* / the maull

dependent mumu for shrikehq with muses lovingly tortured by may / she/they, twenty-four.

august vogel / intro

hey look, it’s august vogel! he’s twenty-four years old, he’s lived in shrike heights for seven years, and he’s currently working at high scores. i heard he’s pretty mysterious, but i think he’s so devoted at the same time. can he make it out alive? ― deaken bluman, gay, male + he/him. 

florian bonavita / intro

hey look, it’s florian bonavita! he’s twenty-one years old, he’s lived in shrike heights for his whole life, and he’s currently working at come what may. i heard he’s pretty abrasive, but i think he’s so sensual at the same time. can he make it out alive? ― lorenzo zurzolo, bisexual, male + he/him.

marina davies / intro 

hey look, it’s marina davies! she’s twenty-five years old, she’s lived in shrike heights for her whole life, and she’s currently working at shrike aquatic centre and spa service, the jazzercise studio and donna’s roller disco. i heard she’s pretty intense, but i think she’s so capable at the same time. can she make it out alive? ― madelyn cline, bisexual, female + she/her.

sebastian ‘bash’ monet / intro

hey look, it’s sebastian ‘bash’ monet! he’s twenty-five years old, he’s lived in shrike heights for one week, and he’s currently working at dirtbusters. i heard he’s pretty lost, but i think he’s so kind at the same time. can he make it out alive? ― archie renaux, bisexual, male + he/him.

wilhelmina ‘billie’ reid / intro

hey look, it’s wilhelmina ‘billie’ reid! she’s twenty-four years old, she’s lived in shrike heights for twenty-two years, and she’s currently working at solstice comics. i heard she’s pretty insecure, but i think she’s so persistent at the same time. can she make it out alive? ― antonia gentry, bisexual, female + she/her.

                “ that’s exactly what my doctor told me , ” he told her falsely , though at this point they both knew that the conversation was nothing to take seriously - which in all honesty , was a running theme throughout all of the conversations bo and marina shared . “ excuse me ?! ” bo tried his best to act not only shocked at her question , but offended , too . “ i can’t believe you’re literally questioning the validity of my doctor right now , ” it would have been a lie to say that bo wasn’t proud to have pulled out such an intelligent sounding word such as ‘ validity ’ . “ my doctor went to the finest med school in the entire country , man , get out of here with your stupid questions , ” he waved her away with a hand , but the grin on his face invited her to stay . his bright laughter echoed through the lodge as marina called ian pretty - something that bo had always agreed with . “ it really isn’t a horrible way to spend my time , i think it might actually be my favourite thing in the world , ” he didn’t want to come across like he was boasting about his relationship , but he struggled to stop himself when he was so happy in it , and so proud that ian of all people - his absolute best friend - was his partner . “ he is pretty pretty , hey ? ” he asked with a laugh ; a question he didn’t actually expect her to answer . “ but i’m still eager to get out and do some stuff while we’re up here , ” he concluded . 

Lila couldn’t agree more with Florian’s opinion of Sweeney. She was no saint herself, acting selfishly almost all of the time and impulsively seeking on revenge for any perceived wrongdoing, but she didn’t have the same disregard for life as the mayor’s actions showed. “As long as the town is spitting out money and he’s left in one piece, I don’t think he does give a shit about what happens to the rest of us.” She echoed his words. The same could be said about the investors and the people running the mall. “Shitty thing is I don’t know that many people who would want his job right about now, even if they’re desperate for change, so we might be stuck with him for who knows how long.” On the one hand she couldn’t blame anyone for not wanting to shoulder the responsibility of keeping the town safe and running during these extremely trying times, but on the other she couldn’t imagine how there was going to be anyone left in town if some sort of change didn’t happen. Maybe it didn’t even matter that much. Even if Sweeney wasn’t in office, the authorities in town weren’t going to suddenly become competent enough to piece this mystery together in a timely manner.

