xp_logs | Sarah goes out for a smoke break... (Reply)

The city had been beautiful and the crowds almost reassuring with their press, but Marie was surprised to realize how acclimatized she had become to the mansion with its expansive, quiet grounds. Still feeling raw and edgy, she slid out of the house and took a deep breath of the night air. She looked around and seeing no one, she let herself float upward toward the starry sky. The mansion lay under her, settling into sleep. The children's rooms were already dark save for an occasional nightlight. Soaking in the peace, she let herself down on the porch roof, moving snow aside with her foot to sit down cross-legged, looking out across the lawn that was marked with dozens of little footprints and guarded by a few lopsided snowmen.

Cigarettes and lighter in hand, Sarah makes her way out onto the porch for some quiet time. Not like the basement isn't quiet enough, but the lure of a cigarette while enjoying a few moments of peace brings her out into the cold. She lets out a little sigh when she sees the empty porch, something inside her hoping that she would have found Shinobi out here. Taking her perch on the railing, she dangles her legs over the snow covered bushes below her, and leans her head against the pillar behind her. Ah, quiet.

Someone comes out onto the porch and lets out a little sigh before taking up a seat on the railing, by the slight creaking and the bump of boots on the wood. A few moments later there's the scratch of a lighter wheel and then the smell of cigarette smoke that reminds Marie of her grandfather. Curious, she crawls to the edge and peeks over the gutter to see Sarah below.

Taking a draw from her cigarette, Sarah just barely feels the little pieces of packed snow falling from the roof above. She looks up, blowing smoke into the air above her. When it clears, she sees two eyes peeking over the ledge, framed by two blond streaks. "Uh, hi." She rests her hands on her thighs, and looks up amusedly. "Long time no see."

"Oops," Marie says. "Hi." She swings down to balance on the porch railing, only helping herself a bit with her powers, and then sits down a little way away from Sarah. "Yeah, it's been a while. What's new?"

Sarah thinks for a minute, and shrugs. "I've started smoking again, apparently," She gestures to the cigarette in her right hand, "and I'm grounded. Again."

"I see. I heard about the grounding. I think it's a little silly, honestly. Stuff like that is just... natural." She pulls her knees to her chest. "I mean, we do deserve a little fucking normalcy, even if it's something as stupid as drinking underage. Though, I suppose getting grounded for it is natural too." She smiles a little at Sarah.

Sarah nods. "Yeah, it's not like I really go anywhere anyway. I'm not taking it as badly as some of the others are." Bringing the cigarette back between her lips, she breathes in deeply. "I had fun, and I suppose that's what I get." She rolls the lighter around in her hand, a little motion to keep from shivering.

"Take it where you can get it," Marie advises. "It doesn't hang around here waiting to be had."

"I've noticed." She breathes out smoke, and shrugs. "Sometimes I wonder if this is where I should be. I mean, it's nice, but I certianly don't work by the same rules they do."

"I understand," Marie says quietly. "I didn't really have a choice of coming here myself. I think about leaving but it's a roof over my head and I don't think I'd like to wait tables for a living... I've been on the road. This is pretty good. Everything I need is here."

"Yeah. But I know I could make it on my own in the tunnels. I've done it before, I can do it again." Maybe it's the fact that she can't leave that has her feeling boxed in all of a sudden.

"I know how you feel, at least a little," Marie offered. "Sometimes I feel like I need to go just to be sure I can. I've almost left more than once."

Sarah nods in agreement, watching the motionless grounds for a while. Then she turns to face Marie. "You have problems with your folks?"

Marie pales a little and her shoulders tense as though she's been slapped. "Not anymore, no, not really. Depends on what you mean by problems."

"You don't want to talk about it." She observes. "That's fine." She goes back to watching the grounds.

"It's not that," she says. "It's just... ever had something so shitty happen to you it's actually almost embarassing? It's like that. Long story short, they never looked for me, they don't want me back. They only wrote to the school because the military was bugging them about me. I'm not going to university, even if I get accepted, and that's the rest of it. So... yeah. There's not a lot to talk about. It sucks. Life sucks for a lot of people around here. It'll pass and I'll be fine. It's not like I'm really alone."

"You're embarassed because your family decided they don't want you anymore?" She's silent for a moment, and then adds, "Why can't you go to university?"

"I just don't want to be melodramatic, though I kind of failed in the moment. I still have to delete that damn post. I don't want to make a big deal about it because I can't change it. And the university thing... well, you remember when I was gone after we had that blowout picking up John?" She sighs and runs a hand through her hair. "I was in some military lab, and they kind of want me back now."

"I know what it's like--I went through eight." She flicks ashes onto the bushes, and brings the cigarette up for another drag. "God, that sucks. And short of sending someone with you, which would not be a picnic, there's nothing you can do."

Marie shakes her head, hugging her knees to her chest tightly. "I'm not going back, period. They can drag my cold, dead body away if they want, but they're not getting me any other way. I just wish they'd left my parents the hell alone. I mean, I left so they wouldn't have to deal with me."

"I don't blame you. And I think given the chance, everybody here would voice their opposition to those fuckers' plans. Some a little more loudly than others." She grins a little, blowing out smoke again.

Marie returns the grin and nods. "This place has its advantages, yeah. And I'll work something out. I'm still getting my head around it, that's all. It's a little unnerving, but at least I'm not alone with it. I try and count my blessings."

"If nothing else, you can always teach here..." She says it, but it's obvious she wouldn't choose that path for herself, and not for Marie either. For someone who considers leaving on occasion, getting tied to it isn't the best idea, and she knows that.

Marie nods, becoming solemn again. "It would be something to do, maybe put some money away. It's what there is for now, you know? If there's no way to fix things, then maybe it might be better if I go, for everyone. At least I won't have to go alone if I do."

"Somehow I doubt that out of all the people here, yours are the problems that make them say, 'look, enough.' Will leaving really be better for everyone here?"

"Well, if they're going to be bugging people to get me back, I'd rather not get anyone else involved," she says practically. "I wouldn't just run off, either. We'll see."

Sarah shrugs again, and takes a final draw from her cigarette before putting the butt in the snow beside her. "I don't think they mind." She stops then, unsure of why she even cares.

Marie gives her a smile. "People around here don't seem to mind getting involved, do they?" Her tone says she's not sure whether this is a good thing or not. "You should get in, you're going to get a cold," she says, a little chidingly. "And then people will have to do things like bring you chicken soup and all that rot."

"No, they don't. For better or worse." She smiles a little, and nods. "As terrifying as that sounds, I was already headed inside. I'm not much for dealing with the winter wonderland once my cigarette's gone."

Marie nods. "Snow's poetic and all, but I could do without it. It was good to see you again," she says, and then gives Sarah a wry grin. "Like we don't live in the same house or something... I'll see you around, eventually."

Sarah laughs, and manages to turn herself around and hop off of the railing. "Yeah, I'm sure we will. Later Marie."

"You bet." Marie pushes off the railing herself, only outward and up into the night to look at the stars a little longer.