a hopeful transmission [sera]

[michi]

so sorry this took forever! i was without internet yesterday ;__;

    It had been some time since he had put this much effort into any one endeavor and went forth with actual excitement. That was not to say that Elliott disliked working for the king, but it was rare that the twenty-four-year-old did anything for himself – why would he need to? It was fair to say he had no one except from an ailing mother who seemed to sigh and shake her head when he was there, not because she was disappointed in what he had become but because she was disappointed in what he had not saved. There was, of course, a big difference between three children and one and, as much as she loved Elliott, nothing could fill the void brought about by the absence of her two younger children. And it was because of this – the idea of filling that void, slowly but surely – that made him so anxious.

    There were obvious reasons as to why Elliott would want to be a member of the Royal Guard, including power and money. But, more than that, he had obtained such a position for the resources that were only available to the esteemed and the trusted, the information that was granted to those close to the king without thought. Honestly, it was amazing how much more information was available to those of high standings! Elliott had one day mentioned his desire to find his siblings to one of his Majesty’s secretaries and every other week the woman would brief him on her different findings. It was by such means, keeping tabs on any redheads spotted around the capital, that Elliott had gotten his newest lead: young woman, deep red hair, made occasional trips to different food shops in the market. It was ridiculous, considering this was about the fifth lead in the past two months and all of his previous attempts at locating his younger sister had failed and ended in him apologizing awkwardly to the young woman he had hoped to be his sister. But the excitement remained, perhaps in part because Elliott had faith that he would eventually find her, no matter how many times he failed beforehand.

    And so it was that he was alone in the market, the day cool with the sun hidden behind pale gray clouds that hinted at the possibility of rain. In spite of this, the market was lively, vendors shouting out their wares while children (petty thieves, probably) giggled as they ran from civilian guards chasing after them. Normally, Elliott might have stopped such criminals, told them to pursue a nobler career, and send them on their merry little way without much further punishment… But there were more important things to do, so all he could do for now was make a mental note to return at a later date and fix things up in the market. As it was, the young man lingered at each food stand he visited, pale eyes darting about in a helpless search for the one he was looking for. Needless to say, Elliott looked a little lost and, with a small amount of kindness, a vendor of some particularly exotic-looking fruits reached over his wares to tap Elliott on the shoulder and ask, “You lost, boy?” His voice was rough, gravelly, but the man’s face expressed gentleness, helpfulness in spite of being old, wrinkled, and rather dirty. Frowning to himself, Elliott replied, “Has there been a girl about eighteen running around here? She’s about ye big, dark red hair, got one hell of an attitude?” His words warranted a chuckle from the merchant, who pointed at a stand a ways down. “She got in a fight with Owen down there just the other day. Dunno if she’ll show up again, though.” With a nod of thanks, Elliott made his way onto the next stand, brows furrowed in worry. What sort of trouble was she getting into nowadays?

[sera]

Admittedly this pirate business was proving to be a little more difficult that she had first expected it to be. Yeah okay, all her captain had asked her to do was cook for him on the ship. What he hadn't told her was that she had to do all the shopping for the food and everything else as well. The kitchen on the ship was empty and full of nothing but rum and dust, of course she wasn't going to have any of that! The last few night when the hour made dock Sera had been busily moving through the markets. Sure getting everything she wanted wasn't the easiest thing to do at night, not with most of the shops being either close or out of stock when she got there. Usually ending with the red head cursing at the shop keep and getting very angry, last night it had been with Owen. She knew that it probably wasn't smart to go back to the same shop that she had just fought with but sadly he was the only one that carried the spice she needed. It was obvious that when she returned again Owen didn't want anything to do with her either.

"What is it you want you street scum?" the shop keep growled at her when she was close enough be recognized. Sera could feel her brows frown already, if this ended in another fight she would just steal the bloody spices. Better yet she would tell the captain to come here and get it, yeah that would teach the bloody shop keep to speak to her so rudely.

