[PRP] This is fine (Shiloh & Melany)

[Melancholies]

"Maybe." He replied with a sharp sound that seemed like a laugh, except it really wasn't outside of sheer phonetics. He was significantly calmer now, at least, and he finally took a sip of his now cooled coffee. It actually wasn't half bad. "It might be better to talk about it somewhere else." I'll end up flipping out again, he added silently, probably.

"Sorry, it's been rough." He reiterated for the umpteenth time. "Didn't mean to make s**t awkward." It was strange too how easily he fell into a normal conversation with a women who wore his abuser's face, even if the mannerisms were all off; was that vision all in his head? It was hard to say. Maybe it was. Maybe it wasn't. If this Melany really was genuine...

"You can be patient with me, yeah?" He swirled a spoon into the coffee, obliterating the foam cat that sat on top.

shibrogane

 

[shibrogane]

"You're my friend," said Melany. "Just no more blowing off my exhibitions. I don't do them for my health, you know." She reached into her little purse and pulled her phone out, navigated through whatever menus and lock-screens she had, and then turned the screen to face him. "I guess if you don't remember, I'll have to remind you."

It was the other Shiloh and Melany, but Melany's hair was pulled back into a severe bun, exaggerated-yet-elegant makeup highlighting her cheekbones and eyelids. "That was in mid-November," she said. "I was a soloist in The Firebird."

Melancholies

 

[Melancholies]

Shiloh leaned forward to have a look, giving her a glance of permission before delicately scooping the phone out of her hands to see it closer. He had pictures on his own phone of the other him and the other Jamie, but it was still so bizarre to see them up front. He looked... a lot healthier. He was doing good s**t for himself and now he was gone like he never existed.

It didn't bother him at first, not like it bothered him now. It just didn't seem fair to either of them.

Holding the phone in one hand, he began to pick at the crepe that had been brought over, eyes widening when he finally took a goddamn bite and realized how good it was.

"Wow..." It was hard to say if the response was at the picture or the food though, but at least he seemed to have mellowed out some. He frowned. "I'll be there for your next one, yeah?"

It made him think of Ollie and his concert performances and how no one would turn up except for him. He knew it had to be a frustrating feeling to pour everything into something and feel like no one really noticed, or at least the people who mattered. He handed the phone back over.

"But I really don't remember much of anything before like... the fifteenth of December or so." Which was true, "It's confusing as ********. S'why I didn't leave to go anywhere. Nothing makes sense—Jamie's the same way. It's like... waking up and stepping into a life you didn't know you had."

He seemed guilty to admit this, despite the person he was currently speaking to. It was odd how easily talking was starting to come.

Shibrogane

 

[shibrogane]

"You better," said Melany. She leaned back in her chair, eyes on her phone screen like she was giving him a moment of privacy with the crepe. "I don't get it, but I don't gotta, do I? Not to lend a hand. So if you need help with classes or anything, just let me know."

She looked up then, elegant eyebrows arching. "I'm kind of a taskmistress, though. So you might wanna get a different tutor if you want somebody to be delicate about it."

Melancholies

 

[Melancholies]

"I will." The expression on his face was weak, but genuine. "And you know, honestly, going about things gently never really held my attention for too long..." It was a double edged statement, but it wasn't like Melany would know about the implications. The only time someone had ever taught him anything through kindness was with Jamie, and that was way different and multiple shades of gay.

"So I'll take you up on that, probably." He looked at his schedule again, slowly reading over the words. "And we can grab our books or whatever sometime. What else're you taking?" It was odd how easily he could slip into casual conversation like this, but he found it was better to keep talking. Made it feel less like he was having coffee with the version of Melany he remembered, not the one in front of him now.

Not that he didn't practice being cautious; but sometimes the best way to figure things out was to dive in head first.

shibrogane

ftb on this post or ur next one? O: