mortesmariae

[mortesmariae]

The aftermath was never going to be easy, not by a long shot. Rem had better chances of levitating than pretending all would be well when he appeared. It didn't stop her gut reaction to choke up and reach out for him.

Nai was all grown up now. Much taller than she would have thought, with sharp features that held onto his pain. A far cry from the sensitive boy she knew.

God, she ached and wished and mourned. The twins grew so quickly, too quickly for her (as if she dared to think they were alive for her). To her benefit, Rem wasn't scared of him, not now. While she certainly had much to live for at present, with the need to find Vash, she wasn't afraid of dying. Far from it, even. So his words cut as deep as they deserve to without so much as a flinch from Rem.

She watches his back from a distance. Her voice remains rough and dry, though Mona's continued treatment was already making progress. "I know. I am not asking for forgiveness. You do not have to give me anything you do not wish to. I'm just...you have no idea how happy I am to see how well you are now. You've done good."

@mortesmariae || upsetti mom spaghetti

"You're a coward." He isn't looking at her, staring out into the sands and vegetable patches. Hasn't looked at her since he arrived home to find Rem in his kitchen with his–with Mona.

It's funny, Knives thinks. Because he's one too. Maybe he learned that from her. (It's not fair, that Vash got all of the best of her and he's left with the worst. Left with the dregs, clinging to them because it's all he has left of Rem even when he doesn't want it.)

He's made a point of keeping a minimum of five feet between them at all times. Every step Rem takes in his direction is responded to with a step away in kind. His fingers tingle and ache, and its a herculean effort not to start biting, to not start peeling skin off of his fingers. He stuffs his hands into his pockets to stem the urge, though it doesn't really help. But Knives isn't giving this to Rem, isn't letting her see his walls down.

Not anymore.

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Thankfully, her guide does not prod about her emotional state when she returns. Complying with her directions was an easy task, she barely flinched as the ointment touched her sunburned skin. Rem's attention is fully glued to her words- Mona Coulter.

Plant sciences, huh? She wondered about the little baby and how identical he was to the twins when they were born. They were the only independents she'd ever seen as infants, so she wasn't completely sure if Independents just shared features by nature of being plants or if it was more than a coincidence here.

...Perhaps there was no coincidence after all. Mona and...Knives (she would struggle not to call him Nai) were close by her account. A smile ghosted Rem's face as she listened, imagining him growing up and having a family. If they were close, and this was their farm they tended together...then was the child...?

Rem takes the offered medication to cope with the pain gratefully. She wasn't looking forward to the physical crash she could feel coming.

"You've seen...he still has it, then? I- yes, I understand that it may be difficult to believe at first, but I am that person in the video, and I am fully aware of what he is. I can explain the story if you care to hear it," Rem's eyes brightened a little as she looked at Mona, the temptation too great to hold back her own questioning.

"I take it the child you held at the market is an Independent like him? What is his name, if you don't mind me asking? Is he...a child that you and him care for together...? Forgive me if I overstep in any of these questions, I-I just...I worried about him and his brother, but he was a sensitive boy. I didn't know what the future held for him. To see him have a little unit like this... It eases the heartache."

Mona is swift, closing the guest room door behind her before heading to her and Knives' shared one where Luca's cot lies. The baby is unwrapped and rested within, waiting a moment to ensure he does not fuss as he settles, before she heads to the bathroom, then kitchen, to gather what she believes she may need. A lesser worm, small and flitting about her head, is swatted at lightly, lacking intent to actually cause harm to the creature among its concerned buzzing. A quiet 'everything's fine' is murmured to it, but she still does not dismiss it fully. Just in case.

The door is reopened slowly, with caution as one hands holds a basket of supplies, a glass of water in the other. The chair that had been nestled beneath the desk in the room is pulled over to the bedside as she places the water down by Rem. The tears are noted quietly, causing a moment of pause as she glances over the woman before her, but Mona decides not to dwell. Probably wouldn't do her any good to ask on it.

"I'm going to remove your cloak, alright..?" Her hands are slow, both not wanting to move too suddenly or cause any further discomfort as the linen is removed from Rem's shoulders. At a quick glance, there are no glaring injuries; must just be sore or bruised. But the earlier breathlessness and sluggishness clearly means something is wrong. Start simple, maybe.

