#i think she and eizen would get along if they were both hanging out in a library. shed be a little taken aback by his pirate ways though | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

jcmorrigan · 3 years

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001 - Tales of Zestiria?

Favorite character: It's a tough call between Maltran and Symonne, and Lunarre is trailing right behind both. I tend to call them the "Heldalf Squad," but make no mistake, Heldalf himself isn't part of it. I just like his swagalicious minions. The dry and sarcastic political manipulator, the sadistic and wordy theater nerd, and the flamboyant cannibal who hates everything. Yes. LOVE. But I have to give a shout to my boy Dezel on the hero side! Angsty/stoic characters are very hit-or-miss with me, but Dezel is the flavor I love - obvious soft spots and quirks, and slowly he builds from being antisocial to showing how big his heart is. When he stops the woman from leaping off the Guinevere tower...that's one of my favorite scenes in the entire game, because you can see when the switch flips, when he realizes that he CANNOT stay aloof any longer when there's a stranger's life on the line. He's still a grump about it but a compassionate grump.

Least Favorite character: Heldalf. His backstory is really clever, and I like the curse on him. But he himself just feels like Ganondorf but more boring. I kinda hate that he's so vanilla when his three lieutenants are in my arsenal of pet villains from the vastness of fiction. Also shout-out to Chancellor BART in the opening Ladylake act, because I distinctly remember liveblogging this to a friend, and I played Zestiria *after* Berseria (I'd loved Berseria and that's why I eventually sought out Zestiria) so here I am just comparing up the corrupt church in Ladylake to the Abbey's suave rogues gallery like "Yeah no BART has nothing on Lady Teresa Linares." Thankfully BART was never seen again.

5 Favorite ships (canon or non-canon): DezeRose, SorMik, Symonne x Coco Atarashi (The World Ends With You), Alisha Diphda x Sergei Strelka, and...I swear you have to bear with me here...Zaveid x Anna (Frozen). I also kinda wanna note a couple ships I'm on the fence about for my other favies - those being Maltran x Ebony Maw (Marvel Cinematic Universe or Marvel Ultimate Alliance) and Lunarre x Arkham (Devil May Cry).

Character I find most attractive: Dezel. It is a scientific fact that guys with pointy teeth are just hotter.

Character I would marry: Maybe Dezel, maybe Sergei. I wouldn't want to take them from those I see as their wifeys, but at the same time, they are husband goals, both of them.

Character I would be best friends with: Catch me clinging to Maltran's train and she drags me along annoyedly as I yell "PLEEEEAAASE LET ME HANG OUT WITH YOU GUYS" and Lunarre is losing it laughing while Symonne rolls her eyes

a random thought: So I toyed around with basically every accessory I picked up, and I decided to put the sideburns on Rose because fuck gender roles. Well then I just got used to seeing her with facial hair in every cutscene where her 3D model was used, and now I headcanon that she does get it. Maybe nonclassical CAH intersex? Like, I don't necessarily see her as trans (but I support everyone who hc's her as such) but moreso "a cis woman, but I grow this stupid damn facial hair like a dude and I don't get why." And this is why you shouldn't let me play with customizable accessories on RPG characters because I can and will abuse my privilege to headcanon.

An unpopular opinion: That this is actually a very good game. Listen, I think I get it - the initial marketing promised something far different. And that's disappointing. But coming back to it several years after its release, after the release of its PREQUEL, when I never had that hype building up...it actually exceeded my expectations. I held off from it for a while because I thought Eizen's fate would make me too sad, but that didn't end up the case at all. I actually had just come off playing a more recently-released triple-A game that was hyped up for years, and I completed it to my satisfaction in 20 hours. $80 for 20 hours. Zestiria gave me my money's worth in comparison; it took me about 60, and I loved just how MUCH story it had to offer me. I honestly like Rose better than Alisha anyway (Rose was one of the biggest aspects that interested me about playing it in the first place). I've also seen complaints that the characters weren't well-developed enough? Which I just kinda take to mean "They didn't angst enough." Listen. There are PLENTY of games out there if you want angst and sad stories. I don't really like sad stories in my games. I like adventures where the party is a goofy foundfam that jokes around with each other and helps each other work through shitty situations, and that's EXACTLY what I got. (And Berseria really worked on me too because it kinda started at the bottom of the angst barrel, then worked its way up through "The edgy and tortured protag has gained a party of idiots and oh noooooo she's learning friendship and happiness.") Dezel's death is one of the few game deaths that just made me SATISFIED to watch instead of depressed because of the closure he got and the themes tied into his final moments and sacrifice. I loved going on this adventure, I loved the idiots who I went on it with, and I loved seeing what Glenwood had to offer me in world design the further I explored.