She bit down on her tongue, keeping a comment about how she wasn’t sure if any events, thrown by the town or not, were necessarily safe. Halloween proved that even smaller gathers put together by the residents of the town were targets for these people. “You’re probably right. The New Year’s bash here is probably going to be overrated compared to anything someone else is putting on, and I’m willing to bet there are at least a couple other parties happening somewhere in town.” Probably full of people who that the party here would be a better target. Ultimately bouncing around, making appearances at a couple was likely how she’d spend the night. Maybe cause some harmless mayhem if she felt up to it – anything she would’ve enjoyed before finding herself a victim of one of the attacks. “Can’t say I’ve ever really hung out around there, but whatever they’re doing has to at least be better than this.” She motioned towards the failed craft in front of her.

the reality of their town was awfully bleak. florian had gone through an impressive amount of character development and growth as a person in his teen years - going from saddened, shy, and bullied to a much more confident, outgoing, and sure person - but as he thought about their mayor, and the terrible circumstances they lived in, it was hard for florian to remain the strong person he had built himself up to be. the cruelty and selfishness threatened to force florian into regression, back into a person much like the boy who struggled so badly, but florian didn’t want to give in that easily. florian was prepared to fight, if he could. “well of course nobody would really want the job, sweeney’s made such a mess of it all, it would be hell to step into that position,” he agreed with lila. “i bet there are people in town who’d actually give it a really good try, and who could do a pretty decent job, but it definitely wouldn’t be easy. i’m not a mayoral kind of person anyway, but even if i was, i don’t think i could do it,” it wasn’t a very helpful or hopeful thought, but it was the truth. 

nel was well and truly shocked, though she wasn’t hurt that she didn’t know purely because of how amusing it wasn’t that she didn’t, and that she hadn’t for so long. if she had been a cartoon character, her jaw would still be sitting on the ground in shock, though in reality, her mouth was wide but with a grin and with laughter. “oh no, no you can’t pin this on me! it’s totally not my fault!” clearly, nel had stopped caring about whether or not they’d get caught together in the bathroom - they were clever enough to come up with an excuse after all - because she was so amused and shocked and immersed in the conversation. “even if you’re the most private person in the world, augie, you’re meant to tell your best friend!” her voice got high and squeaky as she accused august of being the missing piece to the puzzle in her mind. “please don’t tell me that you have a boyfriend right now, and that i don’t know about him- oh god, please don’t tell me that you’re like, fucking married or some shit, and that i don’t know about it,” she laughed louder than before, shaking her head and crossing her arms over her chest as she squared up to him, waiting for an answer. of course, it went without saying that august didn’t have to tell nel anything that he didn’t want to, but the information was safe with nel, and she hoped that he’d understand all of that without her having to lay it out explicitly.

“The more it’s talked about, the more I think I might take a trip somewhere a little warmer next winter as a treat.” There was no guarantee either one of them would make it to next winter with how things continued in Shrike Heights, but it wasn’t something Rosario was going to mention, especially when the whole trip to the cabins was supposed to be a nice distraction for everyone. “Just requires a little planning and saving up on my end, which shouldn’t be too hard. I’ll just have to navigate through the mall with a blindfold on or something so all the sales don’t tempt me to buy a bunch of things I probably don’t need.” They joked lightly. Wasting money at the mall wasn’t really an issue for her seeing as though she wasn’t entirely comfortable with the idea of spending too much time there outside of work. If anything, picking up essentials at the gas station instead of the grocers was the biggest hit to her wallet. That or all the distractions she chased down at Wastoid.

Rosario nodded, thankful that mentality was more in the past for herself now. While they still took their own risks every now and then, they had learned to be a little more cautious, especially in the last year or two when certain risks really could be a matter of life or death. “Definitely.” She found herself agreeing again. “Totally get when people can’t go out there and try things, but I think it definitely adds to the whole experience of life when you are able to go out and try new things. Even if it ends up being some kind of failure or makes you look foolish, at least you can say you went out and tried it.” Everyone was different and entitled to live their lives the way they wanted of course, but a life lived without taking risks or trying new things never appealed to them. Ever since she was small, she knew she wanted to experience as much of what the world had to offer as possible. Maybe it was because when she was young, she learned through what happened to her parents that life wasn’t always fair or as long as one might think. “Exactly. I never understood taking something you enjoy and turning it into something that feels almost soul sucking with competition or something.” There were of course some people who thrived off and enjoyed competition, and they did in a few things, but overall it wasn’t something they enjoyed themself. “Only thing I think I’ve been competitive in lately is decorating for the holidays, but even that is more about challenging my creativity than it is about outdoing my neighbor.”

as marina had been saying, life was so unpredictable. she could never truly know what was going to be happening next winter, and even if she were to find out that rosario was the most well-planned and organised person in the entire world, not even then would they be able to know for sure what was going to be happening then. regardless, the sound of a trip somewhere warmer was a plan that marina hoped at least one of them could follow through. after the past couple of years in shrike heights, marina was positive that just about any resident deserved to find that kind of relief. she laughed at the suggestion of them having to walk through the mall blindfolded, though in all honesty, marina couldn’t stop herself from thinking about the more practical way that they could avoid spending there money there, which was being scared away from the venue by the killers. marina didn’t wish for any more attacks to occur, but even already, she found herself spending less money than she would have otherwise because of the history the mall already contained. it became easier and easier to spend time away from all the new stores when she knew what had gone on inside of a lot of them. while marina could have brought that up, she naturally avoided tainting the conversation with such painful thoughts. “i’ll keep my fingers crossed,” she offered, laughing quietly and cheerfully. 

