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Topaz tries to do the self-care thing alone like a responsible person. Doug is still being ordered around by Marie-Ange.



Avoiding the mansion crowds was a priority at a moment. As much as Topaz didn't want to be alone, she was also having a hard time being around more than one or two people at a time. Which resulted in her taking the long way around to get to the garage, her keys clutched tight in her hand...

And there was Doug, leaning on the hood of her car. She raised an eyebrow. "Hullo?"

Doug raised his own eyebrow in a mirrored response. Marie-Ange had roused him from a nap and sent him on his way to the garage with a few words. "If you're trying to avoid people, you're going to have to work a little harder - what with Angie being precognitive and all." Thankfully, Topaz's roundabout route had given Doug time to get there without getting -too- out of breath.

"Aren't you supposed to taking it easy?" Topaz asked, sidestepping the bit about her avoiding people and walking to her car.

"A lot easier than getting chased around with Gungir," Doug quipped. At least he was reasonably sure that was what the spear Marie-Ange kept imaging up was supposed to be, what with her whole Odin-esque schtick these days.

"That does sound more exhausting," Topaz gave in, waving to the passenger's side. "All right. And I'm not avoiding people. Just... don't want to run into anyone."

"I can appreciate the distinction," Doug allowed as he seated himself in the car. "You know we don't blame you, right?" he asked after a moment's reflection.

Topaz stopped with the key in the ignition, watching her little witch keychain swing back and forth. "Yeah," she said finally, swallowing and starting the car.

"You don't sound entirely convinced." Doug was very aware of how irritating continual prodding and confronting uncomfortable truths could be, but he was embracing the 'do as I say, not as I do' angle and attempting to actually learn from his own mistakes.

"No, I believe you don't blame me," Topaz replied honestly, taking the time to pause as she pulled out of the garage. "I just think you're wrong."

At this rate, Doug was going to have to retroactively apologize to everyone for when he had been a moody self-blaming teenager. And given that some of them were lost to the frankenberry cat, that would be difficult. "Precognition aside, you don't think we're capable of making our own choices?"

Topaz sighed, slumping back in her seat. "No," she said quietly. "I know we make our own choices. I should know, I'm pretty bad at them."

Doug reached over and carefully booped her nose as they rolled to a stop near the gate as a gentle way of chiding. "I bet I know what Dr. Grim is going to be going over with you today," he observed.

Topaz wrinkled her nose, bewildered. No one had ever booped her before. "Oh yeah?" She pulled out of the mansion driveway and started down the street. "What?"

Doug grinned and leaned back as he put his sunglasses on. "That relentless need to put yourself down, maybe?"

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