my canon OTP: There's not much for canon romance in this game, come to think of it. Just subtext and some flirting. So I'm blanking on if there actually were any canon couples at all.

Non-canon OTP: DezeRose! Which maybe can be considered almost-canon based on the amount of subtext, but still. It's adorable. (And it's the exact same dynamic as EiRoku except M/F and a thousand years later. I need these four to double date...the dual-wielding goofs with their edgy, grumpy Reapers...)

most badass character: Rose! Not only able to wield the Shepherd's Armatization powers, but also to be a dang good assassin on her own, able to hold her own against Heldalf before she even had her eyes opened to seraphim! Though a shout-out goes to Edna because her armatization was my favorite to play with. There's something just satisfying about bashing the enemy in front of you with a pair of GIANT FISTS

pairing I am not a fan of: RoseAli. To be honest, it was at one point something I kinda enjoyed as a third-tier ship for Rose (Dezel first, then Lailah in second). But then...Alisha's Story. I didn't actually purchase it, thank goodness, just watched it on YouTube, and it was the most grating addition that anyone could've made to this game. First of all, I can sum up the issues with Alisha's Story by reminding everyone that it canonized a secret entrance to Camlann that was much easier to get to and wasn't protected by Muse's sacrifice. But the real thing that hurt to watch was how far down they had to knock Rose and Alisha's friendship to get them to rebuild from scratch. Rose claiming she was never Alisha's friend because she's grieving Sorey? The two of them getting into a PHYSICAL FISTFIGHT over it? Nope nope nope. That's not my Rose. Even less my Rose is that whole scene where she...you know...pounces on Alisha to dress her in the silly noblewoman's dress, and it's framed like...let's just say it's really uncomfortable to watch if you don't know the punchline is just a silly outfit. Even though Alisha's Story isn't canon in my head, it still really killed any buzz I had for RoseAli. I will also say I'm not a big fan of Eizavie - first of all, EiRoku or bust in this house, and second, I have a little bit of a hard time seeing Zaveid as mlm due to how much he goes on and on about The Ladies(TM). (Though I could see Eizen as having a tiny crush on him, though. Just like "Oh no he's hot but he's connected to Aifread's disappearance help")

character I feel the writers screwed up (in one way or another): Mostly just in Alisha's Story. I was mad about the aforementioned Rose stuff, but also...like...they undid Lunarre's original cathartic death, they did so to team him back up with Symonne and then do a whole fakeout that they had Maltran with them too, but Maltran is just an illusion and immediately after this, Lunarre and Symonne just decide "Yeah, we're not gonna work together anymore, have a nice life." Why does Maltran need to stay dead if LUNARRE somehow survived EXPLODING? And just...look to next question for more clarification:

favourite friendship: I just want to imagine that Maltran, Lunarre, and Symonne were weird evil friends. The kind who'd take artistic selfies and caption them "Murder and mayhem with my besties!". Maybe they even had a sibling dynamic. They were all pretty dang jaded, so I like to think they sat around sometimes talking about the things in this world that did them wrong. The reasons they were drawn to Heldalf. Heldalf himself wouldn't have cared, he would've kicked them around like disposable tools, but the three of them were too entrenched in his dogma to see it. Maybe if they met up again after he was off the board...then they'd sing a different tune. Realize they're all three better than this, and now they're gonna do things THEIR way, because remember when they made a three-point attack on Glenwood and Sorey was barely able to keep up with them wrecking Lastonbell AND Pendrago AND Glaivend? Remember when Lunarre and Symonne had each other's backs the night Dezel died? Now they can do what they want on their terms! And I just - I have many MANY feelings about these three.

