[IC] Family Matters (A Hedgehawk & SouffleGirl123 1x1)

[Hedgehawk]

Esme raised her hand dismissively effectively dismissing her daughter without saying a word.

"Listen Aloysius. You are supposes to be the head of the family now. And yet you act like a 14 year old boy. So naive, so stupid. You need to be focusing on what matters, keeping our family at the top."

"Here is a thought mother, maybe being the head of the family means actually looking after them" With that Aloysius stormed off and caught up with Lola. "I was being serious about what I said. About being a stormage. You got the power and the control. Despite mother, you have an excellent amount of magical control for your age. Sorry bout sinner being a bust. I should have kept my mouth shut"

[SouffleGirl123]

As soon as she was dismissed Lola left the room as fast as possible without running. Her faced burnt. Partially from anger at her mother for being so cruel for not meeting standards even she could and partially from holding back tears that had been threatening to fall that evening. She longed to just be a normal family, to not be cursed with these powers or responsibilities. She'd envied her cousins on her father's side, blissfully ignorant of the world she lived in. Even more so she longed for her father to be with her. She knew he'd know what to say to make her feel better. She'd always felt robbed of a closeness with him as she was smothered by her mother before his death.

At his words Lola shook her head. "Stormages need more than just strong hydro powers. There's more to it, in ways I lack. It's fine. I don't care much about my power, what good has it done for us anyway? Honestly I just want to be normal," she says with a sigh, continuing down the corridor but at a much slower pace. She took a moment to dwell on her brother's words before continuing on. "Dinner was always going to be a train wreck anyway, it always is. Mum either makes a remark against me or overexaggerates ignoring me, she make a fuss about how you're doing in the guild, she gets mad at one of the staff for whatever reason, you get frustrated and leave and eventually she angrily walks out. I essentially have a bingo card at this point,"

[Hedgehawk]

"I know. I know. But you shouldn't hold yourself back. If anything, just get stronger to spite mother. And I get what you mean. With dad being mundane. He was alot more centred than our dear old mother." Aloysius would take a step forward to cut Lola off before she stormed off somewhere. The pair were still grieving, and neither of them had seemed to be able to fully move on, despite the couple years it had been.

"Look. I know tonight has been a bit of a bust. How about we go out and get pizza for dinner?" Aloysius would smile goofily as he ran his hand through his hair. He knew that this wouldn't fix anything, but it could be enough to maybe cheer her up.

[SouffleGirl123]

At Al's first statement Lola sighs. "You don't get it Al. This has nothing to do with power. I don't care about how strong I get or can get or whatever. I don't want to spite mum with my strength or whatever. I just don't want any of this. I just want a family, like a real family where the mother cares more about you than the power you hold and your brother actually cares more than some of the time." Lola sighs, readjusting her books.

As Aloysius offered a pizza outing a small smile spread across Lola's face. "I would very much like that," she replies gently. As much as she wouldn't admit it she loved this side of Al. The side that actually cared for her and protected. Not that she'd ever tell him, hiding it behind her own digs, but she knew he knew. It was unspoken information between the 2 of them.

[Hedgehawk]

A part of all really wanted to contest the last part of Lola's statement. However in the grand scheme of things, it was a small point. He was not going to try and risk on causing a deeper rift. Time to let it drop.

"So, what kind of pizza place do you fancy? I know you gotta have a favourite" Al said with another goofy smile. He would take her books from her chest and place them on the side table. "Someone else can out these away. Come on. Let's go" Al said as he turned her around towards the front door. "Listen, I was thinking of going down to Miami in a few weeks, fancy coming along and lazing on a beach for a few weeks? Get away from this stuffy city?"

[SouffleGirl123]

At his question Lola shrugged, "Just somewhere... normal. The next time I have to eat some gourmet barely pizza pizza I will barf," she jokes although her voice was relatively monotonous. She allows the man to take away her books and shove them out of the way. Lola knew there were people to do that for her but it was a good excuse to get out of a bad situation.

At his last offer Lola couldn't help but chuckle. ”Because every young man wants to drag their little sister on vacay with them," she states sarcastically, unsure what to make of the offer. Getting away definitely sounded like something she really needed and Summer holidays were right around the corner but what were the chances this was just Al trying to be nice?

