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Post by Miss Jack on Mar 1, 2009 23:37:28 GMT -5
The temperature picked up about three degrees, and Alexander's hands moved very calmly to his waist. He realized he only felt so defensive because he was short on sleep, and thus short on temper, but Ofelia's soft, but very sincere, anger at his girlfriend, topped by Nellie's help-me-out look in his direction was grating on his oh-so-polite self control (which he had little of to begin with). If he was really honest, though, some of his anger was because much of what Ofelia was saying had the harsh prick of truth, and he wasn't in the mood to deal with that.
"Nellie didn't just abandon her family," he said hotly. "She left because I asked her to. She's not on... vacation-- this is really hard for her. But I love her. I need her-- If you're going to get mad at someone, you're welcome to get mad at me." His eyes flashed slightly, as if to underline his challenge, or to dare her to suggest he wasn't good enough for such a sacrifice (even though he was wondering the same thing himself). He hadn't even noticed he'd let the L-word slip in the midst of his tirade.
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Post by Princess Katie on Mar 2, 2009 0:20:38 GMT -5
Nellie recoiled from her friend like she was physically struck. “Ofelia—I…” These things that have been causing her heaps of guilt all these months were bad enough to hear in her own head, to hear them aloud was just about devastating. She felt the room heat up, and instantly she placed her hand on Alexander’s shoulder, to try and calm him.
“Alexander, please… don’t get mad at ‘Felia. She’s roight, y’know. It is my fault. I did just abandon her an’ my ‘ole family. I am pretty much the worst daughter, sister, and friend ever,” Nellie admitted, her throat tight with the threat of tears.
Suddenly, she became aware of the L-word. Last time he had said it to her, it had been a mistake—a slip of the tongue. This seemed serious. “Wait… really?”
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Post by Jules on Mar 2, 2009 0:30:20 GMT -5
Ofelia felt her anger go out of her all like that and she shook her head. "No, Nellie, you ain't bad. If I had a chance to get away, I woulda taken it too." She sighed and tried for a smile because it was all she knew how to do when she was unsure of what to do. "I'm just jealous, really, Nellie. If you'd stayed home you woulda married Peter and had broods of kids and you wouldna really loved him and you'd have been miserable....like I'll be." She laughed a little.
"It's not all bad, I loik kids." Her eyes switched to Alexander and she even managed to look a little apologetic. "I'm sorry. I knows you two must be in real, story-book love. I'll keep my big trap shut."
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Post by Miss Jack on Mar 2, 2009 0:46:33 GMT -5
Alexander's eyes widened and his face flushed with color. On a visage unaccustomed to blushing (or being embarassed at all), it had a startling effect. Gullible Nellie might be, he wasn't sure he could pull the slip of the tongue trick again, especially because it had been the punch-line of a self-righteous speech he gave. "Er... yes," he admitted smally, and then quickly looked to Ofelia, all charm and assurance. "Well if you want, Ofelia, you can stay with us until you do find a Nightmare to fall madly in love with you and you can run away too."
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Post by Princess Katie on Mar 2, 2009 1:01:46 GMT -5
This was a whole lot of emotion all at once. It was rather hard to keep it all together. She wanted to say something to Alexander, but she really did not want to rub their ‘story book love’ in Ofelia’s face. So she instead slipped her hand into Alexander’s and smiled.
“Yeah, Ofelia! Stay wiff us fer a while. I’m sure ya’d find someone eventually. Or not even someone if ya don’t want! Ya don’t have ta! You could get a job and live…alone.” It was an exhilarating thought. Earning a living and living independently, like a man.
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Post by Jules on Mar 2, 2009 1:14:01 GMT -5
Ofelia pictured it for a moment, but it was close to impossible. Her Nightmare rescuer's face was blank and she couldn't fathom living all alone after a farm house with six other siblings. It was tantalizing, but although she wouldn't remind Nellie of the grief she'd left behind, having seen it, Ofelia didn't feel capable of the same thing.
"I can't. I got me brothers and sisters t'fink about. Me mom can't handle 'em all on her own. And anyways, I wanna get married, I do, I do." She looked pleadingly at Nellie. Ofelia had kept that lie in place and now she needed help propping it back up. "Fink 'ow fun it'll be to have me own farm..." She added weakly.
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Post by Miss Jack on Mar 2, 2009 1:18:33 GMT -5
Alexander was eager to keep Ofelia around. She was like the buffer to the emotional tidal wave he'd accidentally unleashed, keeping everything up high and on the surface. He latched onto Nellie's hand, perhaps a bit too strong, and consciously loosened his grip.