character I want to adopt or be adopted by: Okay silly self-insert time but the thing is, Archibald Snatcher (The Boxtrolls) and Roman Torchwick (RWBY) are my two favorite parental f/o's (and also my OTP to end all OTPs), and I have this thing about how they'd be PERFECT crime dads to Symonne in particular because she's like a little, more theatrical Neopolitan. So there's a universe in my head where Symonne is basically already my little sister, and I look out for her - well, okay, she's a seraph with powerful Artes and I am a powerless mortal so really she looks out for me because "I suppose SOMEONE has to make sure you don't die" and I am grateful to her for it.

#tales of zestiria

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plusultramha · 3 years

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🖤EIZARA🖤

Who are they?: Lara Kurayami and Eizen Kurokami.

SHIP NAME: Eizara.

Endgame or non-endgame?: Non-endgame.

How did they first met?: They met in UA since they both go to Class A.

What was the first impression about each other?: Eizen liked Lara instantly, finding her very interesting. Lara on the other and found Eizen a bit “untrustworthy”, unsure of him.

Who kissed who first?: These two never kissed.

How often do they fight?: Not often. Sometimes Eizen could piss Lara off but it’s usually not that serious.

Who is the dominant one?: Eizen would love to think he is, but sometimes he just follows Lara along without a second thought.

Most trivial thing they fight over: Probably something Eizen kept messing around with Lara about.

Who is most likely to apologize first after an argument?: Lara would be. Eizen is very prideful, but eventually he’d do it as well.

What do they do when they’re away from each other?: They don’t really mind being away from each other. Lara spends a lot of her time with Kirishima and Bakugou, and Eizen prefers to spend time on his own.

Nicknames for each other?: Eizen calls Lara all sorts of pet names he comes up with, but Lara doesn’t have any nickname for him.

Who cusses more?: Eizen does.

What would they do if the other was hurt?: Absolutely protect each other and fight everyone off if necessary.

Who is the more protective?: Eizen would be, even though he doesn’t usually act protective, he sort of leaves Lara be.

Who is more likely to hurt the other? (Physically or emotionally): Physically neither of them unless it’s by accident. Emotionally Eizen is probably more likely to hurt Lara, but she could do it to him as well if she wanted to (she doesn’t, though).

Who is emotionally stronger?: Probably Lara. She's very collected and mature for her age.

Who is physically stronger?: Likely Eizen because of muscles. Quirk-wise it would probably be Lara.

Who treats who’s wounds more often?: They don’t really do this. Unless the opportunity presented itself and they’re alone, they would help each other out.

Who gets more jealous?: Eizen would, although not often. It usually happens if he sees Bakugou and Lara together. Lara doesn’t really get jealous.

Who is better at cheering the other up?: Eizen is, he always manages to say something lame to make Lara chuckle.

Who gets most competitive when playing games and/or sports?: Eizen again, Lara doesn’t really care that much.

How do they hide their pain when they’re upset? Do they even try to hide it? Does the other one notice?: Eizen gets really stoic and distant when he’s upset, which gives Lara a clear hint of something going on. On the other hand when Lara’s upset it’s usually noticeable just by the look on her face, so it’s easy for Eizen to see it.

Is it hard for them to talk about their feelings openly with each other?: VERY. Eizen prefers to hide it all under a wall of nonsense and jokes, because he’s actually scared of getting hurt if he ever actually acknowledged what he feels. Lara on the other hand simply prefers not to talk about it, because she knows that what she would have to say it’s not what Eizen would want to hear.

Do either of them have a special item that reminds them of each other?: They do have a selfie on their phones that Eizen forced Lara to take with him.

