tushanshu | Something to take the blues away [video]

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Something to take the blues away [video]

[Ellie clicks on the console. While those who don't know her might think she looks like a normal 14 year old, those that do know her can tell she's trying to distract herself.

She rubs her nose as she ponders how to start this, before thinking that maybe she should even just cut the feed off. But, hell, she made it this far.

Her arm is bandaged up in a rough sling-- something she did herself.]

Sooo... I guess we can talk about what the fuck just happened, or we can talk about something better. Like, okay, I've had some of the kedan read to me?

Guys, guys. Their stories are fucking hilarious. I'm not even sure how someone gets engaged 12 times on accident, but there's a story for that.

And there's a story about the guy who had a huge case of mistaken identity, and owed a stupid amount of debt because someone pretended to be him when gambling.

... And a huge amount of these end up being romance stories.

Don't even fucking ask me.

[she shrugs and offers a little grin]

I asked if there was any stuff about someone pissing off a monster, or going to outer space, but nope. Nothing. Nada.

How fucking weird is that?

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[she can practically hear it, and for a moment she wonders what a good thing to do would be. Should she go join Tess? Liquor was gross, she knew that. But maybe Tess would need help later.

Ellie shrugs, after a moment of thinking]

I don't know, but I got some of the good stuff. I found books while we were in there, and they're the real fucking deal.

[and then, almost idly]

So, where're you hanging out right now?

[Hey, she's not that drunk! ...Yet. Besides, a woman can drink in her own home if she wants.]

Just got back from work. [She might've had a few before she left.]

So space monsters are the real deal but getting engaged accidentally twelve times is just beyond belief?

What? No. I'm talking about real good stories. These books are Ellie approved. I'm halfway through one of 'em already. I've had a lot of time to kill recently.

[pause]

Want some company?

[Tess smiles somewhat wryly. Kids. Though she might've been a little more boy-crazy at that age, she'd gone through a period where she really liked all those old plays and poems. The crazy marriage shenanigans of the ancient Greeks and Romans and renaissance writers.]

Sure, come on over. Uh, if you see a turtle hanging around, don't mind him. He keeps headbutting me.

... Turtle?

[eyebrow raise]

You got a pet...? Or one of those huge turtles?

Oh, he's a big one. [She would never ever say this totally sober:] He says his name is Hector.

Wow.

[she blinks at the screen]

So... you're... what, taking care of it? Mothering it? How does that work?

I guess. What's one more, right?

[Tess snorts vaguely.]

Hell if I know, he just kind of showed up today. Imprinted, or something, I guess.

Sooo... because it imprinted, you're keeping it.

I... think it's more like he's keeping me.

I couldn't get him to leave if I wanted to. [Not that she wants to, bizarre as that sounds. Okay, he's nearby right now, so she's generally feeling pretty well-disposed to little Hector.]

... Well, okay.

That's... Okay. [not what she expected of Tess? She just didn't imagine Tess to be the sort of woman who would help a little turtle. But she just shrugs]

Well, can I meet Hector?

[It's not like she had any choice in the matter! The last thing Tess ever expected from her life - or her afterlife, as the case may be - was suddenly being some kind of maternal-figure, caregiver to two kids and a big baby turtle.

It's fucking bizarre. Another reason why she's drinking.]

Of course. Maybe you can help me convince him that a lady's bedroom window isn't an appropriate place to stick his head in.

[she bursts out laughing. Tess, she's not sure what happened and why your life has turned out so strange. She's not even sure why a turtle refusing to listen is hilarious to her]

I'll try. No promises, though. Be over in a bit.

[Aha! Score one for Tess. Pat on the back, gold star, what the fuck ever.]

Good.

[Getting to Tess’s isn’t that hard. And admittedly? She wanted to see this crazy turtle named Hector. It was still weird to imagine Tess mothering the damn thing, but whatever.

Stranger things had happened. Stranger things just happened. So, Ellie knocks on the door, not quite familiar enough with Tess yet to just barge in. But she was getting close.]

[Hector is outside, munching on... well, something. He'll eat just about anything, Tess has already realized, and since she doesn't know what turtles are supposed to eat - certainly not giant magical psychic turtles - she's just sort of... letting him do whatever.

She opens the door and lets Ellie in with a vague smile and a wave of her hand.]

How's the arm?

[she shrugs her good shoulder at the question as she steps in. The turtle was new, and a bit distracting, but the question brings her back to Tess.]

Same as it was yesterday. Kind of sucks, I’ve gotten hurt before, but not like this.
[she thought she’d go out of her mind resting anymore. In fact, she missed wandering and hunting, weirdly enough. She was getting a lot better at it, and now she was pretty much useless.]

I see the turtle thing’s going well, though.

Joel clearly took better care of you than I was able to manage.

[Tess says that almost nonchalantly, and goes to pour herself another drink, because why the hell not? And okay, so maybe she blames herself just a little bit for Ellie getting injured so bad. She made a promise, after all, and there she was, her arm in a sling anyway.]

I guess it is - I'm not really sure what I'm expected to do except... let him hang around when he wants.

Pffff.

More like I took care of him. [she mutters a bit. Admittedly, there was a little give and take there, but winter had been one of the hardest seasons for both of them.

She'd learned more than she wanted to about stitching together broken skin. Compared to this? That was way worse]

[Tess gives an almost-surprised sort of laugh.]

I'll bet. He's like that sometimes. He's good at looking scary when you need him to, though.

[Ellie decides against elaborating further. The last thing she wanted to think about was back then. She’d rather focus on the here and then, and getting the lowdown on how Tess took in a baby turtle.]

So… Hector, huh. Hector’s an interesting name. He say anything else? [since he apparently could say his name.]

He's been sayin' a lot of things. Or, well, asking.

[She taps her forehead.] Stick around long enough, he'll probably start asking you stuff, too. In your head, it's weird.

I heard they can teach you how to read Kedanese from one of the guys. [she looks up at Tess, clearly wondering if she’d gotten that memo, but she doesn’t ask outright. At least, not yet] Don’t you think that’d be useful?

For, like, smuggling and stuff? [… let her in on the family business, yes?]

[Tess laughs a little.] Yeah, it could be real useful. You lookin' to show me your resume too?

You know I'll let you help out however you can.

I might be interested. Joel never talked much about it, though. [Tess had been off limits as a topic of conversation not even thirty minutes after she’d died, and Ellie hadn’t wanted to bring up smuggling, lest it bring up her.]

What’s it like? Anything like trekking all the way across the country with a girl?

Something to take the blues away [video]

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