Kanaya was in bliss. Rose had kissed her and after Kanaya rescued Rose from the bottom of the stairs, they declared themselves girlfriends. As the weeks passed, Kanaya was happy with Rose, and she was also making a point to maintain the rest of her social sphere, going so far as to reach out to Aradia again, putting the two on much better terms. Now the question was how Kanaya's mother was going to react. She was… well, homophobic wasn't the right word. If pressed for a word to describe her mother, Kanaya would tell people she was "traditional", which was why she was always so pressed about the way Porrim and Kanaya presented themselves. Porrim was much more vocal about her feelings about their mother's comments, but Kanaya just stewed in them. Was she not feminine enough? Did the way her mother felt have a basis in reality? But on the other hand, Kanaya told herself that was ridiculous. Just because she had relatively short hair didn't change the fact that she was certainly feminine. She was certainly more invested in her heritage than Porrim. And their mother was supportive, but it could be a bit off-putting that it was so obvious she'd rather they both date men. Clearly that wasn't an option for Kanaya. She sighed, nervous about the potential of an argument breaking out over dinner.
Kanaya twirled her fork in her food, and cleared her throat a bit. "Mom, Dad, I, uh. Wanted to tell you that Rose is now, officially, uh, my girlfriend." They were all silent for a moment, Kanaya glancing to Porrim for reassurance. She gave Kanaya an affirming nod. And then, after a quiet second passed, her parents immediately began bickering in Hindi, specifically so Kanaya couldn't understand what was being said. Her eyes went wide, darting between her mother and father. She sat, tense, until her mother gestured wildly at her, and Aarav took a deep breath before addressing Kanaya.
"That's wonderful, Kanaya. Will we be meeting this Rose?"
Kanaya opened her mouth to answer but was distracted by the forlorn expression on her mother's face. "I—uh, is everything alright, Mom?"
"I! Oh, yes, of course, Kanaya. I just… oh, nevermind."
"You were hoping Kanaya was just going through a phase, weren't you?" Porrim asked, her voice surly.
"Well, not exactly, but… I mean, I support you and love you, Kanaya, but I suppose… I don't know. What a shame, I really did want grandchildren."
Kanaya kind of lost her temper at that. "What? Mother, there are so many things wrong with what you just said. One—you have another child; Porrim could very well marry a man. Two—I am literally 14 years old and am nowhere near even thinking about that. Three—that's a very normative way of thinking about things; adoption exists, and four—that's how you react to me having my first real relationship? That is incredibly selfish! I'm sorry that my being a lesbian is such a disappointment to you. I'm sorry that you feel the need to make these passive-aggressive digs at me, and to answer your question, Dad, if this is how she's going to be, then no, I don't think I feel comfortable bringing Rose home."
Everyone looked on at Kanaya in shock as she stood up and began to bustle out of the room.
"Kan, I'm sorry, I didn't—"
"Mother, please, this is a conversation I do not want to have right now," Kanaya said curtly before leaving to her bedroom.
Unfortunately, this frustration didn't fade, and Rose was acting all out of sorts every time they talked. It was clear that Rose had developed some sort of… well, Kanaya didn't want to say it was a drinking problem, but it was a drinking problem. Of course. The timing was less than ideal. And now that Kanaya was basically not speaking to her mother she was feeling very stressed out. Porrim appeared at Kanaya's door one afternoon, not long after the situation at dinner.
"You're going to have to let her off the hook at some point."
Kanaya looked up at Porrim, sticking a pin in the fabric she was working with. "I most certainly do not. And you're the last person I'd expect to hear that from."
"You're not the type to hold a grudge," Porrim answered nonchalantly.
"Ugh… you're right." Kanaya laid her head down on the desk in front "I don't like being upset with her, I just… got kind of fed up."
"Hey, that's fair. But it's not out of malice. She's ignorant. And she doesn't listen to me anymore since I've 'taken up the way of the witches.' Ugh, so dramatic. You buy one book on Wicca culture and suddenly you're a sham to your own heritage." Kanaya barely muffled a snicker. "Anyway, I do think you ought to talk to her." Kanaya nodded at her sister.
"Can we get out of the house for a bit?"
"Sure. What do you want to do?"