Who cries more? How does the other person react to it?: They don’t really cry at all. In any case it would be Lara and Eizen would say something stupid to try and make her laugh.

How about teasing? Do they tease each other?: Constantly. Eizen loves messing around with Lara, and eventually she follows along with some of his jokes.

Who’s more patient? is it hard to break that patience?: Lara is VERY patient, and it’s difficult to break it. Eizen has less patience and could be easily annoyed.

The place they mostly likely accidentally fall asleep together?: Fun fact: They actually do share a room when they’re both training with Edgeshot. Never actually fell asleep together on the same place, though, but they pulled their beds close together. Lara wanted to tease him and test if he would behave and respect her even being so close to one another.

Their favorite pass time together: Simply hanging out, they can have lots of fun by just being together.

Relationship:

Lara and Eizen’s relationship could only be described as messy. None of them took it very serious at first, thinking it was all fun and games, until eventually they realized things had gotten deeper and realer than he had previously intended, caring for each other deeply and getting used to having the other around.

However, they knew this relationship was doomed from the beginning. Eizen was well aware of Lara's interest for Bakugou since they had met each other, yet, he kept pursuing her, trying to gain her affection in spite of someone else being in her life. Some time before he took the decision of joining the League of Villains, Eizen let himself recognize his feelings for her, and doubting his future plans for a moment. But, in the end, he decided leaving was the best thing for him to do. He hinted at this plan to Lara herself, even going so far as to suggest her to leave with him, but knowing she wouldn't leave Bakugou nor Kirishima behind. The day Eizen joined the villains' side, Lara understood what he had been trying to tell her all along, and even though they both knew she couldn't reciprocate his feelings the way he wanted her too, she felt devastated by his departure.

How they met and first impressions:

They met in UA since they both go to Class A. Eizen liked Lara instantly, finding her very interesting and thinking her quirk was really really cool. Lara on the other and found Eizen a bit “untrustworthy”, unsure of him because he seemed like a player. He immediately tried to start flirting with her, which she wasn’t a fan of at first. She soon realized it was part of his charm and he just loved to mess with everyone constantly, and sometimes, he could be fun. Eizen loved the whole “tough girl” facade Lara had, and wanted to know if she was really as tough as she pretended to be.

How they got to know each other:

They actually had the chance to work together in many tests and missions, giving them a chance to get to know each other and grow closer. Lara found out there was way more to Eizen than she had previously thought, while Eizen’s curiosity over her only grew stronger and stronger. They started enjoying each other’s company more, making an actual great team when working together.

How, when and why did they fall in love:

I don’t think it’s clear to any of them EXACTLY when their feelings became stronger for one another. At first Eizen was just messing around like he did with literally everyone else, yet somehow, he enjoyed Lara’s company the most. The more time he spent with her, the more attached he was. He wanted to keep spending time around her and kept teasing her to get reactions out of her, always curious about the “what if?” of it all. Lara started to trust Eizen way more, knowing he wasn’t as bad as he often presented himself to be, and liking him in her own way. She started not minding his flirtatious attempts and just sort of got used to having them. Eventually, Eizen started noticing there was more to it than he was letting himself acknowledge, realizing his feelings for her were stronger than anything else he had felt before. This scared him, not being used to such a serious and real feeling, making him bury it all down and covering it with more jokes, knowing Lara was also interested in Bakugou. Lara started to feel something a little deeper for Eizen when he started showing her how he really was inside, which was a softer side he doesn’t really show anyone else but her (and maybe his brother at times). She started feeling very attached to him and considering him one of her closest friends, but, at the same time, knowing their connection wasn’t meant to go further than what they already had. He was not the only guy around her catching her interest, Bakugou was also there and, to her, their connection was way stronger. She didn’t want to hurt Eizen’s feelings with this truth, so she simply avoided the subject.

