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xp_logs(backdated) Maya and April both miss Forge. For Maya, that extends more broadly to missing Wade and the rest of her family. For April, it's coming to terms with the endless silence that comes with being alone in a world that doesn't belong to her.
Sometimes, it was very hard to be sad in the face of Boris and his enthusiastic affection. April was sprawled on one of the sun porches, slicker brush moving smoothly over his coat as she let him finish drying in the afternoon sun. She'd done most of a dry before letting him out, but the lure of sunshine had been too much for either of them to resist and they'd ended up comfortably on the floor. It wasn't the best position for brushing, but he was agreeable as April moved him around and got any tangles out, so it wasn't worth fussing over.
The squeak of the hinges caught her ear, and she paused her brushing to look up at the newcomer. 'Hey. Dog time?' she signed at Maya, one of the few simple phrases she'd managed to pick up from Forge.
‘Always,’ Maya signed back and moved to sit down beside them. ‘It’s bright’
She hated small talk, but it felt like recently all she could get out was either too serious or not serious enough. She missed her family.
April nodded in agreement as she handed over a second slicker brush. "Now that I've exhausted most of my limited ASL..." she teased. "This is how Boris likes being brushed." She made sure Maya could see her mouth, enunciating carefully as she moved the brush in short strokes along the dog's flank. "You can help if you want, he likes brushing almost as much as petting except around his butt, and I did that upstairs while he was still fresh from a doggie bath."
Maya took the brush from April and started brushing, the steady, repetitive task soothing some of the restlessness she’d felt since Forge had left. It has been abrupt, and all too like both Wade’s exit and her father's. She couldn’t understand why people kept leaving her behind. If they’d even taken a moment to ask, she’d have told them she’d go with.
But that was never on the cards. Instead, she got left, again. Her hand gripped the handle of the brush tightly as she fought to control the anger that was never far below the surface. It wasn’t Boris’s fault, or April’s. They certainly wouldn’t deserve anything she might say right now.
"Have you heard from Naze yet? Forge told me communication would be sparse, but... I didn't realize it'd be quite so nothing." April was mostly staring at Boris as she said it. "Everything's so quiet now. Even with this little dude. I don't like it." Having her own space had been nice when she'd first arrived. A novelty and place to escape when she was overwhelmed or needed to be alone. But after getting used to a roommate and then a boyfriend, most of her was missing Pyotr's exuberant calm and Forge's noisy silences. The silence of her suite – just her and Boris, most nights – was grating instead of soothing. On nights Illyana decided to watch Boris, it was even worse.
Maya shook her head in answer, continuing to brush Boris as she tried to think of anything to say that might be comforting. She'd known she might not hear from Forge or Naze for a while, much like her Grandparents and her Father. She'd gotten used to more silence than contact over the years. It was lonely at the best of times, she couldn't image what it must be like for someone who had already lost an entire universe worth of people.
"I'm sorry." she signed finally, unable to offer much else.
April bumped their upper arms together lightly. "Nothing to apologize for. He's gotta get his shit together. It just sucks, getting used to something and having it pulled away."
“There was this guy, years ago now, his name was Wade,” Maya signed, her gestures stinted as if what was coming out wasn’t something she wanted to talk about, but something needed. “My Dad had him come get me and bring me here. He was a connection to my family and then he left.”
It wasn’t the whole of what was in her heart right then but it was a glimpse that she could share.
“People leave,” she finished, and then shrugged helplessly because what more could you say?
People left. It sucked. Most of the time they never came back, no matter how much it hurt that they were gone.
April frowned at the thought. "I... don't have anywhere else to go. Maybe a visit, once Forge is allowed." She shrugged. "But this place is full of the people that I know best, and I know that the Peter in this universe is like. Our age or something? So. Get used to seeing my face, you're stuck with it. You wanna hug? Doggie hugs are best, but I think mine are okay."
Maya stiffened for a moment, almost as if her immediate reaction was to refuse but after a moment her shoulders relaxed, an almost unnoticeable bending and she nodded as she placed the brush she’d been using on Boris down on the floor beside her.
April reached over, wrapping her arms around the other woman and giving a firm squeeze. "I'm not going to say it's fine, it's okay, whatever. Losing family, missing them... that sucks." She withdrew her arms, coaxing Boris to drape across their laps instead. "It gets better, time dulls it some. It doesn't go away. Or... it hasn't yet, for me. Some mornings I still wake up and think I'm gonna be fighting May for sink space."
Maya buried her face in Boris’s fur for a moment, struggling for a return to equilibrium. She smiled at the wet tongue across her cheek as Boris made his opinion of her hiding known.
“Too much sometimes,” Maya replied. “I miss them all too much. But it’s not always so hard. I’ll get there.”
