, Ness."

22 Evelyn Stones Hey, thanks for everything. [Ness] 1422 1 5

Ness McLeod

July 21, 2020 7:04 AM

You too by Ness McLeod

Ness did not have a favourite crayon. Ness did not know ‘why’ (both to the crayon thing and to every other darn thing - why can’t I see my own eyes? Why don’t crabs have eyebrows?). Ness knew that the word was actually pronounced ‘hippopotamus’ and did not find it cute, amusing or worthy of everyone’s attention when it got said ‘bippopotalus’ instead. In short, Ness did not like having a four year old brother.

Ness did like having an Evelyn though. And one of the many side-effects of the Intrusion of Annoyance was that it had pushed Evelyn into Ness’ room. Like they were room-mates. The word had practically taken on insult qualities in Ness’ mind, registering most of the time as a synonym for Topaz. But now Evelyn was settled in across the way, and all the feelings Ness had had pre-boarding school, of having someone to settle down and whisper secrets with, were creeping back in. Sure, they had concluded that not being room-mates had the plus point of both being prefects, and Ness would not have traded that, but it was exciting to have their own mini private best friend sleepover before they had the sleepover with everyone. Where Lyssa and Heinrich would be too. Where Ness and Evelyn would be part of a whole big group, and would switch about and join up in different combinations - whispering plans for dungeon crawls here, maybe stealing kisses over there… Maybe having best friend giggles too, but it was nice there was tonight for just that.

“Of course,” Ness declared in an excited whisper, when Evelyn asked if the Aladren was still up. What a ridiculous question. “You too,” Ness whispered back, feeling like it should be obvious but checking just in case with “Can you hear that I’m smiling at you? We’re staying up all night and talking, right?” Ness checked. "What did you swipe for the midnight feast?"

13 Ness McLeod You too 1419 0 5

Evelyn Stones

July 21, 2020 11:27 AM

Tonight is my favorite. by Evelyn Stones

Evelyn grinned; she could indeed hear that Ness was smiling at her. "Definitely staying up all night talking," she agreed. Also, of course she had swiped food. Granted, again, it was a remnant of less happy times. However, it served her well, and she quietly hopped out of bed to pull a suitcase out from under her bed. A few snack items from Sonora and several items from the day's offerings - cookies, juice boxes, goldfish crackers, etc. - were tucked neatly inside.

"A little bit of everything," she decided. "One good thing about having a toddler around I guess." She wasn't totally sure CJ counted as a toddler, but she was absolutely sure he didn't count as a human most of the time, so it worked out. Evelyn hadn't really spent that much time with him, but they had always gotten along well enough. It turned out that babies were easier to get along with than toddlers, though, and that lonely toddlers who wanted snuggles were quieter than satisfied, content toddlers. These were good things to discover, in that they meant CJ was a growing, happy boy. Still, Evelyn couldn't help being a little jealous, which she thought was silly of her, and she was more and more anxious being around him. How was she supposed to help raise this kid at some point if she had so little idea what to do with him. Crabs don't have eyebrows because they don't! That's all there was to say about that. Of course, it was nice to be able to go on adventures with CJ, and she liked that part best. As it turned out, her Pecari traits matched the energy level of a four-year-old pretty well.

Looking over her shoulder, she made out the lumpy shape that was Ness in the dark. "How do you want to do this logistically? Push our beds together? Share one? Sit on the floor?" A creaking outside their door caught her attention and she froze, stomach tensing up until the sound went by. Then, she grinned again. "I feel like we're little kids," she giggled. She paused, though, reconsidering. Her mind turned, as it often did, to Heinrich. In this case, with Ness present, it also turned to Lyssa. "Except not like little kids. Are you excited for guests to get here?"

22 Evelyn Stones Tonight is my favorite. 1422 0 5

Ness McLeod

July 22, 2020 9:17 PM

I have lots of favourites by Ness McLeod

"Oh here," Ness offered, rummaging in a bedside table drawer. "Holiday appropriate lumos," the Aladren explained, skimming something across the floor to Evelyn. "Lumos," Ness muttered, before the distinct click of a flashlight sounded, and the its little circle of light appeared, spilling across the floor to help Evelyn locate snacks, or her own borrowed flashlight. It was a pocket sized one, grey with a green trim that distinguished it from Ness' blue one. Apparently, they had been able to guess Ness' house that early but only predict that Kir would go to Sonora. Or those were just the two colours that the flashlight company had made, but it amused Ness to think of it that way.

Ness paused as Evelyn did, wondering whether the sound of clicking the flashlight off was more distinct that its light. It probably wasn't bright enough to be seen under the door, but Ness shoved it under the covers anyway, just in case.

"I'm happy to come visit you, if I am invited?" Ness checked. Moving the beds themselves definitely was not happening without magic and probably wouldn't be very stealthy even if it was possible. A duvet nest on the floor would work if Evelyn preferred.

"Definitely not like little kids. This is teenage rebellion," Ness confirmed, fishing a large bar of chocolate out from the 'private' drawer of the bedside cabinet. The drawer had a sticker declaring it to be 'top secret' which was enough of an enchantment in the McLeod house to keep people out. "I'm excited," Ness whispered, though it didn't seem like the whisper was the only thing making the tone not match the statement. "Do you ever feel like... Like, it's fine when you see Heinrich, but in between whiles you worry that maybe you're a total doofus and you're going to forget how to speak intelligible language or know how to interact like a passable human when you see him next? And then it's fine when you do, but in the meantime you still... worry?" the Aladren sighed. Or is that just me?