What do they bring to the relationship:

Eizen definitely brings out a fun and teasing side in Lara that she doesn’t really show much with others. He actually manages to get her out of her comfort zone, breaking her tough facade and making her start joking around and teasing just like he does. He challenges her to do things she usually wouldn’t do, and brings a new perspective to her life. Lara makes Eizen soften up a bit, gaining his trust and breaking through all of his walls, letting her inside and seeing how he actually is deep down. She knows he isn’t as bad as he leads everyone to believe, and how actually damaged he is, making him show care even at times when, if it wasn’t for her, he wouldn’t have given a damn at all.

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#plus ultra #oc #oc x oc #Eizen Kurokami #lara kurayami #ship #non-violence #eizara #ourcouples

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somefinelipstickonthatpig · 7 years

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Book Signing, Chapter 2; A Colette/Velvet fanfic

In this chapter, Velvet and Laphi meet Colette, Velvet has a bizarre conversation with Magilou, and Colette pays the siblings a visit.

Read on AO3 || From the beginning

The line immediately following the author's speaking was long. Laphi managed to get them a good spot in line, but every person seemed to want to have a scholarly discussion with Colette. Even with her assistant, the platinum-haired woman that Colette had gestured to in the first row, ushering everyone along, it seemed to take time. Of course, Laphi was among these people, and when they reached the table, Colette had a bright smile plastered on her face.

“Hello.” Though she spoke to both of them, her eyes were on Laphi, and Velvet felt her respect for this woman grow. “Thank you for coming to my signing. Can I have your names?”

“My name is Laphicet,” Laphi replied, and then he put the stack of storybooks he'd been carrying on the table and waited for Velvet to place the tomes on there as well. “This is my sister Velvet. I'm an enthusiast, and I love your work!”

Colette's smile grew even brighter and she looked between the two of them. “I'll be honest, I don't have many fans as young as you,” she said as she took the first book, opened it, and clicked her pen to begin. “When did you begin reading my work?”

“When I was eight,” Laphicet replied earnestly, and he leaned onto the table, elbows resting on the surface. He was only barely tall enough to do so without looking ridiculous. “The very first one I read was about your research of the civilizations during the Kharlan War. You worked together with a sociologist by the name of Lualdi.”

“Of course!” Colette clapped her hands together, pausing her signing in order to do so. “I remember that very well! I worked very closely with her for several years. She's an amazing young woman, though she's married now, so she's actually Marta Lualdi-Castagnier.”

Velvet didn't quite understand what they were talking about, but she did know that Colette seemed to almost vibrate with happiness. “Colette.” A voice cut in, the voice of the woman with the snow-white hair. “You do have a line.”

The author seemed immediately stressed by this, and she turned to Velvet as she closed the book she was signing. “Miss Velvet, your brother is very well-read for someone his age. I would love to speak to the two of you more, but I do have others' books to sign. Would you be willing to exchange contact information with me so that we might see each other again?”

Velvet couldn't help the little half-smile that took her lips. Laphicet turned to her immediately, and he was begging with his eyes, though he needn't have bothered. What a stroke of luck, that Colette had offered her information without any prompting at all. “Of course. If you're genuine, then I would love to provide this opportunity for Laphicet.”

“Thank goodness,” Colette said with a small laugh, and she handed Velvet a flyer. “Write your number down here; sorry, it's the only paper I have.”

With their phone numbers exchanged, the other woman began ushering them to pick up their books and make their way out. (“Raine, there's no need for that—” “Colette, you have a line.”) Even with their rushed exit, both Velvet and Laphicet left with a spring in their steps.

This was a good sign.

“Wait, sorry, describe that again, Vel.”

Velvet let out an annoyed sigh, her phone pressed between her ear and shoulder as she was chopping meat. “Are you even listening to me, Magilou?”

“I am!” Magilou protested, her voice sounding even shriller over the telephone. “That's why I need you to describe it again! Tell me everything you just said again, exactly the same way.”

“If you were listening, then you wouldn't need me to repeat it 'exactly the same way.'”

Magilou's huff of air was full of static, and Velvet cringed at the sound. No doubt Magilou did that on purpose. “Listen, listen. From one woman to another, tell me again.”