"Do you have any of that spice today?" Sera tried her best to keep her voice calm but truth be told she really hated this guy.

"I thought I told yuh last night, don't try coming back here," the old man spat at her in his growly voice. This was getting ridiculous now, man this geezer could hold a grudge, it wasn't like she stole from him or anything.

"Oh come on old man, I have coin for it." The man obviously wasn't having any of it as he turned away from her and started helping another customer. Cursing, probably loud enough for the whole market to hear, Sera hopped over the man's makeshift counter and went to find the spice herself. "If you're not gonna help me I'll help myself!" Okay maybe her new life of crime was starting to rub off on her, there was no way that she would have done anything like this before she join her crew.

"Hey what do you think you are doing?" the old man wheezed. "Guards! Guards!" Sera ignored the man's yelling and grabbed a bottle of spice before hopping over the counter and began running out of the market. The girl wasn't even aware of the man that was searching for her, no, she hadn't even thought of her older brother in a long time. Why would she expect him to be walking her direction as she was barreling out of the market? She wouldn't and didn't, no not even looking up to see him until she felt herself run right into a person much bigger than her.

"Crap," was the only word that seemed to escape her lips as she looked up and spotted the face of her eldest brother.

[michi]

    How surprising! Another disturbance in the market district? And coming from the area he was looking ever so hopefully at, pale eyes surveying the crowd of people that pushed this way and that, going along mindlessly with the crowd – all faceless to him, void of significant details that set them apart from what another. All he cared for was the color red, the sort similar to the fine wines in casks in the castle's cellar, a rarity for hair. When paired with his sister's height, it was easy to eliminate people in under a second, not bothering the linger on the minute, intricate details and differences of each individual. They were, in all honesty, unimportant – compassionate as he was, little meant more than this shot in the dark at a reunion with a sister who had always loved him in her own special way.

    In that sea of people that were, at present, rather unremarkable, the argument brewing was interesting and unexpected. It was only human nature to gravitate towards conflict, though it was rare that anyone cared to intervene. Truthfully, Elliott doubted that his dear sister would return to the stand, assuming the woman the vendor spoke of fighting with some "Owen" was even her in the first place... But, then again, his sister had quite the gall and a wee tiny brain that seemed unable to acknowledge consequences or anything along those lines. It was, perhaps, why he was so protective of her – if he was not, she would surely get herself killed!

    And it would seem, as the sole redhead in the market came crashing into him, that he was absolutely right! The force of impact pushed him back slightly, but Elliott remained rooted where he stood, looking down at the girl – no, woman – no, his sister! – as if she had just fallen from the sky and into his dumbfounded, unexpecting hands. Well then... How was that for lucky? Thoughtlessly (he hardly cared how absolutely ridiculous it must have appeared for a member of the Royal Guard to be hugging a thief and peasant), he grabbed hold of her arms, staring at her in disbelief before pulling her into a tight bear hug. “Getting into trouble again, Sera? Why don't you ever listen?” The words were grumbled into her ear, a mix between amused and exhausted by her antics; he pulled away slowly, eyeing her carefully as though afraid she might disappear in a puff of smoke.

      As for the merchant? Well, the man had caught up and was now glowering at Elliott's younger sister which was, no matter your rank, never a wise idea. Regardless of his annoyance at such treatment of his dear, sweet angel of a sister (oh, who was he kidding?), Elliott had always been the sort to prefer diplomacy over senseless bickering. He removed a few coins from the pocket of his coat and tossed them in the man's direction (they fell on the ground, a cloud of dust rising about them), offering genially, “How 'bout we forget this ever happened, huh? My sister is very sorry, aren't you, Seraphina?” And, smiling with faux politeness, he nudged her gently in the side with his elbow – 'little help here?'