13 Ness McLeod I have lots of favourites 1419 0 5

Evelyn Stones

July 23, 2020 11:16 AM

Well, same, but still. by Evelyn Stones

"Definitely!" Evelyn said, happy that Ness was down for sharing the same space. Also, Ness had chocolate, so this seemed like it was going to be great. Evelyn pulled the covers off her bed and smushed them into a comfortable pile on the floor as Ness approached, sharing and bundling up as was warranted. It was nice to be warm and cozy and close and the excitement in their whispers made it feel all static-y in the room. When all their limbs were in the right places and they had built up their nest to be comfortable enough, Evelyn had to stifle a giggle. "I love this," she whispered with a grin.

She listened to Ness ask a question and a sense of relief came over her; she wasn't the only one! "Yes! I swear, every single day. It helps that like . . . we've been friends for a while now, but I swear sometimes I just resort to being a bro because I don't know how else to interact, or I think I will and then I do okay. When we do hang out, he has . . . like there's this look. I can't describe it. I feel like a total doofus and then he looks at me like he thinks my particular brand of doofus is his favorite. And then I feel a lot better."

Evelyn stabbed two juice boxes - both grape, as that was apparently a less popular choice with CJ and thus there were more of the left when Evelyn snagged the ones she had - and passed one to Ness. "Since you're totally not just asking about me and Heinrich, do you want to talk about that? I think you're a good kind of doofus, for what it's worth," she grinned mischievously. "But really. You're nervous to see Lyssa?"

22 Evelyn Stones Well, same, but still. 1422 0 5

Ness McLeod

August 03, 2020 7:25 AM

This is pretty awesome by Ness McLeod

“Me too,” Ness grinned, as the two of them settled down on the floor in a big heap of duvet. “Behold the out of control teenagers,” the Aladren giggled, as Evelyn passed over juice boxes, “Didn’t know hard liquor came in cartons with tiny little straws.” Ness sipped thoughtfully for a moment. “This tastes better than alcohol. Have you tried it? It’s totally gross and I don’t get why grown ups like it.” Ness spoke with the authority of having occasionally sipped a bit of parental whisky, under the perfectly licit circumstances of being offered (with that parental tactic that the forbidden was more tempting and that most teenagers didn’t find neat spirits inherently pleasant, so this was probably a good way to reduce any boozing tendencies they may have had).

Evelyn got it! Ness was surprised and sort relieved because it was nice not to feel like a complete weirdo. Whilst being a weirdo was something Ness usually relished, there were definite exceptions, and ‘unable to function in human relationships’ was not a weirdo card that Ness wanted.

“That’s exactly it,” Ness agreed with Evelyn’s description. “So like… yeah and no, about seeing her?” the Aladren suggested. “Like I know it doesn’t make sense to be nervous, not really. And normally my brain rejects things that don’t make sense but it seems to have trouble with this one for some reason. I think everything should be fine. She said it was a date last time and she agreed to a date number two, so like… It’s pretty clear this is A Thing. Right? That sounds like A Thing? Just I keep worrying that I won’t really know what to say or do. I mean, we’ve only hung out a few times, so it’s not like it’s in that automatically not awkward bracket, you know?” Ness queried. “You like her though?” the Aladren checked, because even if that didn’t have any bearing on how much Lyssa continued liking Ness, it was a thing that could be firmly re-established right now, and that would help.

"How's it going with Heinrich anyway?" Ness added.

13 Ness McLeod This is pretty awesome 1419 0 5

Evelyn Stones

August 03, 2020 11:15 AM

I think so too. by Evelyn Stones

"Gonna get smashed," Evelyn replied, laughing at the idea of juice as their sneaky sneaky adult drink for the night. She wrinkled her nose. "I've smelled it," she said, remembering family dinners and drunk adults. She was sort of surprised that Ness had had some, though, and she kind of wanted to ask more questions, but it seemed they had generally come to the same consensus anyway. "That was more than enough for me. What did you try? I've heard that some is a lot worse than others." Heard. Because Evelyn had so many people to discuss the nuances of alcoholic beverages with. Although heard it from the grapevine did make for a good pun in this case.

Evelyn grinned. "Definitely A Thing," she agreed before giving an eager little shriek. "That's so exciting! I'm so happy for you! I think that . . . so like . . . Heinrich likes me for who I am as his friend, too, right? Because we've hung out a bunch. But if you and Lyssa haven't hung out a bunch, I think that means you're totally winning her over by being you on purpose? Like you're doing good at flirting or something? And the fact that she still wants to keep hanging out and going on another date means that she likes you when you're just being you and not just when you're flirting. So keep doing whatever you're doing!"

Evelyn wasn't sure if she could say she'd been on a date. The Ball was a date, but she hadn't necessarily been on a formal date of any sort. Was that weird? She didn't think it was weird. Was any time she and Heinrich hung out together alone automatically a date because they were dating? That was confusing . . . maybe she should ask him on a date sometime and they could do something fun and it would be nice. Low-key.

"I do like her," Evelyn promised. "She seems really spunky. I know Parker a lot more than I know her, but he's great too, so I think that probably they're both just really chill people," she said. Chill was definitely a compliment, Evelyn thought.

She grinned, a hidden blush blossoming on her cheeks at the question about Heinrich. "I feel like such a dork," she giggled, putting her hands over her face. "I like him so stinking much. I told you we talked a little about physical stuff, right? It's nice to . . . like I know what is okay and what's not. It's so nice to have boundaries and know that I'm not screwing up, and know that I can talk to him if something makes me uncomfortable." She got quiet for a moment, considering that. "I didn't think that liking someone, like like-liking them, could feel so safe."

22 Evelyn Stones I think so too. 1422 0 5