Not right now. I came here by myself. [ Since she kind of rushed over, but it's not like Ange is going to admit that much out loud. Partially because of the surprise over the present, and partially because she wanted to see how he was doing.
The answer to that mostly seems to be 'alive, even if not that great' - but she'll take that, after what she saw before.
There's a slight pause, before Ange speaks up again to add: ]
.. this isn't some sneaky way of yours to check up on whether or not I have actual friends, is it? [ Who do you think you are to check up on her wellbeing, Martin, her dad? G-Geez! ]
That would be pretty sneaky. [His brows knit together before he give another wet cough.] No, I think I'll just ask that. Have you got some friends apart from me?
[ It's not something she may always have admitted that easily. Maybe she respects him just being direct about it, or she just trusts him with the knowledge. Either way - it seems he doesn't have to dig further to find out. Ange just speaks up. ]
Let's see.. Ruby, Fern, Peter, Richie, Gar, Vira-Lorr, Amara, Michael, Lucille.. I guess Atsushi too. Maybe Shiro. [ .. more than she expected, really, now she's actually putting all those names together like a list. ]
[More than Martin could name, certainly. He smiles for her.]
Hey, that's great, Ange. I'm really glad to hear it. Shiro seems like he's most people's friend, right? He's even managed to make friends with Jon, and he's... not the friendliest man.
I know Fern and I think I'm met Michael and Ruby. Not sure I've met any of the rest. Are they all-[don't say 'kids']--younger people like you?
That makes her pause for a moment. Because Martin - while maybe not exactly exuberantly social and extroverted, but she likes that about him - seems like such a nice person. And then he's dating someone.. not friendly? Is this just a case of opposites attracting?
But before she can say anything about it - or is even sure whether she wants to say something - Martin asks her something else, shaking her out of the thought for the moment.
Especially when he says it in that way. ]
Are you seriously trying to avoid saying the word 'teenagers', you old man? [ It's the softest kind of teasing though, accompanied by a slight shoulder bump. ] Most of the ones you haven't met are around my age though, yeah. Amara's a bit older, and Vira-Lorr is.. technically ancient or something.
[ She waves her hand, like that's no big deal. There's weirder things in Deerington. ]
I think Lucille must be somewhere around your age though. You should talk to her sometime, if you can. I think you two might get along.
Old man? [Martin puts on an air of mock-affront.] I'm not even a middle-aged man, thank you. [He coughs a little as he laughs.]
Right. Right, Lucille. I'll have to remember that. Well, it's good. There are a lot of... teenagers around, so I didn't think you'd be hurting for options, at least. Have you noticed that? Sodder seems to like the younger crowd.
Mm... I mean, they do in stories. Young adult books. Everyone likes a coming of age story.
[Another cough.]
I dunno. Most of the people who have weird things happen to them in my world... we see it happening to them when they're adults. Some stories have weird things happening when people were kids, but that's not the norm. It's... Kind of wish it wasn't like that. It's fine being special. But people here seem to be special in a way that means they suffered a lot in their worlds.
[ It's hard not kind of reading that personal note into it, and it makes her look away for a moment before pulling her shoulders up into a slight shrug. Trying to downplay it, as if she hasn't already confessed the depths of her depression to Martin.
But she just doesn't want to make it too heavy when he's still suffering the full aftereffects of being revived after dying. ]
Even if witches hadn't been a thing in my world, my whole family still would have died. [ The only difference being that she wouldn't have had to deal with the witches later on - but Ange knows the true root of her misery lies in the loss of her family all those years ago. ]
That's something that could happen to anyone. It doesn't make someone special. Sometimes really normal circumstances are pretty crappy too.
[ She will at least admit to that, the little nudge making her glance over in his direction. ]
The people here mostly make it easier. [ It's not something Ange would admit to easily, considering admitting to liking people feels too vulnerable, but she's really making an attempt over here. ] I was so used to being surrounded by awful people back home that I just wanted to get away from people altogether.