[sera]

It was a strange feeling having a tall man you didn't expect to see, dressed in a Royal guard's uniform, wrap his arms around you. How long had it been since she had seen her eldest brother? She couldn't even recall. She didn't even know what to say to him, why did he have to catch her now of all time? After she had become a pirate, right as she had stolen something from the shop. She had tried to buy the damn spices, it wasn't her fault the man refused to sell them to her. When she hear the man grumble into her ear she knew it was true, she hadn't just ran into someone and hit her head after she fell. No that would have been too easy, hallucinating her brother would make it possible to make him disappear without getting lecture of some sort. Swallowing hard Sera couldn't build up the courage to lie to him, she had always had a certain respect for her older brother. She nodded and turned to look over her shoulder as the man from the shop came charging out after her.

What happened next wasn't a surprise, Elliott wasn't the type to just had her off to be arrested and the girl knew that. Smiling weakly Sera did her best to sound convincing, "oh yeah, terribly sorry..." Why did everything she say always sound sarcastic? Maybe it was just her natural reaction to hearing her full first name, or perhaps it was because her brother had tossed coins at the man's feet like he was some beggar rather than actually had it to him. Since when did Elliott treat other civvies like dirt? The girl scrunched her noise, well it wasn't like he was a civilian anymore. The girl turned back to her brother and grinned, here he was saving the day as if he were some white knight, like always. Springing forward the girl felt like she could almost cry as she clung to her brother, "oh Elli I've missed you!"

Like always Sera's pikachu came popping out from where he was carefully watching his lady, it was rare for the pokemon to get along with men but Exile knew exactly who this man was. "Pikaaah," the pokemon called tugging on the man's pant leg trying to get his attention. He wanted attention too, why was Sera getting all the hugs from Elliott? "Pika pika..."

Sera looked down at her pikachu and smiled, still clung to her older brother, head resting on his chest. "Where were you when I needed a thief?" the girl wrinkled her nose as the pokemon shrugged and continued trying to get the man's attention.

[michi]

    Her sarcasm was not, in fact, lost on Elliott who, in spite of how inappropriate her caustic behavior was at a time like this, couldn't help but chuckle. Yep, that was, without a doubt, his sister – a thief, a rabble-rouser, but still the sister that he loved dearly. This was, suffice to say, quite a bit different from the usual manner in which the subjects of his hapless attempts at reuniting with his lost family members simply stared at him like he was weird and crazy. And, well, thief or not, she was still family and family was supposed to stick together – not that his really had, but this was now his chance to fix that, right?

    The merchant grumbled in annoyance, but seemed unwilling to pick a fight with a Royal Guard – they didn't really have the best of reputations, after all. Typically, Elliott wasn't so bad but that was his sister he had been chasing after like a madman and Elliott wasn't known as an overprotective asshole for no reason. Like anyone, he had his redeeming qualities, but in that moment, he had been a man of extremes: extreme happiness at the sight of his living, breathing sister; extreme curiosity as to why that sister was here, in this stupid market, and he had found her out of dumb luck; and, finally, extreme anger at the sight of some stranger swearing at her as she ran like the devil. Speaking of that second thought, Seraphina was hardly off the hook, no matter how excited she seemed to see him. Whether he had to drag her or guilt trip her into it, his sister would return to this grubby city and live with her family, just like she was supposed to – of that he was determined in that careless, idealistic way of his, apparently ignorant that one might want anything else.

    As it was, though... His lectures could wait a moment, a hand lifting to ruffle her hair out of affection, perhaps even habit. It was likely to annoy her, but Elliott couldn't help himself and, well, weren't siblings around to annoy the living crud out of you? “Missed you too. Where've you been?” Forced nonchalance and it was all too evident by his tone that this was not what he wanted to talk about in the slightest – it was, if anything, just the beginning, starting the scratch the surface of the numerous questions he had wanted to ask her over the years. But the arrival of a surprisingly jubilant rodent distracted him for the moment, though Elliott did shoot Seraphina a disapproving glare at the mention of stealing while he knelt down to gently stroke the side of the Pikachu's face. “You've taken good care of her, right? We both know she's not too good at taking care of herself.”