A small glass jar is plucked from her basket, screwing the top off before scooping some of the ointment inside onto two fingers. "You have a pretty bad sunburn, this should make it feel much better." Mona hesitates a moment, silently ensuring she has time to brace for the contact before lightly dabbing the almost lotion-like medication to her reddened cheeks. No better time to inform her, she supposes.

"My name is Mona Coulter. Doctor, to some. I am-- was a researcher in Plant sciences." Eyelids rest just a bit lower as she recounts some recent events, as well as trying to decide what else to tell her.

"I've known Knives... two, perhaps getting closer to three years now. We're... close. We both live here, tending to his... our farm." The idea of them living together is still foreign to her tongue, having only been sheltered by him for a month now. Her hand is wiped clean, replacing the lid on the jar as she finishes tending to the blemishes on Rem's face. A small capsule is offered to her.

"For the pain." She waits patiently for the medication to be taken before she pulls free her worn and rudimentary stethoscope to take a listen to her breathing a bit better.

"I've seen the video... I take it you know what he is..?" Seems like a redundant question, but it's also a veiled form of making sure this is actually Rem, the original one, not just a distant relative that happened to know about her, what she did on the ship.

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An hour's journey would be nothing in comparison to months of searching. Rem was a patient woman, she could wait another hour. The drive to make it to her guide's house and get the full story, the information she was painstakingly searching for, numbed her body's pain. She would walk as far and as long as needed without complaint.

Rem nodded and followed the woman's directions, her concern for her well-being placating any remnant doubts. She kept pace as best as her body allowed. Truthfully, Rem struggled with the trek, feeling the effects of the environmental heat from the overbearing suns bare down on her frail frame, but she kept it to herself. When a house began to creep into view, relief filled her. So close, and so far.

Reality dazed her. She could barely breathe, chest tight and jaw tense. Rem gratefully follows her lead, though she walks as if she were in a dream. She sits as instructed and nods, fists weakly gripping the cloth of her cloak.

Now that she is sitting down, waiting for her guide to return without the baby, the adrenaline begins to wear off. All the aches and pains return to her attention. She knew better than to let things go like this, but desperation was one hell of a drug. It clouded her judgment of herself; how could she tend to her own wounds beyond what would keep her moving while her boys were out here, presumably alone? Anything could be happening. They were clearly separated, too, which drove her into a wild panic whenever she lingered on it too long.

The twins weren't together. They were supposed to protect each other.

Exhausted tears roll down her dust-stained, sunken cheeks without her noticing. There was nothing she could do except wait and hope her guide would tell her the truth.

"I-I do..." Mona is almost hesitant to admit to it, knowing how sensitive it was that she even knew about the datapad, never mind the video stored delicately inside. "I can explain in a bit." This whole situation was... dizzying. There was little she knew about the relationship between Knives and this Rem, what she did was crudely given and held so much tension that it kept her from prodding. She takes a moment to breathe deeply, exhaling softly, an attempt to even out the stress currently overwhelming her.

She would have to worry about Luca, who was clearly beginning to feel the negativity welling up in her. Even a human child would. Plus Knives' estranged mother... And Knives himself, eventually, if he were to happen to return home while Rem was there. Goodness, what was she getting herself into...

Thankfully she wasn't insistent on seeing him. But Mona is very concerned at her physical state as she fusses over the state of Knives, reaching out to support her at first before remembering how tender she was before. "Please, don't talk more than you need to," she attempts to console her softly. "He is well, I promise. But we need to worry about you now, okay..?" Hopefully it would be enough to placate the woman for now, if she kept fretting like this Mona worried that she might not make the trek back to the house.

"It's a long way to the house, maybe about an hour, think you can make it..?"

And is the trek ever long. The two remain silent for the most part, Mona mostly occupying herself ensuring they aren't being followed at all, along with managing Luca, who's fussing has calmed but not dissipated. The walk is longer than predicted, a slowed pace to account for her oddly acquired companion's injuries, but soon the small house is forming just over the ridgeline. Soon the door is creaking open and then shut again, Mona holding it for Rem and taking one last look outside for good measure. The lock is quickly engaged.