[ Maybe it's why the Lonely felt so weirdly exhilarating to her that one time. Because it had been everything she wanted for so long. ]
But the people here.. there's so much more nice people. People who like having me around, for some reason. [ Of course Martin himself is very much included in that, from what Ange thinks. ] So at the very least it makes me think that I at least can't abandon them.
It's a bit different for me and Jon. I had my mum to take care of growing up. She was really sick in a lot of ways, so there wasn't much time for other things... friends. Mostly it was school and home. Then work and home. I liked the people at work. They were nice... but when you can't really go out with them or tell them much about your life, your hobbies, it's hard to get close.
[It's strange to be telling this to a young girl, but Ange feels like she gets a lot of things some of the other people here just... can't. And if his experiences can help her, that wouldn't be so bad.]
Have you ever felt like you were alone in a crowd of people? Just... unseen? That's sort of what things were like for me before Jon. He always made me feel seen. [Martin huffs a laugh and then starts coughing again.] Even when he was yelling at me. At least I knew he was paying attention.
[ Ange really isn't too sure how she feels about Jon yelling at Martin. He better watch his back!! But maybe it's just how things naturally evolved or something, and Martin is so obviously in love with the guy that she doesn't want to really question it.
But it's true that she can understand it. Not necessarily from personal experience, since the way she grew up was miserable for entirely different reasons. But having experienced that misery in general - it makes it so much easier to imagine how others might feel when they have a rough time. Or just a busy time, in Martin's case. ]
I'm.. I'm glad he made you feel that way. [ She slowly says. Martin deserves as much. He deserves to be seen. ] How did you get to know him then, even though you had so little time..?
Um... if I'm being honest? Most of getting to know him day-to-day has been here in Deerington. We'd only had a couple of weeks together before we woke up in the town. It's been a bit of a learning experience for the both of us. Didn't really expect to be figuring out a new relationship around... everything that happens here. But I think we're managing.
[Martin coughs again and takes a few wheezing breaths. This is the most he's talked in a while.]
At home, we ended up in some tight spots and he opened up to me. It's how I figured out he's like a cat in some ways. Takes a while for him to warm up and he can be moody, but he's a sweetheart when you get past all that, down to what makes him tick.
I can't even imagine trying to manage a new relationship around here.
[ As if Deerington itself isn't already bad enough, with the constant monsters and horrors. Trying to figure out a relationship here, right off the bat? That's like playing this whole thing on hard mode. ]
You guys must have been working hard on it. [ Or, maybe moreso Martin than this other guy, judging by what he's saying right now - but if it's a relationship, then surely it takes mutual effort from both sides, she thinks. ]
[ The moment he asks that question, Ange's cheeks grow red in shame. In realisation. ]
Oh-- I'm so sorry. I shouldn't have kept you occupied for so long.
[ Not while Martin is in this state. Only barely back from the dead, clearly sick, exhausted.
It instantly makes her fuss. ] You should go lie down in bed. Do you need me to help you get there? Or bring you anything else? I can leave after that, so you can get some rest.
[ Ange grabs one of the glasses, starting to fill it up with water. She lets out a small, almost amused sound when she hears him speak like that from the sofa - since it's death flu, he should hopefully be okay again soon, even though it's obviously having some impact on him if he's getting kind of delirious. (It's kind of cute, and would be cuter if the cause of all of this wasn't so sad.)
She returns over towards the sofa, putting the glass down within reach for him. ]
I won't. [ Forget the gifts, that is. ] Please take care, alright? Hopefully you'll feel better soon.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
rosecarmine
(no subject)
Date: 2021-01-24 02:27 pm (UTC)The answer to that mostly seems to be 'alive, even if not that great' - but she'll take that, after what she saw before.