“Fine.” Velvet sighed again, so that Magilou knew just how annoying Velvet found her demands. “Though I don't see why you need to hear this again. She was like an angel. I don't use that word lightly. She carried herself like one, spoke like one, looked like one, walked like one—”

“You said she tripped.”

“Maybe some angels aren't physically coordinated,” Velvet replied, only to receive another snort over the phone. “I just have a feeling about this woman. I think she'll be good for Laphicet, academically speaking and socially. He doesn't have very many friends, you know, which worries me. And that aside, I think she'd be a good friend, too, just by her mannerisms.”

“Vel,” Magilou cut in, using that irritating nickname again, “I gotta tell you, my gaydar is going off.”

Velvet hummed at that, considering her memory of the woman. “I suppose she might have been, though I'm not knowledgeable enough to be able to tell…”

“No.” Another huff, though this one wasn't directly into the microphone. “I mean you. You're the one making my gaydar go off.”

Velvet blinked, and was silent for a moment, her hands stopping their work at the cutting board. When she finally found words, they were, “I'm dating Rokurou, Magilou.”

“I know,” Magilou replied, and she cleared her throat. “But listen. As a gay woman myself, I like to think I know how a woman who has romantic feelings for another woman sounds. I'm not going to tell you to call yourself one thing or another, but Velvet, you sound super gay.”

“I just want to be her friend,” Velvet said, a note of irritation in her voice. “There isn't anything gay about that. Or lesbian, or whatever.”

“Sure,” Magilou replied. “But you have to admit, the fact you're willing to let an absolute stranger come over and hang out with Laphicet, and not Rokurou, says a lot.”

“Magilou.” Velvet's voice lowered, no longer casual or trite. “Enough.”

There was a long, pregnant pause, and Velvet found herself unable to pick up the knife, unable to continue. There was too much going on for her to entertain Magilou's bizarre subjects of conversation. And then—

“Hey, did you hear about that festival they're doing in town this weekend, to celebrate the town's whatever anniversary? There's gonna be alcohol. You should come with me and Eizen; he's bringing his little sister, so you should totally bring Laphi…”

And Velvet could continue making dinner again.

–

Colette's visit a week later was heralded not by a knock on the door or the ring of a bell, but by a simple text message.

Sorry to bother you, but which complex are you in? All of these buildings look the same to me...! Sorry!

Velvet chuckled and typed a quick reply. I'll stand outside so you can find us. She got to her feet, grabbed her winter coat (black and made of alfalfa wool), and called, “Laphi, I'm going outside for a moment.”

When Laphi called back to show he'd heard, she made her way out the door and down the stairs of the apartment complex.

It was a cold, brisk January night. As she braced against the frigid air, she wrapped her arms around herself and thought she should have grabbed gloves and a scarf, too. It was too late now, and she scanned the area for a car.

It wasn't long before a white Audi pulled down onto the street, lights signaling its entrance before it even was visible. Velvet put her hand up to shield against the lighting, but upon seeing the driver, held up her hand to wave.

Colette pulled in at the nearest spot and hopped out of the car, locking it behind her. When she came closer, Velvet saw she wore a thick white coat, matching white gloves, white scarf, a white ushanka hat. Even her winter boots were white, and Velvet marveled for a moment at how Colette must be very careful to keep them pristine.

“Miss Velvet!” Colette greeted with a bright smile on her face. And then her smile dropped, and with it, Velvet's heart. “Oh, you're hardly dressed for this weather. Here, let me give you my scarf—”

“Colette, it's fine,” Velvet tried to argue; they were going to be inside in mere moments. But Colette ignored her protests and removed her scarf from her neck, and swung it around Velvet's, taking care to wrap it several times, and then to reach behind her and pull her hair out of the scarf's grasp.

Velvet was stunned. That was the only explanation for her lack of action; she blinked at Colette, though the woman seemed oblivious to Velvet's bewilderment. She even hummed as she did this. She smelled of lavender.