[sera]

The moment of excitement seemed to end as fast as it came on, he wanted to know where she had been? Oh this was going to be a lecture and a half, she knew it better than anyone. Over protective older brother that Elliott was, Sera knew well that the man would not approve of her consorting with pirates. The girl let go over her older brother and stepped back slightly, letting out a nervous laugh the girl fixed her hair. "Where have I been?" she ran her fingers through her hair trying her best to come up with a way to avoid that conversation. "Erm, around... What about you? How is working for the dictator working out for you," the girl smiled sheepishly. She knew that her attempts at diverting his questions weren't going to work very well. She looked down at her feet and then over to her pikachu who was sucking up to her brother, nodding its head as if saying that he was doing his best to keep her safe. "Suck up," the girl wrinkled her nose at the pikechu before crossing her arms over her chest.

"Honestly I don't think you want to know where I have been," Sera was still staring at her pokemon not wanting to make eye contact with her brother. She frowned at the thought of her piracy, she had done her best to keep out of the criminal life. She had even managed to get a job as a cook at a tavern for awhile, but he probably would have approved of her working in a tavern full of dirty pirates either. She signed finally gaining the courage to look her brother in the eyes, there was no point trying to avoid this. Sera knew all to well that he would only keep her their until he got all the answers he desired. "Let's just say my feet haven't really been on the ground a whole lot..."

Exile decided that this was the perfect time to be a traitor, climbing up Elliott and sitting himself on the man's shoulder. The pikachu put on his best disapproving face, "pika pika." Sera shot her pokemon a look, it wasn't like her pokemon had a problem with it before. Yeah sure the pikachu didn't like that the crew was nearly all men aside from Sera but he was like that no matter where she went. The pokemon let out a deep sigh as if to show Elliott that he was on his side. Maybe that was why Elliott had given her the pikachu when she was little, he was just suppose to be some sort of spy. The girl narrowed her eyes, the pikachu would be sure to get a lecture of his own from her when this was over.

[michi]

    Surely she knew how relentless he could be, which made it almost laughable that she seemed to believe if even for a second that a one-word answer would satisfy his curiosity. Elliott was nice, but he was notorious for being nosy when it came to those close to him, evidently unaware that it was rude to pry no matter your relationship with the person. He would let her off the hook, though, but only momentarily. Looking down at her with disapproval for her dislike of his commander, Elliott replied, “I eat entire meals every day without having to steal. I have my own room. Mom has a huge bed and she's... comfortable.” His gaze rested expectantly on her, message conveyed all too plainly in his dark eyes: 'As comfortable as someone with a heart broken by loneliness can be, anyhow.' Elliott hadn't the guts to say such things aloud, fearing they might drive her away... But couldn't Sera see that she was welcome there, at that grand palace where she would not have to resort to petty stealing? Wouldn't security and stability be a far better alternative to the life of a street rat?

    But they were siblings and nothing more and, as much as they loved each other, perhaps they did not have the same ideals in common. It was a relief to know that Exile, at least, seemed to be rational and agree with Elliott. Scratching the rodent behind it's rather comically large ears, Elliott stood once the electric-type had skittered up his arm to rest comfortably on his shoulder, staring at Seraphina with an expression that was void of any form of amusement. Disbelief seemed evident, perhaps as if he could not believe what he has just heard, but disapproval was definite. Elliott did not want a life of crime and... and vagrancy for his sister! Pirates were bad people that cared only about themselves and only knew how to take: to take money, food, and now people. Seraphina was nothing like this and, lips twitching in barely-contained anger, his hand dropping from the Pikachu to clench and unclench at his side, he replied tensely, “Who made you do that? If they did anything to you, I'll – I'll hunt them down myself.”

[sera]

Oh yes and here it came, the guilt tripping and the lecture. Not that he would voice the guilt openly but it was the look that Elliott had as he spoke to Sera, hinting at how sad her mother was now that she was gone. She couldn't help but look the other way and roll her eyes, why did her brother care for their mother so much. She really didn't understand, it wasn't like the woman did much for them anyway. As long as she could remember it was Daddy stealing to support them and once he was gone it was Elliott supporting them. Well at least until Sera and her other brother were old enough to help out, from where the girl stood all her mother did was freeload off all of them. "I'm sure Mother is really comfy living with you in your fancy new life," her words were spiteful and she regretted the tone as soon as the words left her lips. She didn't want to hurt her older brother over this but the thought of her mother using him for a big comfy bed was just ridiculous.

At least him getting mad about her and her new life would distract him from talking about her mother any more than he had. "No one forced me to do anything," Sera groaned. Typical Elliott worrying about his 'helpless little sister', what was with his overbearing ideals about woman. "No one has done anything to me Elliott," venom was burning through her words as she grew more and more annoyed with him. Even going so far as to say his actual name, she saved it only for when she was particularly angry with him. "Believe it or not, for once in my life I am actually happy. I enjoy what I am doing." Crossing her arms across her chest the girl turned away from her brother, frustrated, her usual temper acting up despite haven't seen her brother in so long. "And before you even say it, no I haven't been committing any crimes, actually that was the first time I have stolen in years and that was only because the prick wouldn't let me buy it from him!" She threw her hands in the air and began walking away from her brother, into the crowd, as far as she was concerned the conversation was over. But the girl knew all to well that her brother wouldn't let her leave so easily, no matter how angry she was.

[michi]

    Seraphina's hate for their mother was not unknown to Elliott, but he had this vague sort of hope that she might want to try and be a family, a normal one with a real home that could live comfortably and happily. He was naive, in that sense, pitying his dear mother for what he saw as depression; his sister seemed to take a more harsher viewpoint of their mother, which was a little saddening. Why couldn't they all just get along? Separated as they were, it was hard (nearly impossible, even) to keep everyone in check, safe and sound. His younger siblings, he knew, were not quite so admiring of his liege, either, and perhaps they would be foolish enough to one day wind up on his hit list... It was for this reason that he was so determined to drag them all back to the palace where maybe they could see the grass was greener on his side of the fence.

    It was all too evident to Elliott, however, that such efforts were most likely a lost cause. His sister was her own person, resistant to his rationale – in fact, her own beliefs seemed in direct opposition of his own! Elliott stared, trying to make sense of what she was saying. A sky pirate? A willing criminal, thieving and... And dear lord, all the rumors about women on pirate ships! (Was that why she found life on a pirate so enjoyable?) He followed her stubbornly, keeping a few comfortable feet between them, her Pikachu still resting upon his shoulder, seeming just as annoyed by Elliott by its owner's new chosen profession. “Unless you're on a merchant ship, you're a criminal. Pirates are criminals, Seraphina!” His last sentence was exasperated, as if trying to teach her the difference from right and wrong were growing tiresome; such lessons he had been trying to teach her for years, with little success in his mind. (Well, obviously – she was a petty thief now! Not that she hadn't resorted to such things before, but she was older now, with more options to live a wonderful life.) “And who's to say that your new... peers aren't bad, huh? For all you know they could be murderers, rapists, kidnappers – and you could be one of their next victims when you wear out your usefulness. Ever thought about that?”

