@violentgallowsâââ:
It was an odd sort of feeling, to be the one that was seemingly attempting to keep the acts straight between what had happened and what had been planned to happen. Danielle couldnât see the other having planned anything of the sort that theyâd gone through, or the coming of the mist that took over the same space theyâd been at the weekend before. âYou didnât,â she seconded with a nod even as her back was towards him throughout the thought as she finished the tea for the two of them.
Granted, what had happened was something that Danielle wasnât so sure was even real or had been a side effect of what others were experiencing now that the fog rolled in and took over more of the town. She wanted to think so, only because it was a better explanation than believing what theyâd seen that night. It stuck with her, longer than she was willing to put into words out of the pure fear that sheâd end up seeing things again. âItâs never a boring day with him around,â she admitted, despite the tension felt by the simple fact that she often couldnât keep tabs on her older brother and never knew if he was getting into trouble without her or not. âItâs okay. I know you didnât mean anything by it and youâre not wrong, itâs been long overdue to have him back around again but there are plenty of times when it feels like heâs still kinda gone.â
It wasnât his fault, not with what happened to all of them where it felt like there were more ghosts between them all than any which one of them were willing to admit as Danielle often struggled and lost to her own. Her hands wrapped around the warm mug as she breathed on it softly to try and cool the tea. âIf itâs too hot, I can get you an ice cube or two.â While she preferred to feel the warmth burn the tip of her tongue at times like this, it wasnât always the case for others and she knew it. She cocked her head to the side, a furrowed look on her brow at the otherâs words as if he were experiencing what theyâd both seen in the cabin still which was â hard to believe, if she hadnât been there. âIf you want something a bit stronger than tea, I can get that for you too,â she spoke up finally, not sure if it was a good idea or not but these were strange times when sheâd been the one to invite him in rather than the other way around.
    âItâs not always so easy as to just say that youâre going to relax and actually do it. Everyone needs helps whether they can admit it or not.â She was guilty of that on more than one occasion, especially where the other was concerned. âRunning sounds healthier anyways.â
Jack knew that feeling all too well. There was no such thing as a boring day with his sister around either. In his case that luckily meant almost every day. âMaybe if,â His eyes found Danielleâs, trying to check he was not crossing the line by talking about her brother. âyou tell him that you miss him, heâll stick around more.â Or take you with him but Jack was needless to say a little weary of the Mason brothers and their whereabouts so he kept that part to himself. Last thing he wanted was to encourage them to drag Danielle down in their fall again. Though he believed she was smart enough to stand her ground, he also understood it was hard to keep your guard around family. âYou didnât hear it from me but us brothers are a little slower than you girls, you know. Youâre used to thinking three steps ahead, sometimes you need to press pause and spell it out for us.â Jack offered her a little grin with his advice.
In order to stay polite, Jack didnât admit he was not a tea-drinker while the hot, freshly-brewed cup stood in front of him. He even managed to not turn up his nose at the unknown beverage - a skill heâd developed during the imaginary tea parties heâd partaken in as a kid where the cups were usually filled with brook water. At least he wouldnât have to look out for mud or tiny fish this time. âNo, no, canât really afford to not keep a clear head these days, you know? This tea is all good, thanks. Do people really put ice cubes in there though?â Heâd never heard of such thing but his next thought made it sound believable. âDoes that make it an ice tea then?â The slightest tug at the corner of his mouth gave away heâd found back his (own particular) sense of humour.Â
Out of his jacketâs breast pocket, he dug up a sugar cube instead - you never knew when you might need one so he picked one up every time he passed by those in the precinctâs coffee corner - and dropped it to melt in the hot tea. Anything sweet enough was easier to swallow down, after all. Words being no exception to that rule, really. âYouâre filled to the brim with wisdom today, Danielle. That sounds exactly like something I would say if our roles were reversed so I guess itâs my turn to listen.â Mindlessly, his fingers had been smoothing out the sugar cubeâs wrapper and now folded it into a tiny paper plane. With ease, he gently sent it flying her way. His eyes were trained on the fast crashing landing the whole time while he admitted despite inner protest, âI think⌠ugh this is crazy- I need some help. All of this is just so scary that I- I canât seem to get over it.â