“I think it’s a fine name, don’t get me wrong it’s just a bit ironic,” he defended himself. He hadn’t meant to offend Leaf (or Florian from the sounds of it) by his statement. He liked that Leaf was called Leaf. He couldn’t imagine his friend going by something like Sam or Greg. The peculiar name fit the peculiar person and Ian meant that in the best way possible. Ian loved Leaf and while he no longer had romantic attraction towards them he still loved them as a friend all the same. 

“Yeah that sounds about right,” Ian agreed. It seemed like those with all the money had all the power and they didn’t care how helpless the rest of the town felt working in the circumstances they did. It seemed that everyone lived in constant fear of an attack if they weren’t actively under one. No one with money was anywhere near the mall when tragedy strikes so clearly their heads were somewhere else entirely. “I feel like there’d have to be a button or something. I mean I barely know how to stop in these things and my feet are on the ground,” Ian said as he looked down at the skates on his feet. He still wasn’t 100% sure of himself but he hadn’t fallen just yet. “At least in hoverskates you’d hope there’d be no chance of falling.” 

Ian could feel his face growing a little red at Florian’s honesty. He didn’t assume anything of him working there but it still was shocking to hear the assumptions laid out in front of him like that. Ian could never work retail in a place like that, he lacked the maturity. His comfort level with sexual things was pretty much exclusively reserved for the bedroom. “Yeah, I can only imagine. It seems like a decent enough gig if you can handle the customers,” Ian replied. “I don’t know if handing out prizes is the right way to go. I don’t even want to begin to imagine what you could give out prizes for at Come What May,” he said with a shake of his head. He didn’t want to imagine what people’d have to work towards to win some plushie or a glittery water tube… or what they’d do with them. 

at ian’s defence, florian reminded himself to not be offended. ian really hadn’t said anything bad about leaf, his words hadn’t come across as terribly as florian made it sound like they had, it was just the feelings that florian had for leaf making him extra defensive. if he couldn’t have also found humour in it, florian would have felt so embarrassed for showing such intense interest in them - and in front of one of their closest friends, too. “yeah,” florian agreed with a chuckle, shaking his head - mostly out of amusement over himself. 

florian didn’t like thinking of those in high places. those with so much money that they stopped behaving like a real human, and like a monster instead. it was tough to know that those people were the ones who had all of the control, and while florian had a lot of thoughts on the matter, he didn’t feel it necessary to sour their mood with more speak of such awfulness - even though it was his own fault for bringing them up in the first place. 

“a button make sense,” he was much happier to return to the conversation about hover skates. “hmm, i’m not sure i agree with that, though,” he argued as ian spoke about not falling on hover skates. “i mean, maybe if they can invent hover skates they can also invent something that stops people from falling over - and there’s also not the risk of things that send someone flying like you get with wheels in contact with the ground - but i would think that falling is possible, and probably a little harsher from a bit of a height.” 

“How do you live in a place for seven years without exploring all of it?” Ben asked teasingly. “I’m kidding, I’m kidding. I lived in Chicago for most of my life and never really explored all of it. And Shrike seems to be changing a lot. At least in the past couple of years, with the mall popping up and everything,” he said. Well, maybe it wasn’t fair to compare a big city to a small town like Shrike, but still. He understood not having explored the entirety of a place. Especially when people settled into schedules and routines. It was just part human nature.

Ben nodded when the other agreed that his plans to relax sounded good. “I may as well get it while I can. Before things start picking up again at the clinic,” he said. Ben didn’t want to say that he had his suspicions that things had been a little too quiet lately with the killers still on the loose and nothing having happened in a few months. It almost seemed like clockwork. Which boggled his mind on why they hadn’t been set up and caught yet.

