Mana Ego-Chan
Super Groupie
Seasoned and tasty. *smirkwink*
Posts: 218
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Post by Mana Ego-Chan on Feb 11, 2007 11:29:29 GMT -5
Helga nodded numbly and summoned her best smile as well. She knew he wasn't feeling well at all. Still, she left the food there, in hopes of helping him and wandered off. She took one last concerned look at him before leaving. She went down the hall with the two other plates and went to Mana's room. She was stunned to see Mithos in there as well but didn't say anything.
"Good morning puppets," she said setting down the food and opening a window, "It is a beautiful day outside. You two should go play in the park."
"Thank you Helga," Mana said in her depressed monotone as she layed back down and rolled over. Helga went to say something but she stopped when she saw Mithos put his hand up. Aparently he had taken Helga's advice and was trying to get her through this. He knew what it was like. Helga and Tom had to do the same for him when he arrived. She smiled and nodded, going about her duties.
Mana looked over at the food and made a disgusted face. Then she frowned and went back under the covers. The light was too much and all she wanted to do was be alone in the darkness. She wanted to be alone in her sorrow. Food, weather, sunshine, they were all the furthest from her mind. All she could think about was the last image of her dad's smiling face in the London snow. Hot tears tried to come but none would. So she just layed there under her large comforter and sniffled.
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Emma
Super Groupie
Posts: 223
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Post by Emma on Feb 11, 2007 11:44:28 GMT -5
Tom took his time with his breakfast, staring idly at the photograph on his desk of him and Gabriel as teenagers, covered in mud and grinning like madman. The scotsman smiled softly, shaking his head.
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Mithos shook his head a little, grabbing the covers and unceremoniously pulling them off Mana. "...Come on, Mana." He began, picking up his own plate and starting to eat. "...Eat your breakfast. You'll feel better for it." He told her, waving a hand at the plate. "Trust me. I did." When she didn't reply, the boy sighed, deciding to take a bit of a different tactic. "Marco."
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Mana Ego-Chan
Super Groupie
Seasoned and tasty. *smirkwink*
Posts: 218
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Post by Mana Ego-Chan on Feb 11, 2007 11:49:21 GMT -5
She growled and squeaked as the covers were so harshly yanked off of her. It really wasn't fair. Why couldn't he just leave her alone in her depression? Didn't he even consider he was making things worse?
She looked over at her food and grimmaced. No matter how good it used to look, now the smell and the look of it only made her violently ill. She groaned and clutched her stomach as she turned her head away from it and looked at him eating so freely. She frowned at him when he started to speak again but then he said something that completely threw her off. Marco? What the.....
"What did you say," she croaked out giving him a inquisitive look.
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Emma
Super Groupie
Posts: 223
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Post by Emma on Feb 11, 2007 11:59:59 GMT -5
"Marco." He repeated, pushing the plate towards her again. "Haven't you ever played Marco Polo?" He asked with a raised eyebrow, then shook his head a little, placing his breakfast aside and running a hand through his hair. Surely Mana had played Marco Polo at some point? But maybe not. In any case, he would make it something to connect them - It had worked for his father and Tom, and no doubt Mana's father and Tom, too.
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Mana Ego-Chan
Super Groupie
Seasoned and tasty. *smirkwink*
Posts: 218
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Post by Mana Ego-Chan on Feb 11, 2007 12:11:08 GMT -5
Mana stared at him as if he had two heads. Marco Polo? Wasn't that a game for children? Well obviously they were still children, but not enough to play such a rediculous game. But Mana figured that if she gave into him just this once, perhaps he would leave her alone. She didn't really see that happening, but what choice did she have? She ignored the plate and shrugged.
"My dad," she said choking back another sob, "Used to tell me about that game. He used to play it with Tom when they would get mad or sad. I always laughed but then he insisted that we could play it too. So we played it once or twice. But not very often. Daddy was very busy. Why....why would you want to play such a game at a time like this though? It seems irrelevant."
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Emma
Super Groupie
Posts: 223
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Post by Emma on Feb 11, 2007 12:39:09 GMT -5
"Tom and... Tom and my dad played it too." Mithos replied, voice cracking a little. "He... He said it used to help when one of them was feeling bad - even if it's just a kid's game." He explained, shaking his head a little and taking a deep breath. He hadn't even mentioned his father since he had arrived at Tom's house, still not quite ready to start again.
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Mana Ego-Chan
Super Groupie
Seasoned and tasty. *smirkwink*
Posts: 218
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Post by Mana Ego-Chan on Feb 12, 2007 10:59:16 GMT -5
Mana looked at him with her hollow eyes. She could see in Mithos all that she had been displaying. He just chose to hide it behind a mask of optimism. It was both endearing and annoying. But if anyone knew what she was going through it was he. He was right, at least she still had Tom for blood. He was alone. Mana hurt a little for him too. This thought didn't make her feel better, but it did make her want to make him happy too. He was trying so hard for her.
"Pollo."
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Emma
Super Groupie
Posts: 223
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Post by Emma on Feb 12, 2007 11:18:55 GMT -5
Mithos smiled weakly, putting an arm around Mana's shoulders and pulling her into a hug. "Eat something." He urged again, wiping his eyes on the back of his hand hastily. "It'll make you feel better - and so will talking about it. Talk with Tom when he's ready, too. Promise me that?"
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Mana Ego-Chan
Super Groupie
Seasoned and tasty. *smirkwink*
Posts: 218
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Post by Mana Ego-Chan on Feb 12, 2007 14:19:26 GMT -5
Mana looked at the food and felt her stomach turn. For some reason, it looked as bad as a plate of worms to her. She knew that she would not be able to eat it without getting sick. She was still way too upset mentally to eat proper food. She leaned on Mithos's shoulder and closed her eyes so that her stomach would settle.
"I can't," she said softly to him, "The look of it makes me sick. I promise to talk to Tom if you come with me. You, Helga, and Tom are all I have left now. I don't want anyone left out."
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Emma
Super Groupie
Posts: 223
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Post by Emma on Feb 12, 2007 15:11:20 GMT -5
"...Alright, then." Mithos promised, then looked at Mana's breakfast. "Seeing as you're not going to eat it..." He added, reaching for the plate. "Do you mind?" When no answer was forthcoming, the boy pulled the plate to him and started digging in. He guessed it was a subconcious way of making up for all the food he hadn't eaten the week after his father had died.
Picking up the two plates, Mithos stood. "...Come on, let's go find Tom, shall we?" He asked with an all-too-bright smile. This is how he dealt with things, and if it annoyed anyone, nobody had mentioned it yet.
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Mana Ego-Chan
Super Groupie
Seasoned and tasty. *smirkwink*
Posts: 218
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Post by Mana Ego-Chan on Feb 12, 2007 17:19:17 GMT -5
Mana looked at him numbly. Maybe a trip to her uncle's study would help. She wanted to see if he was as miserable as she. Maybe then she wouldn't feel so weak. She got up slowly and walked to where Mithos stood.
After Helga took the plates, Mithos and Mana walked into the study to find Tom.
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Emma
Super Groupie
Posts: 223
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Post by Emma on Feb 12, 2007 17:35:21 GMT -5
Mithos trailed to the study and knocked, the door swinging open soundlessly. The small boy placed a hand to his mouth with a slight gasp. Tom was sat with his elbows on the desk, head in his hands. There were papers scattered everywhere, and his usually full and immaculate bookcase lay on it's side, contents strewn across the floor.
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Mana Ego-Chan
Super Groupie
Seasoned and tasty. *smirkwink*
Posts: 218
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Post by Mana Ego-Chan on Feb 12, 2007 18:10:24 GMT -5
Mana looked around, as if everything were normal. Nothing much suprised her anymore. She looked at Tom. Much like herself, he was losing his healthy glow and his eyes were a little more void then they had been.
He was as miserable as she!
She started to walk up to him when a paper on the floor caught her eye. She picked it up. It was a recent letter he was writing to...her father? And it mentioned that game. So did the next paper. All of them had "Marco" in them. It was like a broken record playing over and over. Her heart broke with every note. Finally her eyes settled on him, a shell of a man. Her eyes glistened with new tears as she ran over to him, grabbing his arm, and sobbing on it.
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Emma
Super Groupie
Posts: 223
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Post by Emma on Feb 13, 2007 11:06:35 GMT -5
Without a word, Tom shifted, pulling the little girl close as a broken sob escaped him. This time, he had someone to share his grief with, and for that he was eternally grateful, and relieved that his brother had entrusted him with his little girl to keep safe.
Mithos watched for a moment then slipped out, pulling the door to behind him. It would be best not to intrude upon them for now.
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Mana Ego-Chan
Super Groupie
Seasoned and tasty. *smirkwink*
Posts: 218
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Post by Mana Ego-Chan on Feb 13, 2007 14:01:34 GMT -5
Anyone who were to look on the scene, might have broken out into tears too. Mana clutched onto Tom as if her life depended on it. His hug was so warm and comforting. It felt like one of her father's hugs. The ones he would give her when she became frustrated at her training. The ones he gave her when she fell down and hurt herself clibing up the gangplank. The one he gave her before he left her in the care of Tom. All of these flashback came to her mind, nearly overwhelming her. She wanted to die then. To be with him wherever he went. But she knew that this is why he left her with Tom, so that she would be alive and safe no matter what happened. She blamed herself for not being there, but fully intended to keep her promise for to him, to stay with Tom so that she would be safe.
She had sobbed so much that her eyes and her throat hurt. After she could not cry anymore, she sat there, leaning against him for support. She felt that if he weren't there she would surely fall. Now with her father gone, that is always how she would see Tom. He was the only family that she had left in the world now. She had begun to see why Mithos was so cross for her when they first met. Tom was a wonderful man.
