~!~ cherry chan ~!~ (seresa) wrote in remains_rpg, @ 2016-05-04 09:04:00 |
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Entry tags: | # 2019 [05] may, cherry chan, mina kulseth |
Who: Cherry Chan & Mina Kulseth
When: 8AM, 5/2/19
Where: The Lending Library at the LBJ Library
What: Attempting to be friends again?
Two steps forward, one step back. That was how the previous day's triumph over Los Nahuales had felt like to Cherry, at least; they'd won, certainly, but at what price? Nate hadn't come back home with the rest of them, and as of that morning, he still was missing. She couldn't fathom how Bunny seemed to be in relatively high spirits despite all signs pointing to the contrary. Cherry couldn't help but feel guilty about the fact that her life was continuing to move forward even as her friend's came to a standstill. But she'd longed to mend her friendship with Mina ever since it had ended over five years ago, and after mourning her assumed death, the realization that her old friend was still alive had hit her hard. Now that she had a chance to meet with Mina safely, she wasn't going to miss her opportunity. After catching a ride to the LBJ's main building with Vic, Ruth, and Sasha, regaling the group with carefully-curated tales of her recent exploits for some en-route entertainment, she and Sasha walked over to the lending library just next door. And of course Mina was easy enough to spot, wearing a frumpy little sweater vest that was so Mina Kulseth, it hurt. "Hi," Cherry said, walking towards her. How was she supposed to greet her? Once upon a time, they'd have hugged. A handshake felt far too formal for a woman she'd lived with for three years, and a high five was neither of their style. So she kept her distance, though she stood closer than they had in the White Trail when they'd first seen each other again last October, and smiled. "I'm glad you're here." Mina stood there awkwardly, her arms crossed over her chest, and gave a tight-lipped attempt of a smile. Seeing Cherry in front of her, looking as gorgeous as ever, still managed to knock the breath out of her. This was such a bad idea. How could Mina think rationally around Cherry when her heart literally felt like it might beat out of her chest and then maybe shrivel up and crumble to dust just for good measure? She’d felt it back in October, too, but had mostly been so shocked that her friend was alive and in Austin of all places in the world that it had mostly taken a back seat during their brief conversation. But now? She’d had months to come to terms with the fact that Cherry was here and Cherry was alive and Cherry still would never love her the way Mina wanted her to. “Well I did say I would be here,” Mina said, her face more predispositioned to a scowl. If she focused on the anger, it might make being around Cherry easier. Turning her attention back to the table she’d been working at, she stacked a few files on top of each other, then sat down and motioned for Cherry to take the seat opposite her. "Ooooookay." Cherry crossed her legs at the knee, leaning back in her chair, her eyes on Mina. It hadn't been the thrilling, happy, fluffy kind of reunion she'd been hoping for but then again, when had anything ever been easy with Mina? Maybe if they started slow. They could totally do this, especially since Mina had sounded interested in making things work when they'd spoken on the Freenet. "What did you find?" Cherry asked, gesturing to the files with one hand. Mina looked down at the files, as if reminder herself of what they were, before saying, “Just some individual case studies of grief counseling. One of my patients has been struggling and I’m looking for new methods we can try.” "Wow. That's…" Awesome seemed too flippant, but that was the only word that Cherry could think of to describe how Mina was clearly someone who was still so driven to help others, even now. "I hope it helps, whatever you end up finding in them." “Thanks,” Mina replied, but beyond that she was at a loss for what they were supposed to say to each other. It wasn’t like they could go get frozen yogurt and eat it on the hood of their car while talking about their sorority formals coming up. Cherry lived at the Dog Park for God’s sake. What did they even have to say to each other? “So…” Mina said, letting her word trail off. Cherry gave a wry smile, though it faded quickly. "So," she agreed, echoing Mina as she, too, struggled to find something they could talk about. "It's weird how that bar just like… stopped existing, right?" “I suppose. I never went there again after that night, so I wouldn’t have known whether it was still open or not. Maybe they got word of family being somewhere and went to join them,” Mina said, shrugging. “How did you hear that it shut down?” Cherry just barely resisted the urge to roll her eyes, knowing it wouldn't help her case any. Of course Mina had never gone back. She'd never been big on the bar scene, and considering how their conversation there had went… "One of my friends told me," she said vaguely, though it wasn't a lie. "I guess that's just the way things go these days. You never know who's going to stick around." Mina hummed in agreement, though didn’t offer any other words. Cherry paused then, aware that if it was anyone else but Mina she'd launch into the topic of Teagan and Nate, but this was Mina. Cherry was treading on thin ice enough already; the last thing she needed was to bring up an actual Hellhound officer. So instead, she met Mina's eyes and gave a genuine smile. "I'm just really glad you guys all made it. And that we ended up in the same place, even if things have been…. You know. Not great. Totally my fault." “I’m sure there are things we both could have done better,” Mina said, mouth in a serious line. Like she could have not fallen in love with her completely straight roommate. That would have been a great start. Even better, she could not be so dazzled by her now, even while simultaneously hating her just a little bit. "Totally," Cherry said instinctively, before she realized what Mina had just said and her eyes widened. They'd fought for months before eventually losing touch, and Mina had always made it very clear that Cherry had been the only one in the wrong. Though it hadn't been much of an admission, the smallest implication that Mina could have been at fault too was a big step -- one for which she was very grateful. "Well, I'm hoping that this will be a fresh start for us. You know, as friends." Cherry wasn't naive enough to think they could instantly go back to being best friends, especially if the frostiness in this conversation was anything to go by, but she could hope. She looked up at Mina as she waited for a response, unable to stop herself from biting her lip. Friends. It’s not like Cherry even knew that Mina wished it was more, so why did she feel so angry and resentful? She hated this. “Yeah, that’s…” Mina trailed off, not exactly sure what to say. But if she didn’t say anything, this would be even more uncomfortable. “Right. Sure. Friends.” Right now she really wasn’t sure how that would even be possible, with Cherry’s Hellhound association and Mina’s broken heart about her, but it seemed easier to say she’d try than tell her that. The words were right, but the expression and tone that accompanied it were all wrong. Cherry bit her lip, feeling helpless in the face of Mina's eternal mood swings about them. Sure, the world outside was all kinds of fucked up, and both of them had wronged the other, but did their friendship have to be just as complicated, too? "You don't have to agree if you don't want to," she said then, finally. Had she come all this way just to be let down again? "It'd be better if you just said you didn't to be friends anymore. Just so I don't keep wasting my time hoping." “No -- I do,” Mina responded before thinking of what she would say next. She bit her lip nervously, having to avert her eyes from Cherry so she could think clearly. Pausing for a deep breath in and out, she finally responded. “If you don’t want to wait, then I understand, but I’m just going to need some more time, okay?” "Okay," Cherry said, her eyes lifting to meet Mina's. This was new territory for the both of them, familiar yet different at the same time, but she was committed to making this work. "I can wait as long as it takes." |