“Hopefully you can convince your friend. No better time for ice skating than now, if you ask me. Before the cold is gone anyway. I agree, though. I think it’s the change in scenery that makes it feel more like a vacation than the act of just not doing much,” he rationalized. “It feels like something new and invigorating, even if you’re just… reading a book, or having a smoke,” he chuckled, bringing his cigarette back to his lips.

august laughed and he nodded his head because the teasing had truth to it. “honestly, it’s kind of shameful to have lived in a place as small as shrike heights for this long without exploring it all. in my defence, though, video games are to blame,” he admits, truthfully but in jest at the same time. “i got a job at the arcade pretty much right after moving here, and i became one of those mindless zombies that the news warns you about. you’re lucky to see me outside at all, in fact,” he laughed. “it’s a lot more understandable for chicago,” he spoke up again after a minute. “to not explore it all, that is. it’s way bigger than this place. not that i’ve ever been there myself, but that’s not my point,” he chuckled. “i think it’s safe to assume that every place is bigger than shrike, so even if i’m not exactly right, i’m not exactly wrong,” he defended his lack of knowledge, though he did know for sure that chicago was monstrously bigger than shrike heights, so the defence was coming up for no good reason.

               he’s afraid that he’s crossed a line, that billie wants privacy, only her own company, or maybe the company of anyone other than the person who is a reminder of the trauma they endured together. joshua’s anxiety is always there, always sitting at the bottom of his chest and the bottom of his stomach, always waiting to creep up, and the second this concern crosses his mind it’s in full force. he can feel a panic attack brewing, the pieces slowly moving into place to make it happen, but the progress is slow - very likely because of the medication in his system. 

               watching billie react to his presence, and to everything that he’s said, he feels close to tears in his worry that he’s done the wrong thing and worsened things for billie - but then she asks him to sit. again, he feels close to tears, but this time it’s with relief. there really is nowhere else that joshua would like to be right now, after everything that has happened, and he’s so relieved that she’s receptive of the company. “yeah, of course i’ll sit with you,” he finally says, after billie asks him the second time. “of course, yeah.” 

               he walks over to the side of her bed, and he pulls up a chair, carefully lowering himself into it. his body doesn’t feel right, with the medication and the bodily processes happening such as the brewing panic attack, but he does feel at least a little better, being off of his feet, and being close to billie. he exhales loudly, his breath trembling. “thank you,” he begins timidly. “for letting me be here.”

august vogel ― he would have had a stronger opinion when he first moved to shrike heights, but now that the novelty of working at the arcade has worn off, he feels pretty much the same about all retail jobs. he'd less likely work at an establishment with food, but retail is retail, whether you're selling the customer clothes or the chance to make a fool of themselves on the roller rink. so, out of anywhere in the mall, august would hate having a higher up job in one of the offices. he'd hate to be made to work harder than he currently does by being something like a general manager or a lawyer or all of the other titles he's not qualified for.

florian bonavita ― florian would likely be able to find something that he liked about working in most stores, even if it was only his co-workers. he'd probably never want to work at dirtbusters, though, as not only is it dirty work that he doesn't particularly care for, but it's also not the same kind of structure as other stores that would allow him to bond with co-workers or customers - as least, that's what he thinks. additionally, florian would never be able to work at most places in the food court, as the last thing he wants to do is come home to his vegetarian partner every night smelling like meat products.

marina davies ― it's hard to pinpoint only one store that marina wouldn't want to work at, but to answer more broadly, it would be anywhere that doesn't involve participation and movement from her in a more hands on and athletic manner. where she works now, the aquatic centre, the jazzercise studio, and donna's, they all require her to participate in activities that she absolutely loves, and now that she's been treated to such great means of work, she couldn't work anywhere else.

bash monet ― the cinema. the first trip bash took to the cinema once he left his hometown was a nightmarish experience; while he had already realised that the strict, religious upbringing wasn't something that he resonated with or could live with any longer, he hadn't realised how much his parents and his faith dictated. it's safe to say that the films he was allowed to watch were so different to the one bash decided to see by chance, and it was jarring and traumatising for the bash, who was still trying to get acclimated in the real world. though he's slowly opening himself up to more and more, he doesn't think that he could ever work at the cinema and be forced to catch glimpses of stories filled with sex and violence.

Ryanne nodded along as the two made their way inside the warmth of the lodge. “Of course, can’t imagine having too much fun here without you.” Her smile slowly shifted into a more serious expression as Billie continued to speak. While she was happy to get away from the town and everything that came with it, but she was also perfectly fine with holding a conversation about the toll everything had taken on the pair. After all, the other was probably the only person she would truly confide in. “I know what you mean.” She reassured her friend. “I’ve definitely spent my fair share of time locked up in my apartment in the last two years.” She was already a fearful person to begin with, the beginning of the attacks and then falling victim to two only worsened it. There was no denying it felt safer to hide away day after day, but it didn’t really feel like any way to live. She gently nudged her friend’s shoulder, “If you ever need someone to drag you out somewhere, you can always give me a call. I think it’d be good for both of us.” The only way anyone was going to survive all this was if they leaned on other people from time to time, at least that’s what Ryanne thought.

