One hundred reviews! Thank you all so much! Virtual mallowmelt for everyone, and shoutout to Swiftheart1267 for being the 100th!
A NOSY PERSON: Not necessarily? But you do need to post your entry. Thanks!
Swiftie: Woo! Thanks! :) -A. Fan.
Jem: Indeed. Always be aware of auto cucumber. Lol. It was legalized in 2015, which bothers me because I was too young to celebrate but too old to really "grow up" with same-sex marriage. Ugh. Anyway that sounds awesome! Homophobia was really bad in the 80s, and if I'm not mistaken, the AIDS pandemic was really bad around then too. AIDS didn't affect lesbians much but a lot of gay men had it, making it a major issue in the LGBTQ+ community as a whole. (Thinks of AIDS. Thinks of Rent. Starts sobbing and screaming Angel's name. WHYYYYYY!?) Also, I think "queer" was still a slur then, so I'd avoid using that. Hope this helps!
Council of mes: Thanks!
TheBackedUpT-Rex: Oof. Nice motivation. Well, not all of October. Because Halloween.
Guest: Smart! I think I heard something about Laura Hollingsworth before. This is why I don't worship people anymore. They always disappoint me. *Throws hardcover Harry Potter books at JKR.* Ugh.
girlonfire: GIRLS GIRLS GIRLS! I haven't seen it, but I might be willing to if what you say is correct. How do you expect to figure out my ao3 username when I don't even know my ao3 username? Maybe I will. YAY APPLE PIE! Ooh, szin has really good animatics. Her "Sincerely Me" is- *is hit by banana gun* OH NO! I'M DYING! THIS IS THE END! *As you cackle in triumph at your victory, I laugh as well- that was simply a ploy to get your guard down! Your expression barely has time to change from glee to horror as my banana bow and arrow strikes you.* Oh no! I didn't? AHHH! I better say it twice this time to make up for that. AND PEGGY! AND PEGGY!
Mallowmelt: Yep! :) Ah, yes, the boobrie dude. Linh and Marella don't know that, I guess? I don't know if the Exillium coaches would even let Marella go to the boobrie dude- they're probably those teachers that are like "yOu'Re NoT sIcK, yOu'Re JuSt TrYiNg To GeT oUt Of ClAsS!" Anyway. I could, but where's the fun in that? The council just banished Marella because pyrokinesis is illegal. The angst route is the best route, though. Thanks!
MarellaIsTheBest: I don't know why Latin is my go-to language but it IS! I used it all the time for Swan Song. Actually, I think I had some Greek in there. Hmm. AHH YAY! I think in Neverseen it says the gnomes helped them get a house? Maybe? Possibly? AKSDFJASDKJFSADKFJSDAKfjsdkafjsadlkfj!
MidnightBunnyy: Oh no, not the fintonavirus! Regard for the rules she holds not. HECK YES LESBIANA! Also BIana. But LESBIANA! Also pandexual and tamsgender. PUNS! I'll leave as well.
Fitzphieistrash: I don't think I received a PM? So probably just you.
Enjoy!
Pretend to be asleep! Marella's mind screams. I'm too much of a disaster to properly interact with Linh!
But she isn't very good at following rules, even if they're self imposed, so as soon as Linh asks "Feeling any better?" in a whisper, Marella can't help but respond.
"Yeah, thanks."
Linh's face breaks up into a wide smile, and when Marella's face heats up, she doesn't think it's the fever. "Is it okay if Tam and I stay, or do you want to rest?"
"What makes you think I want to stay?" calls Tam.
"He has no manners. I apologize for him," says Linh. "But okay, fine. Do you mind if I-"
"I mean, I guess I'll stay, since I have nothing better to do," Tam interrupts.
Rubbing her temples, Linh huffs "Brothers."
They're siblings? Well, explains why they look almost exactly the same. Probably twins. They look the same age. But most importantly, not girlfriend and boyfriend! Marella finds the restraint to keep from celebrating aloud, somehow.
"Do you have any siblings?" continues Linh.
"No." That is true- Marella is an only child. When she was younger, she asked her parents for a brother or sister constantly. The antics of Dex's siblings might have convinced her that maybe siblings would be a bit too chaotic- and they would, considering her mother's condition- but Dex seemed to love the triplets' presence despite how obnoxious they were, and that made Marella wish for a sibling all over again. Back when she attended Foxfire, she'd spend a lot of time at the Dizznees' house, and the noise, despite headache inducing on occasion, was always better than the eerie silence draped over Marella's house.
Tam's salty monotone interrupts Marella's thoughts with "You better not call her lucky, Linh."
Linh's silver blue eyes roll, and Marella finds herself fascinated by the motion. Snap out of it, Redek. "I wasn't about too," says Linh. "Anyway, Marella, are we bothering you?"
"No," Marella answers, struggling to a sitting position on the couch. Linh sits down next to her. Their hands are almost touching. OUR HANDS ARE ALMOST TOUCHING!
We've literally held hands before. For like, hours. Chill, Marella.
Goosebumps break out on Marella's arms, and she shivers, reaching for a ragged grey blanket. "I didn't mean fever chills," she mutters angrily. Linh's turns to look at her, head titled with inquisition. "Just talking to myself," she explains, face reddening. Well, Linh has probably declared her an official weirdo by this point.
An awkward silence settles over the room, heavy and suffocating. Marella hates it. Pressure inside her threatens to burst, and when her hand starts smoking, she decides that maybe engaging in conversation will dissipate her nerves better than sitting in this awful quiet would. "You guys have a really nice house," she blurts.
Tam, sitting on the couch opposite them, raises an eyebrow and tilts his head. The resemblance between him and Linh is especially prominent. If they weren't different genders, Marella would guess the two to be exactly identical. "This house is a complete mess. Most of our stuff is falling apart. How is this nice?"
He has a point. Compared to any house in the Lost Cities- even Marella's, which is relatively plain considering, say, Everglen- this house is nowhere near respectable. But after living in a cave, Marella's housing standards have lowered. "It's a lot nicer than where I currently live."
"Which is?"
"A cave. In the middle of a desert. In the middle of nowhere."
"Sounds like my dream house. How many lusters?" jokes Linh.
Marella laughs.
She isn't normally self conscious about her laugh, but she kind of hates it right now. It starts out with a snort, then a few quiet giggles, then a loudish sort of guffaw. Linh's laugh is much nicer- a big smile brightening the room as her shoulders shake with bright, musical mirth. Marella wants to record the sound and listen to it any time she feels down, because just listening to Linh laughing makes her feel lighter inside.
Tam doesn't laugh.
What a surprise.
"How did you guys manage to get an actual house?" Marella says.
Linh scoots a little closer to Marella. "The leaping crystal after we got banished led us to a part of the forest about half a mile away. Some gnomes found us and helped us."
"Nice of them."
"Yeah." After a short pause, Linh stands up. Marella slumps slightly in disappointment. They were so close to each other! That was awesome! Terrifying, yeah, but awesome. Good things can't last all that long, she supposes. "I'm gonna go change out of my Exillium uniform...?" says Linh, phrasing it like a question, and Marella wonders if she's not the only one here that's kind of nervous.
Why would Linh be nervous, though? Marella's nervous because Linh is a very pretty girl, but Linh probably isn't into girls, and therefore Marella's own decent beauty wouldn't send Linh into panic. Maybe she's just shy and nervous around all people she doesn't know well? She does seem to be on the quiet side, so that makes sense.
With a shock, she remembers that Linh said something and it's typically polite to respond when someone talks. "Oh. Um. Yeah. Those uniforms do kinda suck."
Linh gives a little wave and leaves the room. Faint footsteps are still audible from where Marella sits. Her gaze follows the spot where she could see Linh last. When she realizes she's been staring, her head snaps back to Tam. Who's been looking at her.
Not looking. More like glaring.
What did she do? Marella hasn't known Tam all that long! How could she have offended him? Perhaps her mere presence is exceptionally rude?