There's a slight pause, before Ange speaks up again to add: ]
.. this isn't some sneaky way of yours to check up on whether or not I have actual friends, is it? [ Who do you think you are to check up on her wellbeing, Martin, her dad? G-Geez! ]
(no subject)
Date: 2021-01-30 06:31 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2021-01-30 06:51 pm (UTC)[ It's not something she may always have admitted that easily. Maybe she respects him just being direct about it, or she just trusts him with the knowledge. Either way - it seems he doesn't have to dig further to find out. Ange just speaks up. ]
Let's see.. Ruby, Fern, Peter, Richie, Gar, Vira-Lorr, Amara, Michael, Lucille.. I guess Atsushi too. Maybe Shiro. [ .. more than she expected, really, now she's actually putting all those names together like a list. ]
(no subject)
Date: 2021-02-01 05:18 am (UTC)[More than Martin could name, certainly. He smiles for her.]
Hey, that's great, Ange. I'm really glad to hear it. Shiro seems like he's most people's friend, right? He's even managed to make friends with Jon, and he's... not the friendliest man.
I know Fern and I think I'm met Michael and Ruby. Not sure I've met any of the rest. Are they all-[don't say 'kids']--younger people like you?
(no subject)
Date: 2021-02-02 10:44 pm (UTC)That makes her pause for a moment. Because Martin - while maybe not exactly exuberantly social and extroverted, but she likes that about him - seems like such a nice person. And then he's dating someone.. not friendly? Is this just a case of opposites attracting?
But before she can say anything about it - or is even sure whether she wants to say something - Martin asks her something else, shaking her out of the thought for the moment.
Especially when he says it in that way. ]
Are you seriously trying to avoid saying the word 'teenagers', you old man? [ It's the softest kind of teasing though, accompanied by a slight shoulder bump. ] Most of the ones you haven't met are around my age though, yeah. Amara's a bit older, and Vira-Lorr is.. technically ancient or something.
[ She waves her hand, like that's no big deal. There's weirder things in Deerington. ]
I think Lucille must be somewhere around your age though. You should talk to her sometime, if you can. I think you two might get along.
(no subject)
Date: 2021-02-06 04:35 pm (UTC)Right. Right, Lucille. I'll have to remember that. Well, it's good. There are a lot of... teenagers around, so I didn't think you'd be hurting for options, at least. Have you noticed that? Sodder seems to like the younger crowd.
(no subject)
Date: 2021-02-07 10:31 am (UTC)And also people who have had something special happen in their lives.
[ One way or another. Ange knows that the worlds the people here come from are pretty varied. ]
I don't think I've met many people here who were exactly normal. Maybe those things tend to happen more often to teenagers across various worlds.
(no subject)
Date: 2021-02-13 06:20 am (UTC)Mm... I mean, they do in stories. Young adult books. Everyone likes a coming of age story.
[Another cough.]
I dunno. Most of the people who have weird things happen to them in my world... we see it happening to them when they're adults. Some stories have weird things happening when people were kids, but that's not the norm. It's... Kind of wish it wasn't like that. It's fine being special. But people here seem to be special in a way that means they suffered a lot in their worlds.
[He's looking at you, Ange.]
(no subject)
Date: 2021-02-14 01:43 pm (UTC)But she just doesn't want to make it too heavy when he's still suffering the full aftereffects of being revived after dying. ]
Even if witches hadn't been a thing in my world, my whole family still would have died. [ The only difference being that she wouldn't have had to deal with the witches later on - but Ange knows the true root of her misery lies in the loss of her family all those years ago. ]
That's something that could happen to anyone. It doesn't make someone special. Sometimes really normal circumstances are pretty crappy too.
(no subject)
Date: 2021-02-18 04:53 pm (UTC)[Martin gives her a little nudge with his elbow.]
There's no way to balance some things... but it makes it easier to carry on sometimes, right?
(no subject)
Date: 2021-02-20 11:07 pm (UTC)[ She will at least admit to that, the little nudge making her glance over in his direction. ]
The people here mostly make it easier. [ It's not something Ange would admit to easily, considering admitting to liking people feels too vulnerable, but she's really making an attempt over here. ] I was so used to being surrounded by awful people back home that I just wanted to get away from people altogether.
[ Maybe it's why the Lonely felt so weirdly exhilarating to her that one time. Because it had been everything she wanted for so long. ]
But the people here.. there's so much more nice people. People who like having me around, for some reason. [ Of course Martin himself is very much included in that, from what Ange thinks. ] So at the very least it makes me think that I at least can't abandon them.
[ ... ]
Was it like that for you? With Jon?
(no subject)
Date: 2021-02-24 03:57 am (UTC)[It's strange to be telling this to a young girl, but Ange feels like she gets a lot of things some of the other people here just... can't. And if his experiences can help her, that wouldn't be so bad.]
Have you ever felt like you were alone in a crowd of people? Just... unseen? That's sort of what things were like for me before Jon. He always made me feel seen. [Martin huffs a laugh and then starts coughing again.] Even when he was yelling at me. At least I knew he was paying attention.
(no subject)
Date: 2021-02-24 09:51 am (UTC)He better watch his back!!But maybe it's just how things naturally evolved or something, and Martin is so obviously in love with the guy that she doesn't want to really question it.But it's true that she can understand it. Not necessarily from personal experience, since the way she grew up was miserable for entirely different reasons. But having experienced that misery in general - it makes it so much easier to imagine how others might feel when they have a rough time. Or just a busy time, in Martin's case. ]
I'm.. I'm glad he made you feel that way. [ She slowly says. Martin deserves as much. He deserves to be seen. ] How did you get to know him then, even though you had so little time..?
(no subject)
Date: 2021-02-27 10:55 pm (UTC)[Martin coughs again and takes a few wheezing breaths. This is the most he's talked in a while.]
At home, we ended up in some tight spots and he opened up to me. It's how I figured out he's like a cat in some ways. Takes a while for him to warm up and he can be moody, but he's a sweetheart when you get past all that, down to what makes him tick.
(no subject)
Date: 2021-02-28 03:42 pm (UTC)[ As if Deerington itself isn't already bad enough, with the constant monsters and horrors. Trying to figure out a relationship here, right off the bat? That's like playing this whole thing on hard mode. ]
You guys must have been working hard on it. [ Or, maybe moreso Martin than this other guy, judging by what he's saying right now - but if it's a relationship, then surely it takes mutual effort from both sides, she thinks. ]
(no subject)
Date: 2021-03-04 04:01 am (UTC)[He slumps a little more on the sofa.]
Would you mind if I sort of... lie down a bit? Sorry.
[It's more a courtesy to ask because it's happening whether she agrees to it or not.]
(no subject)
Date: 2021-03-04 04:57 pm (UTC)Oh-- I'm so sorry. I shouldn't have kept you occupied for so long.
[ Not while Martin is in this state. Only barely back from the dead, clearly sick, exhausted.
It instantly makes her fuss. ] You should go lie down in bed. Do you need me to help you get there? Or bring you anything else? I can leave after that, so you can get some rest.
(no subject)
Date: 2021-03-09 05:04 am (UTC)[At least until someone a little more substantial than Ange comes by. He supposes he needs to give her something to do, though.]
Could you get me a glass of water while I get settled, maybe?
(no subject)
Date: 2021-03-09 03:01 pm (UTC)[ In fact, she's already standing up as she says those words, looking over to see where to get some water here. ]
I'll grab you that and then I'll get going.
(no subject)
Date: 2021-03-12 05:29 am (UTC)[Martin lists further to the side until he's lying down on the sofa. The kitchen is nearby and she'll find clean glasses in a drying rack.]
Why did you come over again? I've... I think I've forgotten.
[He feels so out of it, he can't remember a lot of what they've talked about already.]
Gifts. The gifts. Don't forget to take those?
(no subject)
Date: 2021-03-12 07:30 pm (UTC)She returns over towards the sofa, putting the glass down within reach for him. ]
I won't. [ Forget the gifts, that is. ] Please take care, alright? Hopefully you'll feel better soon.
[ Ange grabs the gifts, says a last: ]
See you later, Martin.
[ And with that, she walks out of the door. ]