She got some hot chocolate for the pair, handing one of the mugs over to the other before continuing. “It doesn’t have to be anything big like this either. Could just be getting groceries or something.” A thoughtful silence followed her words as she let the heat coming off the mug warm her hands. “I might even prefer it if it’s something smaller.” A sad sort of laugh accompanied the statement. “I think I’m still getting used to the idea of going to the town’s larger events again.” It was something she was sure Billie could relate to following the carnival. “I want to try to go back, eventually. It’s just…” Her brows furrowed slightly. “I feel like it would help, but it still doesn’t feel safe to do so right now, you know?” The Spooktacular went on without an issue this year, but it was of little comfort considering an afterparty was still attacked that same night.

billie didn’t know what she’d do without ryanne. it had been so easy to let herself become half of who she once was, a shell of a human being compared to herself at her full potential, and that was such a miserable feeling, as easy as it came on nowadays. she was sure that it was an experience that most shrike heights residents could relate to, but even while being able to relate to her community, it didn’t make billie feel any better; what did make her feel better was spending time with her best friend. billie wouldn’t ever forget to cherish ryanne, but even so, she had a feeling that it would always take her by surprise to feel how much help her friend could give her - even when all they were doing was spending time together.

she nodded her head as ryanne spoke of her own experience over the last two years. she knew her friend well enough to already know that ryanne was a fearful person to begin with, even without her experiences with the killers, but to hear her speaking of both staying in and then the potential to get out more, billie was reminded of the fact that this wasn’t only a trip benefitting billie herself, but to get out more and to take the opportunity to live their lives - it was something that could benefit the both of them. ryanne was right, when she said it could be good for the both of them. “yeah, i’d really like that,” she nodded and she smiled. together they were both stronger and safer, and after how consuming the attacks had been, billie could also just use more quality time spent with such a cherished friend. “grocery shopping can be so tedious, honestly i quite like the idea of doing it with company.”

               “ well it’s not your job to be right all the time , ” he countered , frowning . he knew what billie was like , everyone who attended shrike high did . she was a high achiever , a hard worker , a perfectionist , so it didn’t surprise bo at all to see her so worked up over their complicated situation and her failure to protect herself from harm . “ bill , i know you’re like , the most capable person around these parts , but it’s okay for other people to help you . i can’t go back in time and change everything that happened , everything that i did , but it’s not all on you . we both could have done differently , sure , but it’s not always your fault or responsibility to handle everything on your own . ” he wasn’t sure if he was making complete sense , not being someone known for his wisdom , but it all made a great deal of sense in his mind , at least . 

“ see ! i even did that a couple times , and you said it yourself , it was really hard trying to constantly catch up . ” bo would usually be all torn up , thinking about the ways he failed as a partner , but as he found himself in such a nice position with ian right now , and knew that this was all for billie’s benefit , it felt a little easier to have the conversation . “ that’s because you’re a kind person , bill , not because it was worth missing out on class . you did it because you knew i wanted it , not because it was the best thing for you - and see , you deserve to have someone who will really honour that and be worth all of that , bill . ” he tried to convince her . “ just think about how much harder it’d be now that we’re adults , with like , adult jobs , you know ? it’s not like you can just ask teachers for extensions or anything anymore . you need someone who will have your best interest in mind . ” 

she hated how right bo was. nobody should be expected to be right all the time, just as nobody should be expected to be perfect - that was something billie had struggled with all of her life. being adopted came with its complexities and complications; billie had the perfect parents, but that came with the consequence of a crushing pressure to be perfect herself. of course, her parents had never done anything to inflict that pressure upon her, but it was a terrible way of thinking that she had never been able to break free from. “you’re right,” she told him, nodding her head. “and i know that logically it will be best to move forward, to not look back or dwell on what’s happened, but that’s all easier said than done,” she sighed. “feelings are so messy, and i really didn’t mean to get you mixed up in this whole mess,” another sigh, “i’m so sorry bo.”

