It was about 5 AM when Liby closed the laptop on her.
"That's enough of that."
She just barely managed to stifle a chuckle at Lupa's slanted glare. It was awful, and she knew it was awful—by now, thank God, most of the purplish swelling has cooled into regular flesh tones, but Lupa's jaw was still unusually tight, and the ridge of her brow was just a bit puffy. It was just a tad bit funny to have a large pink boil glowering at you like a newly installed stoplight.
"Don't patronize me," Lupa said softly through half-clenched teeth, opening her laptop back up.
Liby gave her another light chuckle, moving her attention to her injured cousin's swollen kneecap. Tonight, Lupa was typical, forcing her glazed eyes to stay open at the screen as she typed slavishly away at the keyboard. She and Liby both knew she wasn't up to anything important at all, and that she would really rather be in bed anyway, but that didn't really matter. This is all a game of Lupa's; a game of spite—not spite towards Liby, just a little bit of spite for the world in general. Lupa Loud hated the world so much, and loved to spit upon it, as if it could restore some of whatever it was that she'd lost in it. At the very least, that's what Liby assumed, what Liby could understand—Lupa never bothered to tell her much about how her exceptionally nihilistic view of the world was born.
But it didn't really matter at this point, a cousin was a cousin, no matter how odd. When she got her braces tightened, Lupa was there. When Lupa upset the neighborhood bullies (and got beat up because of it, like she was now), Liby would be there ready with the gauze and bandages.
So the Libster played along with her cousin's game, merely stepping behind Lupa's chair, squinting at the bright screen over her shoulder. "Possible Holographic Projections Currently Serving in Congress", the headline of the article read.
Liby pursed her lips. "Really, now?"
Lupa flushed pink as she protectively hugged the laptop screen to her chest, temporarily dousing the light. "Can I do something for you?" she grumbled. Liby found her tone almost insolent, but opted not to scold her just yet. Rather, she sat herself on the edge of the unmade bed, one leg folded neatly over the other as she looked on Lupa with amusement.
"I bet that's a rather fascinating article," Liby chimed cheerily. "Do they make any mention of 'holographs' penetrating Parliament or the Supreme Court?"
"Ah, you think you're damn hilarious, huh?" Lupa asked, gruffly. Liby just kept smiling—it was all just another part of the game. Lupa may act bothered, but Liby knew, even in the darkness, that the glare in her eyes has softened.
"Oh, no, Mrs. Doom and Gloom, I'm not funny at all," Liby said coolly. "Do you really think I wouldn't take you seriously?"
It sounded like mocking, like a veiled threat, and it was totally meant to. The effect was exactly what Liby intended, as Lupa slowly relented, pushing the laptop back on the desk, away from her body—Liby tried valiantly not to squint at the bright white light, which tended to burn big yellow blotches into her retinae. It was gone in a minute as Lupa shut the laptop with a muted clap.
"You're a jerk, Lib." She growled with a low tone, extending her leg so her cousin to tend to her. "But thanks for patching me up."
Liby shot her a small smirk, propping her up against the bedframe. She knew exactly how her white-haired cousin operated. Tons of open insults followed by a feeble yet genuine compliment. "And I suppose you didn't take me seriously when I told you to shower?" she asked caustically. Lupa grunted once again.
"What business is it of yours?" she snarled. Liby exhaling slowly through her nostrils. Her query must have sounded a bit too close to sincerity for Lupa's tastes. She decided, in her own way, that she needed to try another approach.
"You look like trash," Liby stated, almost as easily and pleasantly as if she was offering her cousin up a suggestion.
Liby knew her play had worked when she heard Lupa's growling low in hes throat, seeing her silhouette shoot suddenly upright from the edge of the bed.
"Alright. Fine."
Harshly ripping a towel from a freshly folded pile (the laundry has always been Liena's chore, and she tended to give it the highest care) Lupa threw open the bathroom door. A brief cascade of light fell out before Lupa slammed the door behind her.
After a moment, Liby heard the creaking hiss of the shower head, and sighs of relief as well. She let out one of her own. She'd done it again.
"Oh, Lupa…never change."