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[onebadapple]

"Why hello there! I'm afraid you just missed me! But oh, don't fret, I'll be back soon and return your message promptly. Bye bye now!"

Comments

[onebadapple]

It's my pleasure to do it, Chloe. I promise. Why don't you come by later today for it?

[tagartist]

Yeah. Sure. I have something for you anyway, so it can be like a gift exchange or something.

[onebadapple]

Ah.... [Snow White is always, always, always taken by surprise when someone makes her something.]

You made me something?

But why, dear?

[tagartist]

[ A confusion she can fully appreciate. ]

I dunno. I wanted to, y'know... Make up for being mean, I guess. Gabe let me use his kitchen and I used my mom's recipe, but I hope you like chocolate? Everyone likes chocolate, right? That's gotta be a thing.

[onebadapple]

Gabe? Oh! You mean Gabriel! How wonderful that you know him! Isn't Sir Gabriel wonderful? He's really very kind. I think you're very kind too, Chloe, you just don't want people knowing you are.

I love chocolate! I'll have to make you a Black Forest cake, that's oodles of chocolate.

[tagartist]

He's been hella cool, which is a nice change. Most old dudes I know are kinda... not. I - [ She's wrinkling her nose at being called kind, but at least she doesn't argue it. ]

Cool. I'd like that. I don't get to bake very often, but I've always loved getting to trade recipes with people.

[onebadapple]

Oh yes, Sir Gabriel is very cool! [Snow knows slang! Well, no, but Evie uses it sometimes and so have others.] I hope you saved him some of those brownies, chocolate is his biggest weakness, you know.

Well, I do own a bakery, if you like, you're welcome to come by and try your hand at any recipe that tickles your interest! And I've plenty of recipes to trade... though some of them I have to keep secret.

[tagartist]

I didn't know that, but I'm totally saving the tidbit for a rainy day when I need to bribe him.

That would be really awesome. My mom helped run a diner, so I totally get the need for keeping things under wraps. No one's gonna come buy from you if they know how to replicate it at home.

[onebadapple]

I'll have to teach you my brownie recipe, then, those are his favorite. Just don't put any nuts in them.

Oh! What was your mother like? I'm sure she was lovely for you to speak so fondly of her.

[tagartist]

Does he not like nuts?

[ Mmm her mother. Chloe's quiet for a second as she mulls the best way to describe this. ]

She was. Is. I guess. My mom's a good person. She likes to take care of people. She wanted to be a teacher for a really long time, but... After my dad died, I guess it just wasn't possible since we had to worry about how to not lose everything else we had. She works really hard and she gave up so much to try and keep our heads above water. But... I dunno. Somewhere along the way, she just got sad and lonely and... tired.

It's my fault, I guess. Hopefully things'll be better now that she doesn't have to worry about taking care of me anymore.

[onebadapple]

Not in his brownies. Though I don't blame him, I don't like nuts in my brownies either.

Oh Chloe... it isn't your fault, you both were deeply hurt by the loss. I know how much it hurts to lose a father. I never got to meet my mother, but I lost my father when I was seven.

And your mother... I'm sure she's missing you terribly. A real mother always does.

[tagartist]

Good to know. [ And a quiet relief that she didn't add nuts into the brownies she made for her. Points for thinking ahead, Price. ]

Yeah, it... blows. I didn't make things easy on her after, though. I was pretty awful, even. She told me a few times that I was wearing her out or driving her crazy.

[onebadapple]

You were in mourning, Chloe. I don't know anyone who is a perfect person when in mourning.

But... we sometimes forget how much those we love are hurting as well when we're caught up in our own pain. Even if she said that she knew you loved her, and I'm sure you knew that she loved you. We can't make the proper apologies we need to while we're here, but that doesn't mean we can't apologize. Perhaps you can go to the memory tree and apologize to a memory leaf of her if that's something you'd like to do.

[tagartist]

Yeah. I guess.

What's the memory tree?

[onebadapple]

The memory tree is near the wall of names, every leaf shows a memory from your life either here or from home.

[tagartist]

[ ........................... Why does that sound like a terrible thing to her?

Oh yeah. 90% of her memories suck. ]

I guess it might be nice to see her face again. Maybe I'll give it a shot.

[onebadapple]

Would you like me and my animal friends to go with you?

[tagartist]

Your -- ... Right.

That uh - That would actually be really nice, yeah.

[onebadapple]

They're all very friendly, don't be scared about Bernard or Frederick or Sarah, alright? And I'm sure you'll get along with Abigail.

When would you like to go?

[tagartist]

I... say this politely as possible, but uh - who the fuck are they and why would I be scared of them?

My mom's birthday is July third, so... maybe then? If you're free... It's cool if you're busy.

[onebadapple]

Bernard and Frederick are bears, Sarah is a cougar or mountain lion if you know that name instead, and Abigail is a golden hawk! But I have other friends coming along, those four just tend to worry people the most.

That's a month and then some from now, I'd be happy to come with you.

[tagartist]

[ ............................................................................................................................

Maybe she takes back the sorry for calling her crazy, it's just shifted focuses to what she's crazy about. ]

Yeah, I wonder why they get worried about meeting typically aggressive predators. Why are you friends with aggressive predators?

[onebadapple]

Oh, I understand why they worry, but around me they're very well behaved. And I'm friends with every animal that wants to be friends, Chloe! [Besides, people are much more dangerous than a bear.]

Bernard and Frederick have been with me for years! Bernard has been with me almost as long as I've been here. He loves to take baths, poor Ariel, she went to take a bath and Bernard was still in the tub when she went. She adored water, she was a mermaid before she was given legs, isn't that amazing? But now he knows to use my tub in the master bedroom rather than the guest tub.

Frederick is much more shy, but they both give excellent hugs.

[tagartist]

[ What does she even say to that? She has some lingering concerns. Big ones. Why does she know how a bear gives hugs? She’s friends with the Little Mermaid because of course she is. Why is the bear TAKING BATHS IN HER HOUSE what is even going on anymore, is this real life???? ]

I… feel like brushing Disney movies off as unrealistic so readily as a kid really did me a disservice all of a sudden.

[onebadapple]

A Disney movie? I didn't know Mickey and Minnie made movies at their castle! They never told me! [Because, wouldn't you know it, in Kingdom Hearts their castle is the Disney Castle and Snow knows all about that.]

But just look at it this way, Chloe, what might be unrealistic for you is common every day for someone else and vice versa! I can speak to animals quite well but when people talk about things like phones and computers, I'm completely lost!