"You will," April agreed. "Boris will help. Me too, but he's much better at it." Boris barked in agreement as she ruffled his fur. "It's harder to be upset when you have a snuggly dog begging for pets, treats, and play."
Sometimes, it was very hard to be sad in the face of Boris and his enthusiastic affection. April was sprawled on one of the sun porches, slicker brush moving smoothly over his coat as she let him finish drying in the afternoon sun. She'd done most of a dry before letting him out, but the lure of sunshine had been too much for either of them to resist and they'd ended up comfortably on the floor. It wasn't the best position for brushing, but he was agreeable as April moved him around and got any tangles out, so it wasn't worth fussing over.
The squeak of the hinges caught her ear, and she paused her brushing to look up at the newcomer. 'Hey. Dog time?' she signed at Maya, one of the few simple phrases she'd managed to pick up from Forge.
‘Always,’ Maya signed back and moved to sit down beside them. ‘It’s bright’
She hated small talk, but it felt like recently all she could get out was either too serious or not serious enough. She missed her family.
April nodded in agreement as she handed over a second slicker brush. "Now that I've exhausted most of my limited ASL..." she teased. "This is how Boris likes being brushed." She made sure Maya could see her mouth, enunciating carefully as she moved the brush in short strokes along the dog's flank. "You can help if you want, he likes brushing almost as much as petting except around his butt, and I did that upstairs while he was still fresh from a doggie bath."
Maya took the brush from April and started brushing, the steady, repetitive task soothing some of the restlessness she’d felt since Forge had left. It has been abrupt, and all too like both Wade’s exit and her father's. She couldn’t understand why people kept leaving her behind. If they’d even taken a moment to ask, she’d have told them she’d go with.
But that was never on the cards. Instead, she got left, again. Her hand gripped the handle of the brush tightly as she fought to control the anger that was never far below the surface. It wasn’t Boris’s fault, or April’s. They certainly wouldn’t deserve anything she might say right now.
"Have you heard from Naze yet? Forge told me communication would be sparse, but... I didn't realize it'd be quite so nothing." April was mostly staring at Boris as she said it. "Everything's so quiet now. Even with this little dude. I don't like it." Having her own space had been nice when she'd first arrived. A novelty and place to escape when she was overwhelmed or needed to be alone. But after getting used to a roommate and then a boyfriend, most of her was missing Pyotr's exuberant calm and Forge's noisy silences. The silence of her suite – just her and Boris, most nights – was grating instead of soothing. On nights Illyana decided to watch Boris, it was even worse.
Maya shook her head in answer, continuing to brush Boris as she tried to think of anything to say that might be comforting. She'd known she might not hear from Forge or Naze for a while, much like her Grandparents and her Father. She'd gotten used to more silence than contact over the years. It was lonely at the best of times, she couldn't image what it must be like for someone who had already lost an entire universe worth of people.
"I'm sorry." she signed finally, unable to offer much else.
April bumped their upper arms together lightly. "Nothing to apologize for. He's gotta get his shit together. It just sucks, getting used to something and having it pulled away."
“There was this guy, years ago now, his name was Wade,” Maya signed, her gestures stinted as if what was coming out wasn’t something she wanted to talk about, but something needed. “My Dad had him come get me and bring me here. He was a connection to my family and then he left.”
It wasn’t the whole of what was in her heart right then but it was a glimpse that she could share.
“People leave,” she finished, and then shrugged helplessly because what more could you say?
People left. It sucked. Most of the time they never came back, no matter how much it hurt that they were gone.
April frowned at the thought. "I... don't have anywhere else to go. Maybe a visit, once Forge is allowed." She shrugged. "But this place is full of the people that I know best, and I know that the Peter in this universe is like. Our age or something? So. Get used to seeing my face, you're stuck with it. You wanna hug? Doggie hugs are best, but I think mine are okay."
Maya stiffened for a moment, almost as if her immediate reaction was to refuse but after a moment her shoulders relaxed, an almost unnoticeable bending and she nodded as she placed the brush she’d been using on Boris down on the floor beside her.
April reached over, wrapping her arms around the other woman and giving a firm squeeze. "I'm not going to say it's fine, it's okay, whatever. Losing family, missing them... that sucks." She withdrew her arms, coaxing Boris to drape across their laps instead. "It gets better, time dulls it some. It doesn't go away. Or... it hasn't yet, for me. Some mornings I still wake up and think I'm gonna be fighting May for sink space."
Maya buried her face in Boris’s fur for a moment, struggling for a return to equilibrium. She smiled at the wet tongue across her cheek as Boris made his opinion of her hiding known.
“Too much sometimes,” Maya replied. “I miss them all too much. But it’s not always so hard. I’ll get there.”
"You will," April agreed. "Boris will help. Me too, but he's much better at it." Boris barked in agreement as she ruffled his fur. "It's harder to be upset when you have a snuggly dog begging for pets, treats, and play."