"We should, " she said in a whipser, because her voice would let her go no louder, "Hold a funeral service. We may not have his body, but I know *sniff* that a funeral by seaside is exactly *sob* how a good capitan should be remembered."
She wanted to cry more tears, but none would come. She felt so utterly weak and tired. She could tell that Tom, beings that he held his in more, was exausted as well. She could have slept in his arms, but she kept herself awake. They had much to discuss.
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Emma
Super Groupie
Posts: 223
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Post by Emma on Feb 24, 2007 17:13:34 GMT -5
Tom nodded so slightly that it would have been hard to see. "Yes." He said simply, his voice cracking a little as he moved one hand to sweep the papers off his desk and clear a space, for what reason he wasn't entirely sure. "He would... He would appreciate that, I know." He told her with an exhausted smile, his eyes still empty. He would need time to recover from this, but he would put on his happy face for the others - not Mana, because that wouldn't be right - but for the others.
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Mana Ego-Chan
Super Groupie
Seasoned and tasty. *smirkwink*
Posts: 218
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Post by Mana Ego-Chan on Feb 25, 2007 2:20:08 GMT -5
Mana leaned her head against his chest, her eyes hallow, and her heart empty. So instead she listened to Tom's. It sound the same as any other human heart, but somehow it sounded as hallow as her own. Like knocking on the walls of an empty room and hearing nothing but the echo. She didn't know why this made her feel a little better? Was it horrible of her? Perhaps it was the fact that she wasn't the only one feeling this way. She wasn't alone.
"Uncle Tom," she croaked, not moving her head, "Thank you....for taking me in....I guess he really did know what he was doing. He always spoke so highly of you. He told me many stories of you and he as a kid. He always said...that you were his hero. Now I see why."
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Emma
Super Groupie
Posts: 223
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Post by Emma on Feb 25, 2007 8:42:10 GMT -5
"I was his big brother." Tom said simply, a sad smile across his weary features. "We fought all the time, but he hero-worshipped me. I used to think his friends knew more about me than mine did." He said with a small chuckle, then shook his head and sighed quietly. "...He was the real hero, though - between the two of us. I was never... I never had the guts to do half the things he did. Like... Like leaving you with me."
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Mana Ego-Chan
Super Groupie
Seasoned and tasty. *smirkwink*
Posts: 218
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Post by Mana Ego-Chan on Feb 25, 2007 13:15:27 GMT -5
Mana and Tom sat there. She listened to him talk about her father. He was brave. She had always believed it. She would have loved to be brave with him. To go off and face his enemies together. But he wanted her to have a future. A good future. This is why he chose Tom. It was not until this moment that she realized his intentions and now she truely felt sorry for being so angry with him. And now, it was too late to tell him she was sorry for all of it. For all the bad things she did. So she decided she was going to apologize another way, by trying her best in school and living out his dream for her.
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They stood on the docks and watched the sunset over the bay. The reverend closed his books and gave his sympathies to the grieving family. Mana barely heard him over the roar of the tide. Though she didn't think it was possible, more tears had gone down her cheeks. The preparation weeks for the ceremony had been filled with silent breakfasts (none of which Mana ate, despite Mithos's pleas) and hallow walking. It all seemed as if it were a horrible dream she could not wake up from.
She stood there now on the docks in a light periwinkle dress with blue sequin flowers on it. She had her hair down tied with a matching bow and a black cape over her shoulders with shiny black shoes to match. She indeed looked like a little lady for the first, and most likely the last, time in her life. It was all for him. He loved the dresses he got for her and always begged her to wear at least one of them. So now, she would for him. She had wished more though that he would have been there to see it. Her eyes kept scanning the horizon, watching for his ship, hoping that the retarded media was wrong. Hoping that he somehow esaped as he always did and came back to get her with a story of epic perportions. She watcehd, gripping her hands so tightly together her knuckles were white. She could feel her nails digging in so that a small amount of blood seeped through. But when all was done, he wasn't there. And he never would be again. All she had ever wanted to do was wake up, but sadly she was already awake. It was him who would never wake again.
"DADDY," she screamed out as she started a full on run down the long dock," I WANT TO COME WITH YOU!!! TAKE ME WITH YOU ON YOUR NEXT ADVENTURE!!!"
She had every intention to jump into the water. She wanted to die as he did. She wanted to soar into the clouds as he did. She wanted to be with him forever. That was what he promised her and now....she was going to make it happen. One way or another.
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Emma
Super Groupie
Posts: 223
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Post by Emma on Feb 25, 2007 13:58:58 GMT -5
Tom followed Mana silently, hands in the pockets of his immaculate black suit, the only sound besides Mana's yell the tapping of his shoes on the pier. He stood beside his niece and placed a hand on her shoulder, smiling sadly. "To die would be an awfully big adventure." He said simply, looking out over the open sea and half-expecting to see Gabriel's ship sail over the horizon. For the first time since his mother's funeral, Tom was dressed like a gentleman - black suit, white shirt, black tie. It felt strange, without his brother stood next to him.
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