"You don't have to fake a suicide," he suggested. "Tell them you're leaving and then you can come back and visit all the time, but you can still go where you'd like... marry or don't marry who want or don't want."
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Post by Princess Katie on Mar 2, 2009 1:55:40 GMT -5
“It won’t be fun to ‘ave yer own farm. An’ ya know it. It’ll be responsibility an’ all tha’ nasty rot. You’ll ‘ate it, y’will.” Nellie whined. This self-sacrifice thing on Ofelia’s part was killing her. Now that Nellie had been enlightened, seen more of the world, she could see how restrictive the Woodland Pastures environment was. Not that she was a whole lot smarter or more independent nowadays, but she at least realized that she had that opportunity open to her.
“Yeah! If you just tell ‘em you’re leavin, you can still help ‘em and support ‘em and all that and you don’t ‘ave to do anyone you don’t wanna,” she pleaded.
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Post by Jules on Mar 2, 2009 2:15:49 GMT -5
Ofelia shook her head again. It was tempting, or it would've been had she had someone like Alexander. Maybe not exactly like him, but just someone in general by her side, so she wouldn't be so alone here.
"I can't. I ain't got a Prince, I got a Peter and that's all I have. I can't give up all I have." She twisted her skirts in her hands nervously, because it wasn't going to take much more to make her snap, although in what way she wouldn't be sure until it happened. "A'sides, it's only a really weird Nightmare boy that pants after sheep-girls loik us. I doubt there's another one out there." She smiled and shrugged. "I don't mind it so much."
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Post by Miss Jack on Mar 2, 2009 2:24:06 GMT -5
Alexander snorted softly, but quickly masked his mirth. Depressing, really, when the love of your life makes a perfectly good innuendo, and she doesn't even catch it. Nor does the person she directed it to.
He gave Ofelia a flat look. He wasn't sure whether his Nightmare pride should be insulted, or his ever-present drive to be unlabeled and do what he wanted should be complimented.
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Post by Princess Katie on Mar 2, 2009 22:01:33 GMT -5
“You can,” Nellie muttered, stubbornly. “Just…fink ‘bout it, alright, Ofelia? But less not argue fer now, okay? We ‘aven’t seen each other in ages and ages, an’ we’re sittin’ round here arguin’ instead of celebratin’ like we should be.”
Nellie smiled hopefully, “Come on, I can try an’ make dinner.”
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Post by Jules on Mar 2, 2009 22:43:44 GMT -5
Ofelia nodded and pushed aside her pending marriage and now the temptation of escape. Thankfully, keeping track of many things at once had never been her specialty, and at the mention of dinner her stomach gave a mighty rumble and she bounced up. "I'll help! I actually know how ter cook."
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Post by Miss Jack on Mar 2, 2009 23:11:07 GMT -5
Alexander's brows lifted appreciatively. She did? Not that Nellie's culinary efforts weren't sweet and at times even edible, but... Illie had been so busy, she hadn't been able to spare much homecooked food.
He squeezed Nellie's hand and then released himself to at last sink into a living room chair. "I'm just going to.... sit for a minute. You girls have fun."
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Post by Princess Katie on Mar 2, 2009 23:46:18 GMT -5
Nellie smiled blithely. “You’ve always been better ‘an me in cookin’ an cleanin’ an proper womanly arts. Our kitchen is much smaller than the ones back ‘ome, but then again, we uses ours a lot less. T’be honest, Alexander’s auntie brings us food more than I cook. She’s a Dream too, would ya guess it?! She’s so very nice, Ofelia.”
Her carefree smile melted away to be replaced with a look of girlfriendly concern. Nellie muttered a ‘be right back’ to Ofelia and stole around the little counter that separated the living are from the kitchen. “Are you sure yer alright, Alexander? You sick? If you wanna lay down, I’ll wake you up when dinner’s ready?”
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Post by Miss Jack on Mar 4, 2009 20:51:55 GMT -5
He lifted his already drooping gaze and gave her a tired smile. "I'm not sick, Clementine. Just tired from all this fear gathering. Speaking of which, I brought more joy for you if you need it."
He gave the door to the kitchen a quick glance, then looked back to Nellie. "But if you'd really like to help, Sheep Girl..." A wicked smile spread over his mouth and he crooked a come-hither finger at her.
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