"Is it obscene to drive to the city today? I'd love to spend some time in the fashion district."
The fashion district was, without a doubt, Kanaya's favorite place. Not only was there a much wider selection of fabric than at the store, but it was much cheaper. Not to mention the patterns. There were all sorts of era-accurate patterns and different notions that were uncommon or difficult to find. While Kanaya was admiring the way a particular fabric was glimmering in the sunlight, Porrim was investigating a flyer nearby. An advertisement for something she thought Kanaya might have interest in. She ripped it off the post it had been nailed to and rushed over to Kanaya.
"Hey, check this out," she said. Kanaya took the paper from her sister's hand. Young Designers' Fashion Contest—it read. She kept scanning for more information. Apparently some kind of competition for designers under the age of 16 was happening soon. Kanaya glanced over at Porrim.
"Thanks, this gives me an idea."
The truth of the idea was that Kanaya immediately knew how to patch things up with her mother, while simultaneously making her understand that she was, in fact, a lesbian, and one who cared very much for Rose Lalonde, at that, and it was not some "childish phase".
When the girls got home, Kanaya immediately retrieved her sketchpad, pulled up some references of saris, and tried to recall what colors Rose seemed to wear most. Blacks and purples, touches of pink… Kanaya sketched out a design furiously, then started raiding her own fabric stash. Before she could even think of entering the design in a contest, she had a few other people to show it to. Kanaya's first instinct was to take a picture of the design, which she did, and sent it off to Rose.
grimAuxiliatrix [GA] began pestering tentacleTherapist [TT]
grimAuxiliatrix sent an image!
TT: wahts this
GA: Its a sari
GA: Inspired by you
TT: OMH
TT: that's soooooo cuuuuuute
GA: Porrim and I were in the Fashion District earlier today and theres a designers contest happening
GA: I wanted to make something beautiful
GA: So naturally I thought of you
TT: kanye ur so sweeeet 3
Kanaya pursed her lips for a moment. She was beginning to grow concerned over Rose's alcohol intake.
GA: Rose are you
GA: Drinking again
TT: mebbe
GA: Why have you suddenly chosen to spent so much time intoxicated?
GA: Its getting a bit worrisome
TT: is ti?
TT: I yam havin a good time
GA: Yes but
GA: I dont believe its healthy for one to imbibe themselves so frequently
GA: And also I was hoping for your help on this project
GA: But having a drunk girl around scissors and needles does not seem like a good plan
GA: To speak generally I simply wish you wouldnt
TT: u kno what kangaya
TT: im responspible for myself
TT: I dun nned you tell me what YOU think I shoul be doin
GA: I
Kanaya hesitated. She didn't want to put herself in the same position she'd managed with Vriska—to become so chiding and disapproving that she was no longer seen as a viable romantic option.
GA: Fine
GA: Forgive me for being concerned
GrimAuxiliatrix [GA] ceased pestering tentacleTherapist [TT]
Kanaya laid her head down on her desk for a moment. Why was everything so complicated? She supposed all she could do was be there if Rose ever decided it was a problem. And she berated herself for not saying anything sooner—it had been apparent for months, since before they were together, that Rose was beginning to form some kind of dependency on alcohol. She sighed. It would be fine, wouldn't it?
She went back to work on her sari, and made that her primary focus for the next couple of weeks, refining and perfecting the design, until finally, she was ready to put it on. Kanaya turned a bit, investigated herself in the mirror, before she finally took a breath and decided to go downstairs to show her mother.
"Maa, I have something to show you," she said from the hallway, before coming out into the living room. Malati's eyes were curious one moment, then bordering on tears the next.
"Did you make this?"
Kanaya nodded. "I wanted to show you that I am not abandoning my heritage. But… I also modernized it. And… it was inspired by Rose," Kanaya muttered. The two shared a moment of quiet, and then Kanaya spoke again. "I thought… it is a combination of two things I care very much about."
"Kanaya, I am deeply sorry for the way I spoke the other evening. It was wrong and insensitive, and—"
"It's okay, mother. I know you didn't really mean it… I just… it hurt that you seemed to think I am not serious about my orientation."
"Well you have shown me now how you truly do care about Rose, and I will strive to be more tactful in the future." Kanaya smiled softly up at her mother, and the two hugged.