    In spite of this blatant anger, some of her earlier words bothered him – specifically, "for once in my life, I am actually happy." His breathing slowed, relaxed slightly from the angry huffs prior, pondering those words. Happiness: so easily attained, if even for a moment, grasped from the simplest things you could imagine. Pretending to be knights of the royal court with Finn, assaulting one another with sticks in the dirty alleyways; running through the streets of the capital screaming at the top of his lungs, chasing his younger siblings and laughing and laughing; trying, and failing, to make a nice meal for everyone to sit together and eat, the chicken burned black and the dessert eaten by Eko before they even saw it... That was happiness, even in that hellish home of theirs; what was there to complain about when you had each other? The work had been tough, his stomach was often empty... But, damn, he had been so, so happy. And she? She had not been. “But, I guess, if you're happy, then who am I to stop you?” Hollow, empty – was this what letting go was like? No, he could never completely let go, but he was wounded and bitter and he didn't know what he wanted. Maybe answers... Or to turn back time. He wasn't sure which.

[sera]

Spinning around Sera glared at her brother, so he thought her a criminal now, huh? "A criminal? So what, are you going to arrest me Elliott?" she frowned looking down at the ground. He didn't even know her crew but honestly did she even know them all that well? The could never do something like rape here, right? "You don't even know them..." her tone was know longer angry it was more upset. She loved her brother, she really did, but she didn't want to get stuck living in the palace in some frilly dress. No. She wasn't the type of girl to get stuck bowing to aristocrats and taking orders from dictators. That just was Sera, she refused to be stuck somewhere answering to "Miss Avery" or "Seraphina", she was Sera, a pirate. Even if her brother did like it, she was part of a crew now, and that meant she had a whole other family.

She was about to voice all these opinions when her brother seemed to give up, wait - was he giving up on her?! No it couldn't be that easy... Sera frowned her brows making sure he wasn't trying to trick her into turning around so he could scoop her up or something. ( It wouldn't be the first time he had done that... ) "Yes, I am happy." Her tone was stubborn but the sadness that she read from her brother was starting to eat at her. "You know I still love you, right?" Sera wrinkled her nose, she didn't enjoy being all mushy but she didn't like seeing anyone she cared about in pain. "I promise not to get in too much trouble," she tried to make her tone light and joking but her voice was shaky like she might cry if he didn't cheer up.

[michi]

    Arrest her? Did she really think he was that bad? He snorted audibly, indignant – just because he respected his superiors did not mean he would follow every single order put out by them. Insubordination sparked guilt, but so did treachery and he was certain that, if push came to shove, he would put everything on the line for the sake of his loved ones, whether he agreed with their principles or not. Family was forever, no matter the distance – or that was Elliott's belief, which was perhaps why he had gone through such lengths to find Seraphina and would again go through such lengths to keep in touch with her. In the end, they would always have each other, regardless of the fact that they very well should have been enemies based on their current occupations. As for her crew mates? Well, that was an entirely different story that he was certain she was all too familiar with: no friends of his, they would be hunted down and jailed just as they should be. “Yeah, maybe I don't, but you probably don't either. Men are greedy and – and I hope you never learn that personally.” She had heard such things from him a million times, ignoring the sincere advice for her own intuition – in Sera's head, she knew best, or something like that. In the end, however, Elliott was certain he would be saying, "Told you so" – not that he actually would, but the opportunity would be there.

    Regardless of future problems from her mingling with pirates, the fact remained that he was hurt and a part of him wanted, most selfishly, to hurt her back. Sometimes he wondered why she had left and it had occurred to him that, if their mother was so terrible, why had she abandoned him too? Why was a complete break necessary? He understood her desire for independence (though he hardly agreed with it), but... But certainly there was a means of compromise? Or was he one of the very reasons she had left? For a long time, it had seemed absurd because if you loved someone, it meant they loved you back and if they loved you back, they would want to be by you. But... No. Dark eyes stared down at her, studying her face: trying to find answers in her own, paler eyes; wondering if the guilty, downward twist of her lips was there for any reason in particular. He could find nothing and, brows furrowing in dissatisfaction at the lack of knowledge, he replied, “Why'd you leave? Why haven't I seen you in... in years?” It was an absurd concept to him; the only person he had ever cared about that had abandoned him in such a way had been his father. He didn't want to relieve that because it had been unpleasant and lonely and... And he didn't want to be caught in that odd Limbo that was hating a person and loving them at the same time.

