browbeater | Recolle IC Inbox

You're paying for your brother's tuition? Whoa, that's a lot of money you're pouring into his education...

[ she honestly had no idea. ann fronws; tuition is expensive, even for a rich kid like her. ]

Well... I hope he shapes up when he comes back, then. I wouldn't want all your money to go to waste, y'know? Because that's a lot you're investing into him.

Yeah, making sure he could go was why I dropped out. And we don't exactly have family we can reach out to...

[maybe this was bothering him more than he was letting on. If his brother would just talk to him, they could work something out. But no, he was doing his stupid "can't let my big brother know i need help" act.]

We'll see if he shapes up. If it gets bad enough, I'll probably have to take some drastic steps that he's not gonna like.

...Oh...

[ no family they can reach out to for help... so mako's really been on his own this entire time? it makes her sad to think about, and she frowns, taking a sip of her water to fill the little silence. ]

I'm sorry. That sounds really rough... But it's really admirable, how much you've done for your brother. Really.

Thanks.

[a pause... did he really unload all of that onto her? He feels, well, a little embarrassed, actually, and shifts slightly in his seat]

Anyway, sorry for unloading all of that onto you. That's probably not why you wanted to meet up.

Don't be sorry.

To be honest, I just...I just wanted to meet up with someone and talk. About anything. [ another sip of her water. ] Now that I have people to hang out with, I guess it's...nice, to be able to do stuff like this. So you don't have to apologize, okay?

Did you... not have friends before?

[he regrets the question as soon as it leaves his lips. but he also finds the conceit hard to believe, she seemed perfectly friendly, and kind... the type of girl who would have had dozens of friends.]

If we're being perfectly honest? ...Not really.

[ she shakes her head, index finger starting to play with the napkin on the table. ]

I mean, I had Kurt...but he was all I had other than my pet rabbit, all the way until sometime in high school. Even then, the only person I really had was my...uh, ex-boyfriend, so...

Edited 2017-08-27 06:23 (UTC)

That's.... really surprising to me.

[he's not sure how to articulate it, but... still.]

You're really funny and outgoing, and it just seemed like you'd be the type of person people would go out of their way to be friends with.

You...you think so?

[ that means a lot to her. it really, really does. ]

I...I guess since I was the "rich" girl in school, people thought I was stuck-up or something. And...I was too shy to go out of my way to meet people. So I just sucked it up and decided to be alone, I guess...

[of course he means it. Just as she finishes, he pauses, and then takes a sip of his water.]

Well... I'm glad you're not alone now. You've got to have more friends than just 1, now. A lot more.

Y...Yeah...

[ something about when he says that... she has friends now. not that kurt wasn't good enough or anything, but she hardly had any chances to see him; now... now? she has friends she can hang out with. she has friends who want her to hang out with them.

this is what friendship really is.

there's tears that cling to the edges of her eyes, and she smiles, wiping at her eyes with her fingers. ]

I guess I do, huh?

[oh no... but he's pretty sure those are happy tears, and so he reaches out to gently touch her hand for a moment.]

Don't worry about it. You'll be alright.

[and then he pulls his hand back, and finally,,, finally... opens the menu.]

[ oh... ann looks at his hand for a moment, and then at him, and mako's met with the brightest smile she can give. she sniffles a little, wiping away the last of her tears as she opens her menu. ]

Hey, Mako? ...Thanks. For everything these past few months. Really.

No problem.

And thanks for introducing me to Wonder Gal.

[he's gonna get a cheeseburger, screw it]

I went back and started reading, and then I found a few Bat Guy comics on sale.

Really?! Oh my gosh, what do you think of it so far? How's Bat Guy? I like him, but Wonder Gal's my all-time favorite!

[give him a minute, wow, that was a look.

He starts again, awkwardly]

I missed out on a lot. I grabbed a random issue so I didn't know who everyone was at first, but after I caught on, I couldn't stop reading.

[ listen ann gets enthusiastic about these kinds of things, okay ]

Well, that's why I told you to start from the beginning, or you'd be super confused; but I'm glad you like it, anyway! Isn't Bat Guy super hot? And Wonder Gal, too! She's totally goals!

[a pause]

Yes.

[he is not prepared to speak about this subject. not when there are other things he finds hot nearby.]

I'm glad we're in agreement!

[ look at how wide she's smiling now!! oh, mako. you awkward boy. she grins and orders a cheeseburger, sipping her water again. ]

Man...I'm totally bummed that all my posters got wiped out in the convention hall. I totally would've given one to you...

[he also orders a cheeseburger, and then relaxes a little bit.]

It sucks, but that's the type of stuff that can be replaced later. I'm sure a lot of those artists probably sell prints online, too.

Yeah... I got their business cards, so I'll just have to look them up later. Good thing I put them in my wallet.

[ a moment of thinking, then... ]

I think some of them had Bat Guy prints, too.

[ don't be surprised if she asks for your address later to ship them okay ]

Did you have a good time at the convention?

Not a bad time at all. I think I might have mentioned once or twice that I'd never been to one of those things before, right?

[he's being slightly sarcastic, he knows he mentioned it.]

I don't know if it's the type of thing I'd go to normally... but it was fun. What about you, is this an annual tradition?

We're in the same boat! I've never been to one of those before this year, too. And...I mean, despite everything that happened? It was a great time.

[ partially thanks to mako! for letting her drag him there and being so...interested. ]

Yeah. Once all this is over, I'm sure there'll be a couple of other festivals to hit up. Definitely by Halloween.

Maybe we'll have a monster contingency response up or something, if this is life now.

Oh, man...if we do? Count me out for the time being. I'm too exhausted to help out...

[ as much as she wants to help people, ann has her limits. ]

Halloween...it's so close, yet so far away... Do you do anything fun?

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