"I'm still trying to figure out why my sister wants to help you," she hears, in a low voice that sounds a lot like Tam's. "She's known you for only a few days with minimal actual interactions, and yet she seems to like you."
Tam's lips aren't moving. But he's talking. How is... what? And why is there a shadow over her but nothing else in the room?
"It's called shadow whispering. A shade thing."
"Oh," Marella says. It feels weird to talk out loud when Tam isn't. "Anyway, thanks for all the high praise. I think Linh wants to help me because she's super nice?"
"Linh always tries to help literally anyone who needs it," he agrees. "At last count, we've taken in no less than seven animals and kept two."
"Aww." She loves animals. "Can I see the pets?"
"No. My point is, Linh loves helping people. And she thinks everyone deserves that help. That's her problem. She's way too trusting."
That's better than not trusting anyone and being obnoxious, like some people, Marella thinks, but has the sense not to say out loud. Does shadow whispering involve mind reading? She hopes not.
"Linh isn't willing to accept that most people are simply bad," continues Tam, eyes- silvery blue eyes that look exactly like Linh's- narrowing. "So she gives her trust people who shouldn't have it. And if someone breaks that trust, she'll be more upset than a normal person. So I'm warning you not to break her trust."
"I won't," Marella says, without even having to think about it. She may break rules, but she doesn't break trust.
Tam does not look like he believes her, even when she repeats it.
Even if she wanted to hurt Linh, the wrath of Tam doesn't seem to be worth it. He's a little scary, she has to admit. "You seem really protective of her," points out Marella, channeling the spirit of Captain Obvious.
Behind her, Linh's voice says "He really is. It's quite annoying. I don't need his protection. I'm the older twin."
"You're the older twin?"
At the same time, Tam grumbles "By three minutes."
"And forty two seconds!" adds Linh, walking into the room and Marella's line of eyesight, completing her transformation into a Complete Disaster Lesbian ™.
She'd thought nothing could be more gorgeous than seeing Linh for the first time in the Exillium uniform. She'd thought very, very wrong. Linh wears a light pink dress reaching to just above her knees and a white jacket and her jet black silver tipped hair in a braid. Marella forgets how to talk, breathe, or function.
Eloquently, Marella says "Um. You look. Good."
Linh's cheeks color slightly as she gives a small smile and thanks Marella. Tam rolls his eyes and walks in the direction of the staircase. Leaving Marella alone with Linh.
Leaving Marella alone with Linh!
"Um..." she says, continuing to be eloquent, as Linh sits down on the couch next to her.
"What did you do to get banished?" Linh asks in a rush. Before Marella even has time to open her mouth, she adds "Sorry! You don't have to tell me if you don't want. I don't mean to pry. Just curious, because you seem really nice and not at all like a juvenile delinquent-"
"No. Um. It's okay. I got banished because I'm a pyrokinetic and that's very illegal."
"That doesn't seem fair."
Marella shrugs. "It's the law. Anyway, you seem even nicer than me- how the mallowmelt did you get in trouble?"
"Well..." says Linh, biting her lip. "You're a pyrokinetic, so you must know how hard it is to control your ability, right?"
"Considering I set Tribunal Hall on fire, I would say yes," answers Marella, immediately wishing she hadn't shared that extra information when Linh's eyes widen. I don't need her thinking I'm a danger, or a freak, or whatever. I don't want her to dislike me, and I really don't want Tam to murder me.
"Wow. Um. Anyway. I kind of flooded Atlantis?"
"That's... impressive. You win."
"I don't really think that's a good thing," says Linh. "But Tam refused to let me be banished without him coming along, so the council banished him too. Our parents were glad to be rid of us."
Marella has no idea what to say to that. She can't imagine having parents that want to get rid of her. Her home life has never been the most stable, but she's always known her parents care about her.
Linh continues, "We've always been bad for their reputation, considering I-" She pauses, face blanching as she swallows. "Considering Tam and I are twins."
It seemed like she was going to say something else before what she actually said. Marella wonders what it was, but doesn't pry.
"They're idiots."
Linh gives a small smile. "You know, they're very well respected-"
"Well respected idiots." Anyone who doesn't like Linh is an idiot, in Marella's opinion.