“Oh, you're getting red,” Colette said, and suddenly the moment was broken; Velvet immediately reached up to cover her cheeks, and she wondered why she was so warm out of nowhere. Was it just the scarf? “We should head inside before you freeze to death out here.”

“I'm not going to freeze to death,” Velvet insisted, but Colette only turned to the apartment building. Velvet sighed and shook her head. “Yeah. All right, this way.”

Velvet was more aware of the state of her apartment when Colette was in it than she had been mere moments before. It was a small two-bedroom apartment. Dishes were piled in the sink, unwashed; there were at least five ceiling-high bookcases surrounding the living area, and though all of them were filled with books, tomes still littered the apartment. Whether pressed against the wall in tall stacks, or set on the couch in smaller ones, or left on the counter with bookmarks (plural) sticking out of them, they made the place seem more cluttered than it should have been. Laphicet had left his homework on the dining table while he took a break, no doubt curled up with another book in his bedroom.

One small mercy was that there was no trash visible.

“Oh, is this his?” Colette asked, keeping her voice soft and quiet as she moved to the dining table. She made no comment on the plethora of books, as if she was used to it. She leaned against the table with one hand, her hair falling to one side, revealing her neck to Velvet. Velvet's eyes lingered longer than was decent, and so she directed her attention to the homework as she came to Colette's side.

“Yes,” she said, and she removed the scarf Colette had placed around her neck. The scent of lavender still lingered in her senses. “He attends the public high school. He's been offered scholarships from private ones, but he said he didn't want to put more pressure on me, even when I told him it'd be fine.” Her heart swelled as she spoke of Laphicet's kindness. The boy was still so young, and as such Velvet was very careful not to tell him anything too revealing about their financial situation, but he was sensitive to it anyway.

Colette hummed, and she removed her gloves from her hands, eyes still on the papers in front of her. “He must be very lonely,” she said. Velvet didn't know how to respond to that. Colette let out a small sigh. “Very few teenagers want to befriend a boy so young. They don't have many things to relate to, with that many years apart.”

Velvet felt wordless. Of course Colette was right. Laphicet talked about school frequently, because he enjoyed his lessons and he enjoyed learning with a vigor that Velvet hoped would be constant throughout his life, but Laphicet never asked to stay over at a friend's house, or to invite a friend over, nor had he ever expressed an interest in any of the school's social activities.

But... “I do...” Velvet paused, because her words seemed inadequate. Colette lifted her head, and her blue eyes met Velvet's brown. “I do worry, Colette. I appreciate your concern for him. But I don't want him to think I'm being overbearing. He's had enough of that.”

And she knew, in that moment, that Colette wouldn't have enough of the context to understand what she was talking about. Of course not; Velvet hadn't given any of it to her. But something about the way Colette's face shifted, without breaking eye contact, told her that Colette understood well enough.

Laphicet emerged from his room then, and Velvet saw a certain shyness to his posture that was not usually there. “I heard Miss Brunel's voice,” he said as an explanation for his appearance, and then he turned to Colette and bowed his head to her. “Welcome to our home.”

Immediately Colette put her hand up and waved it, as if dismissing the gesture. “Oh no, no, please, there's no need for that,” she said quickly, and her face had turned a bright pink; Laphi lifted his head as she bid. “And please, call me Colette. I'd like to talk to you about what you think of my work, but if you have homework to do, then by all means, please finish that first.”

“It's extra credit!” Laphi burst, an intensity filling up his eyes. Yes, now that was a look Velvet was familiar with. “So it's okay! Right, Velvet?” And then he spun his gaze to her.

She sighed and crossed her arms over her chest. “If I asked Ms. Linares about this homework, would she say the same thing, Laphi?”

“She would!”

Laphi's voice was firm, which meant he wasn't lying. Velvet had no other reason to object to this, so she shrugged. “All right. I'll make drinks for everyone.”

“Can I have juice?” Laphi asked, his tone more excited than it probably should have been for a ten-year-old going on eleven.

Colette's eyes seemed to light up with his. “What kind of teas do you have?”