"This way--" She guides Rem to one of their spare bedrooms, pausing every few steps to make sure she's following okay. Once they have arrived, Mona gestures for her to sit, and is about to begin her usual routine for a medical examination when she realizes Luca is still wrapped around her, clinging to her shirt gently as he dozes off. She slowly creeps back towards the door.

"I'll be right back, stay here, okay..? Lu-- He should be in his cot during this."

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her ears are burning, and not for good reasons. someone needs to give her poor son a break.

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" As long as you treat him well, it's alright. We never want our family to think we don't love them over a little fight, okay? You are twins, so your bond is special; you will always have each other. "

"...Well if you say so. It does sound like it would really annoy Nai if I was nice to him when he's being mean, so..."

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" In this fantasy world, sure, it would be okay. However, we live in the real world and do not bite our twin brothers for any reason. "

"But what if I do?" There could totally be a future where he had to like, cut off Vash's arm or something to save him and then what would Rem say? "Then it has to be okay."

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" I... no, it doesn't always work, but what matters is that you tried. We have to treat people with kindness, even when they are mean. Do you understand, Vash? "

"...Does that really work? Even on mean people like Nai?"

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" Now, there isn't ever a world where biting someone will save them, right? That's a fantasy and not something you need to worry about. You can't get around this, Nai, no biting. "

"Ugh, fine." He sighs, clearly displeased. "I don't want dinner. What if I have to bite him to save him?"

[mortesmariae]

Ah, he admits to the biting. " We do not bite our siblings Nai, no matter the circumstances, okay? Vash will apologize to Mr. Pasta, and then there can be no more biting. "

"No, he hates Vash now. Because he hurt his feelings and called his name stupid." A scowl. "I had to bite him to avenge Mr Pasta's feelings."

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" If you're mean right back to him, then you will be mean to each other in an endless circle, won't you? It's better to fight meanness with kindness. "

"...But when I talk to him when he's being mean he just calls me a baby. So... I had to be mean back, right?"

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" Well, that's too bad because we all eat together. That's the rule! We don't skip family dinners, even when we are upset. You- Mr. Pasta still loves Vash, even though he is upset with him, right? That's why we do it. It's okay to be mad at people you love, and it doesn't mean you don't love them. "

"He doesn't wanna eat with Vash." Knives doesn't want to eat with Vash. "He'll try to poison Mr Pasta."

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" Oh, honey, Nai isn't mean to be mean. He just expresses himself in a way that you don't, and that's alright. He loves you, and he's doing his best, just like you. Whenever Nai is like this, all you two have to do is talk to each other. "'

".........No."

"...But Nai is mean to me all the time!"

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" Oh dear, a space monster, you say? Mr. Pasta is safe; there are no space monsters here, " Rem ruffles Nai's hair again. " Vash can't feed him to something that doesn't exist. Mr. Pasta will be just fine. But if he doesn't want to eat at the table, we can eat somewhere else. "

"He tried to feed him to a space monster!" Rem, this is a betrayal! Are you taking Vash's side? Is she choosing Vash over Mr Pasta?

"Mr Pasta doesn't feel safe with Vash at the dinner table," he adds, scowling up at her. "What if he tries to feed him to another space monster?"

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" Vash, it sounds an awful lot like you did steal Mr. Pasta. Did you ask Nai if you could borrow him for your game? "

Vash laughs as she gives him little air kisses, "I didn't steal Mr. Pasta... I just borrowed him for a game! We were going to fight Sir Spikington III for him."

[mortesmariae]

@typhoonvash; "No, Nai is a baby, he cried today!" @millionsnife; "I'm not a baby! ...Vash is."

Heavens above, Rem cannot do this. " You are BOTH babies, my babies, so how about that? "

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@millionsnife; "I don't love anyone, that's gross." A pause. "Except you and Vash I guess."

" And if you never love anyone like I love 'wasps,' that is okay, too. "

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"You're only into wasps, right? Like the bees and the wasps."

" I- where did you- You know what, yes, Nai, you're absolutely right. I am only into 'wasps' as you say. You can be into bees, wasps, bears, tigers, or whatever! It never matters, you can love whoever you love, remember that, alright? "