"I suppose I can't argue with that," says Linh, smile widening. "Um... would you like to change out of the terrible Exillium uniform? I have some extra clothes upstairs..."
Honestly, Marella had kind of forgotten she was wearing that. "I don't think I'd fit. I'm kind of tiny."
"A little, yeah."
"I have some clothes back at the cave..." Marella's voice trails off. "I guess I should go back? It's pretty dark out. Thanks so much for-"
"No, you can stay the night," Linh interrupts quickly. "Um, it'd be bad if you got way sicker overnight and didn't have a way to get help."
That sounds great to Marella. It's possible she has an ulterior motive- that is, wanting to stay longer with Linh. "Yeah. Um. Thank you."
"Of course," Linh answers. "I can come with you to get your stuff from the cave, if you want."
"Sounds good, yeah."
Linh nods, smiling. "Tam! I'm going to get Marella's stuff! I should be back in no more than twenty minutes, so don't panic until then!"
"Okay!" Tam calls back.
"Great, you have your leaping crystal?" Linh asks. Marella nods, drawing it from her pocket. She tries not to panic as Linh takes her hand and they glitter away. Even when they're done light leaping, she doesn't let go. It's terrifying, but hey, Marella's not complaining. She grabs a few changes of clothes- it's unclear how long she'll have to stay at Linh's, depends on how long the sickness lasts- her imparter, and some of the best snacks before leaping back to Tam and Linh's house well within the time limit.
Willa greets them at the door with Marella's sweet, lavenderish medicine and a tantalizing smell. "Starkflower stew," she explains. Marella's never heard of it before, but judging by its scent, it'll taste delicious. Tam is downstairs setting the table, dressed in a black hoodie and jeans.
Linh turns to Marella. "You can go dump your stuff in my room. It's the one on the left."
Blushing, Marella nods and walks up the stairs. Despite her weighing almost nothing, each step creaks. Linh's directions seem to be correct, and the door being labeled with her name helps too. Like everything else in this house, the door creaks as she opens it.
The floor is covered by a grey carpet. A little frayed, but mostly intact. Her bed in the corner is actually made, making Linh the first person Marella knows who actually does that. Despite them being in a forest in the middle of nowhere, Linh has managed to at least somewhat personalize her room, with a somewhat battered bookshelf in one corner and flowers on the windowsill, making it pretty despite the kind of torn curtains. A furry little tomple scurries around in a cage. Marella decides to put her stuff far away from it. She ducks into an adjacent bathroom and changes into a (gasp) flannel shirt and leggings before heading downstairs.
The dinner of starkflower stew is absolutely delicious. Marella eats her serving, and then seconds, and would have gotten thirds if she felt she could eat it without bursting. It's fairly late out when they finish eating, so the gnomes go to their various homes, and Marella follows Tam and Linh upstairs, blushing when Linh offers her the chance to sleep in her room.
Even after the third time Tam yells at them to "QUIET DOWN, ALREADY!", Linh and Marella continue talking. It feels so wonderful to be allowed to converse without fearing the wrath of Exillium coaches, without there being rules against it. And of course, Marella loves the chance to actually see Linh's face. She entertains Linh with stories about Dex and her at Foxfire, and of course the triplets, while Linh tells her about some of the revenge pranks Tam's pulled on their parents. Talking to Linh is easy, and decidedly enjoyable. Finally, though they're nowhere near out of things to discuss, exhaustion causes the two to finally let their eyes close as they drift off to sleep.
Wow. Look at this. A non sadistic ending. That's... that's possible? Apparently. Also, FLUFFY MARELLINH! WOO!
Again, thank you so much for one hundred! :D You'll notice that I actually updated on time- I wrote this all in a day and may have procrastinated history homework to do so. Next week, I'll actually be updating on Sunday! *Cue shocked gasps*
Crowd: You- you barely even update on time? And now you think you'll be updated early!? That's ridiculous!
Assistant: Are you sure you should set ambitious goals like this?
Me: YES TO ALL OF THOSE!
Please review!