“i will always show up for you, of course, marina. there’s no need to thank me at all.” aera would always show up for all of her siblings, no matter what happened to them, but especially in the case of an attack. for as long as she’s able to be there for them, she will be, even when nothing at all is wrong. she reached forward and she gently wiped the tears that threatened to roll down marina’s neck, after their journey down her pale yet blotchy face. even with the matter of the tears that fell, aera would help marina. always. it broke her heart to see marina in such a devastating state of shock, to see her so unsure of what she wanted or needed, but aera also knew that it was to be expected. after the encounter that aera had had with the killers, despite how extremely different her experience was from her sister’s, aera could understand that it was hard to make sense of anything after coming so close to such a powerful and insatiable force of death. 

“it’s okay, mina.” she tried to soothe her sister by smoothing out her hair with the gentlest touch possible. “it’s okay if you don’t know, you don’t have to know. that’s what i’m here for.” she spread her face out in a smile, trying to be encouraging and further reassuring, though she was sure that her sister would struggle to experience any feeling of hope or comfort so soon after such a traumatic event. “here, let me get you some water.” she suggested, knowing it would be good for her health while also being prompted to do so as she noticed her sister’s chapped lips. “the nurse must have left some here.” she stepped towards the water jug and cup left on the side table beside the bed, pouring the glass only halfway full before she stepped back to marina and held it out. “even if only a sip, it will be good for you.” she also hoped that it would help marina to calm down.

“i know, i know,” she told her as she cried. she knew that aera would always show up for her, just as she knew that aera would never expect any attention on herself while marina was still in the middle of the most intense moments of the aftermath of her attack - not even attention in the form of appreciation. despite having known that aera would tell her that there was no need to thank her, of course marina’s first thought was going to be to express her gratitude for her sister. after almost losing her life, and after almost watching their sibling lose theirs, too, there was an added layer of gratitude for all of her siblings, that was for sure. she almost wanted to thank aera again, but she refrained, both because she knew the conversation would only go around in circles, and because she felt her voice catch in her throat with a cry. 

“Ah, that’s true,” Aaron mused with a smile. He hadn’t thought about that, though this was mostly because he had never gone skiing and didn’t know exactly what kind of gear or clothing people generally wore for it. “But you have more speed, right? So it could also hurt when you, I don’t know, tumble over? Sorry, I have no idea, maybe I sound really stupid.” They shrugged, not wanting to speculate or argue too much about something he had no real knowledge about. Still, it was nice to somewhat try to imagine what it would be like, just to see if he would seem like something he’d like to try out for himself. They weren’t much of a daredevil by any means and anxiety stopped them from trying new things every day, but there was a part of them that wanted to desperately try to catch up on all the things they had missed out on in the past fourteen years.

They felt a little bit like a hypocrite now, knowing fully well that they weren’t particularly good to their own body. Most days he blamed it on the disconnect he felt from his own body, like it hadn’t been his in many years. No matter what happened to it, he could just shut it out, whisk himself off to a different reality where he wasn’t terrified and damaged. One where he had been able to grow up like other kids, where he had been able to develop different interests and hobbies - where he had been able to enjoy movies and music and fashion. Despite all the turbulence, the life he had lived was quite monotone at the same time. And now, learning about everything at once, it was all very overwhelming.

“Give me a moment, I’ll be right back,” Aaron promised, quickly getting up and disappearing in the direction of the counter where people were able to grab their own hot drinks. Not too long after, they returned with two mugs of hot chocolate, with plenty of marshmallows on top. “Careful, darling, it’s still hot.” They warned as they put the mugs down and retook their previous seat. “How long have you been skiing for? Did you learn it a long time ago? I’ve never seriously tried any sports myself. Or not that I can remember. I don’t think I’m a very athletic person, anyway. But I would like to try new things while I’m here.”

“don’t worry, you don’t sound stupid.” she tried to reassure him. “no one should be expected to know everything, and no one should be afraid of talking about things they’re not sure of- as long as they’re not trying to educate someone else on the matters, or something else like that, you know? but you shouldn’t worry about what you’ve said here, it’s how you can learn!” marina really didn’t think he had said the wrong thing anyway. “but you’re totally right- like, please don’t get me wrong,” she began and she chuckled. “you can do some gnarly damage skiing, especially because of the speed, totally. some crashes can be... really bad.” she nodded. “but you’re in gear, you’re prepared for the possibility at least a little. you’re more protected; if i were to slip over in my gear in the snow i’d laugh and get back up, but if i slipped on ice on my way to taking the garbage out or something, wearing jeans or sweat pants or something, i’d totally hurt myself way more. i think my main point is that winter can be dangerous no matter what you do, and that you’ve gotta be careful!” she chuckled.