sparklequeen | Inbox

[Ellie half-laughs under her breath, but it sounds like it hurts.]

Yeah. Hell, I'd think my whole world was one big hallucination, if it weren't for Abby being here.

[And that's its own tangled ball of feelings.]

Oh, uh...

[ Maybe a weird time to pick at this particular little wound, but... she has an opening and worrying about her friends means not worrying about herself. ]

How... um... how are things with you two?

[Ellie's feet pause, and then she stretches them out in front of her.]

... weird.

We got the same room in Rialto. I stole her blanket and went to sleep in the kitchen. A couple of days later, she found me trying to sew up my hip, and she did the stitches for me.

But I... was a complete dick to her. In public. On the crystals.

[Deeeeep breath.]

I might've... called her a cunt.

So we kind of go back and forth.

Oh. Yeah. I... Kinda shared her room after you left? I think she was lonely.

[ Not about Ellie, specifically, of course. ]

Weird and back and forth is better than... well, a lot of stuff? You were so jumpy when you first realized she was here.

[ She'd been worried. ]

And I don't think you guys'll be friends, ever. But I'm glad it's better?

Yeah. I'm not afraid of her, I'm just...

I don't know how to handle her being here. Being... you know. A whole person. Instead of just somebody I was-

Hunting.

[Ellie bites at her thumbnail, distractedly.]

We talked. After that. And it wasn't awful.

Yeah. I know what you mean.

[ Glimmer looks down at the water lapping gently at the pilings. ]

I felt the same way when Catra came and talked to me when I was a prisoner. Like... she's just a girl, like me. She's scared and lonely and doesn't know what to do. SHe stopped being this enemy shaped thing in my head and turned into a real person. And it was weird. Is weird.

[ She waves a hand, settles it against the wood of the dock. ]

Yeah? What did you talk about?

Yeah. You probably handled that better than me.

[Ellie shrugs. Oh well, moving on.]

Our world. The kind of stuff that still freaks us out when we're not expecting it. We both helped Wysteria with stuff about guns, and we talked about the things in the Crossroads.

[Ellie kicks her feet, angling one to sluice through the water and splash.]

If we both get sent on that mission, we're riding together. Maybe it's fucked up, but I work better with her than with anyone.

I know it sounds weird, but you two probably understand each other better than almost anyone else here.

[ Glimmer is quiet for a moment, as the old anxiety about love and friendship being binary and limited tugs at her. But she's trying to help Ellie, not shelter her own feelings. ]

She probably understands you better than I do, and I've been inside your head. Just... I don't know how much she's told you about what's happened with her, but she's more similar to you than you probably think. Which is probably more than I should say because I said I wouldn't tell you, but...

[ She trails off. Shrugs. ]

...Is it weird that I like both of you?

Yeah. I've had the same thought.

[Ellie puffs out her cheeks, heaving slow sigh. It's weird, but not as weird as it could be. She kicks her legs again.]

No. I'd probably like her. If things had been different.

[ Glimmer stretches a little to let her toes dangle into the water. Being short is a curse sometimes. ]

...Yeah. Yeah, I know that feeling.

[ Can she learn to like Catra? For Adora's sake? She isn't sure. ]

I wish things had been different a lot.

Me too.

[Ellie sits for a second with her, watching Glimmer stretch to touch her toes to the water, and then shifts up, leaning in, pointing.]

Look. The fish are coming after your toes.

Eek--noooo!

[ She squeals, laughs like she's a kid again, and pulls her toes free of the water. No free nibbles, thanks! ]

[Ellie laughs out loud, then throws Glimmer a grin before she stands up, shucks off all but the most basic clothes, and cannonballs right into the water with a huge splash.

That'll take care of the fish.]

[ Glimmer shrieks as she's splashed by Ellie's cannonball--but a moment later she's done the same thing and leaps into the water after friend. She comes up sputtering and laughing. ]

Oh, moons--that feels amazing.

Told ya.

[Ellie pushes her arm through the water, creating a splashy little wave aimed at Glimmer. No mercy in water fights.]

Nothing like a night swim.

[ Glimmer stifles a laugh and ducks away from the water before splashing back at Ellie. ]

I've never done this before, actually.

Yeah me neither.

[Ellie gives her a Big Grin, revealing that she's full of shit, and snorts with laughter, shaking her head to get rid of the splashed water.]

[ Glimmer snort-giggles at that reaction. ]

Suuure. Why don't I believe that?

Because I the first time you met me I was smuggling darts up my sleeve so I'd have something to stab things with?

[Ellie swims closer with a snicker, but doesn't splash her again.]

And I have to sneak out or I'll die?

Having stuff to stab people with is actually really cool and normal.

[ Glimmer insists in a tone that suggests that she... actually mostly believes that now. Crazy what two years away from home will do to you. ]

Yeah, that checks out. I'd be worried if you weren't sneaking out, honestly.

[ Glimmer ducks her head under the water and comes up with a gasp as cool ocean water trickles out of her hair. ]

I am very cool and normal.

[Which is a very normal thing to say, thanks. But she digresses, her grin softening with the laughter, before she hesitates.]

Hey, Glim? Can I... talk to you about something?

Yeah, you are.

[ Glimmer backs water a little to grab onto the edge of the jetty, lets the motion of the waves nudge her towards shore and then back outwards. ]

Yeah. Always. What's up?

Ellie follows her, reaching out to grip and letting the waves rush around them. None of the words she has seem like good ones.

"... there's somebody that I've been..." she trails off, not quite looking at Glimmer's face. "Not seeing, but I- like her. A lot."

Her throat pinches up, and she breathes through it.

"I don't know where it's going. Maybe nowhere? But... I wanted you to know about it. I didn't-" she pauses again.

"I didn't want somebody else telling you. If it did."

Oh. As Ellie starts her halting explanation, Glimmer feels her chest squeeze in on itself. It's a stupid feeling. One she shouldn't have after all this time. They've talked about this. It's better for them to be friends--and she is so, so happy to be Ellie's friend. Even with the tangled memories of the Aerie. This is part of them being friends. Ellie wants to let her know, because she understands the weird, tangled complexity of the relationship the two of them have.

It still makes her feel like she's been punched in the chest, though.

"That's... That's good!" She smiles, because she's a good friend and she wants to support Ellie and acting like a jealous idiot doesn't help anything.

"I..." She trails off, the forced cheer starting to dissipate a little. "Thanks. For letting me know." She clings a little harder to the jetty, her eyes focused down at the dark surface of the water for a moment.

"I feel so stupid," she adds after a moment and reaches up to rub at her eyes. She's not gonna cry. This is stupid. Don't cry about this, Glimmer.

"Because we've talked about this so much and I really am happy for you. I just... I can't help feeling a little jealous, I guess." She values this. Being able to be honest with Ellie.

"She's really lucky, whoever she is."

Ellie tells herself that she's dreading seeing Glimmer's hurt. But when she obviously forces a smile, no. That's definitely the worst part.

Something breaks in her chest as her face falls, but it's a rush of relief, too.

Ellie lifts her hand, hesitates on the impulse, but then reaches out to lay a hand on her shoulder.

"... is it fucked up that I'm- glad you're not just pretending that everything's fine?"

That she can see this? That Glimmer trusts her with it? That they can acknowledge feeling a little fucked up about it, and still deal?

Inbox | Fade Rift

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