[sera]

“Why'd you leave? Why haven't I seen you in... in years?”

Why did she leave? WHY DID SHE LEAVE? She tells her bother that she loves him and that's the reply she gets. Angery boiled up inside her but instead of her normal witty retorts the girl just turned away. Tears filled her eyes and began spilling over and before she could do anything to help it her chest began to tighten as she tried to hold in sobs. What was it, did her being a pirate mean that he didn't love her anymore? She wrapped her arms around her chest holding herself as tears spilled down onto the dust market floor, staining it with dark wet spots. "I-I d-didn't mean to leave you..." the girl sniffled closing her eyes tight. "B-but I know you wouldn't l-let me leave mom if I t-told you I was l-leave." Sera shook her head pulled up one arm to wipe her nose, "you don't understand, n-none of you do." She refused to look at her brother, she felt like a child.

Did pirates even cry? She was an adult now, she was supposed to be tough and push all thoughts of petty emotions to the side. Right? The girl bit her lip and blinked trying to force herself to stop crying, she couldn't even remember the last time she cried. "Ugh, my mascara is probably running," Sera sniffled trying to cover her sadness and disappointment with humor. Stop crying, stop crying, stop- no here tears wouldn't obey her internal pleas. Crying in front of her bother would only make him think that she really was a weak little girl that needed to be taken care of. No. She wasn't she was strong, she had proven it to herself for years no, taking care of herself, on her own. She wasn't going to let one conversation make her feel like a little girl all over again.

[michi]

    Any desire to to lecture her further dissipated the instant he saw her shoulders crumple, arms wrapped across her chest to cradle herself, body shaking with light sobs. If there was one weakness Elliott had, it was his dear little sister's tears: he could not bear to see her cry and all he wanted to do was carry her out of there and drop her into a magical land of rainbows and butterflies. Mentally, he was kicking himself for being selfish, his own sadness fading in the light of her guilt. He was a big boy, wasn't he? Her abandonment stung, yes, but getting answers to long-asked questions was not worth her tears.

    Without wasting another moment, he surged forward and wrapped his arms around his sister, who was no longer the little pipsqueak of memory: she was taller, sturdier... And yet she still cried, just like the times when she would run to him, half asleep, ranting and raving about the stupid neighborhood kids and their brother's silly pranks. Gently, he pulled her closer to him, arms holding her securely – not tightly or uncomfortable, nor loosely and meaningless... There was a peculiar sort of balance that was absent in most of his other actions, his thumb tenderly stroking the crown of his head. “Oh, Sera... I love you, you know that? No matter what – always, okay?” His head tipped forward, lips brushing against her forehead (now cradled against his shoulder), and he added lowly, “I understand, Sera. I don't agree, but I understand... So no more tears, okay?”

[sera]

Part of Sera wanted to just run off, to avoid anymore time with her brother. She felt stupid and her makeup running down her face wasn't making her feel any better. Ready to give in to the urges that scream 'run away', the girl took a step forward. Before she could take off she felt herself being pulled into a hug, when was the last time she had felt safe like this? She could remember being embraced like this when their brother would pick on her, when she tripped and scrapped her knees as a child. Waking up in the middle of the night from nightmares... Sera sighed, her breath coming out in a shudder. Her body was still trembling for all the sobbing she had been doing but she felt safe and then - just making everything even better - her brother's words filled her ears.

The girl nodded weakly, hiding her face in his shoulder, probably staining his uniform with black mascara filled tears. "I know," she mumbled sniffling, she didn't want to leave this moment. She never thought about how scary it was being an adult, how she longed to be that little girl that was only concerned about making sure her brother didn't bully her bulbasaur. She sniffled again, her sobs stopping as she calmed herself. "Really?" Sera looked up at her brother, her eyes probably all red and puffy.