[Hedgehawk]

"Well, I only prefer the smaller pizza places anyway. I am not a fan of fine dining myself. Greasy food just tastes better!" Aloysius said with a soft chuckle. He would slowly lead the duo towards the front door, picking up his jacket as he did and sliding it on. "It is not like i could actually pull anyone. Sides, I can't remember the last time we had a family vacation. If I was to hazard a guess it was back to Japan when I was 13" Buttoning up his jacket, he took a moment to pull a comb out and run it through his hair so that the parting was nice and neat.

"It will be fun to laze around and take in some sun. We could even just drive and go somewhere else. So long as it isn't New York." Aloysius would then open the front door and hold it for Lola to let her out. "Besides, it will be nice to get close to the water, it might help you feel refreshed"

[SouffleGirl123]

As Al slipped on his jacket his younger sister swapped out her school blazer for her baby blue cardigan hanging on the coat rack. A small smile crossed her face as Aloysius mentioned their trip to Japan 6 years ago. She'd remember her father's excitement in taking the family back to his homeland. He'd spoken in almost exclusively Japanese for the month leading up to it. Lola remembered as the man excitedly dragged them all through the trek up Mount Yoshino early one morning to see the cherry blossoms he loved so much he gave his daughter her Japanese name after them. ”Yeah, sounds about right," she replies, closing the front of her cardigan over her chest and holding it in place.

She exits the door in front of her brother. ”Yeah, a getaway sounds nice. Guess it'll be good to recharge before junior year starts. How is it that woman can still demand total perfection while acting like I'm a lost cause?" Lola asks, tucking some loose hair behind her ear and allowing her brother to lead her through the long ornate driveway.

[Hedgehawk]

Closing the door behind him, he didn't even both to tell his mother they were leaving. What was the point? She would be watching from afar. He would get an ear full about it later, but he would make sure that Lola was far out of sight at that point. There was no need to drag her any further into any of this.

"It is because she is projecting her own insecurities onto you. She wasn't a success so she wants you to be. In a really roundabout kind of way, it is endearing. It is her way of showing she cares. Even though she does it with zero diplomacy or tact at all." Aloysius pondered as he walked down the driveway with his sister in tow. "On the otherhand, she is obsessed with power and status. She wants to she the Leighton's back at the top of the pecking order once again."

[SouffleGirl123]

Lola lets out a low laugh ”Care is the last thing that woman feels toward me, I can promise you that," the teen replies as she follows her brother to the car. She wordlessly slips into his passenger seat, waiting until he got himself set up before speaking again.

”What do you think dad would dad would say at a time like this?" she asks him gently, her eyes situated on the remainder of the drive ahead.

[Hedgehawk]

Aloysius would carefully close the passenger side door before waking across and getting settled in the driver side himself. putting on his seatbelt he heard her question, and elected not to answer until he had started the car and drove off into the New York traffic.

"Honestly. He would say something along the lines of only do things that make you happy." Aloysius would turn onto a main road before continuing. "Hey would also say that pissing mother off is a bad idea" Aloysius said with a soft laugh. Sadly they got stuck in traffic almost right away, hitting the brake Aloysius tapped the wheel. "Knew we should have taken the subway." He said with a laugh.

[SouffleGirl123]

Lola gave an unsatisfied sigh at Aloysius. ”I guess I was looking for something more... encouraging?" Haruki Leighton seemed to always have hope, he seemed to always know exactly what to say and when in a way only a good father could. Unfortunately for his children, neither inherited that trait, both jaded by their mother's way of living, or maybe it was genetic. ”I don't think you capture him right," she half-jokes.

[Hedgehawk]

"Encouraging huh?" Aloysius thought for a moment before the traffic began to clear up. Finally they were on the move again. As they closed in on their location Aloysius gave it another stab. "Power doesn't come from a number or a whatever a person things of you. Power comes from being able to stand up for what you think is right" Aloysius would turn off onto a small back road, stopping infront of a small pizza parlour, the kind of place that tourists didn't go to. "That any better?" He said as he turned the car off and undid his seatbelt.

Getting out of the car he walked over to the passenger side and opened the passenger door for Lola to be able to get out. He would then lock the car and move over to the door and once more open it to allow Lola inside. The place wasn't elegant by any stretch of the imagination. If anything it was cramped, long and narrow. Still, it had a certain charm about it. Aloysius got them a booth at the back of the place and sat down, going through the menu deciding what he would like.

[SouffleGirl123]

”Thanks for trying, Al," she replies simply, patting the man's hand a couple of times as it lingered on the gearstick. It very much wasn't the same, not that Al could help that. Lola knew he was trying his best, she supposed nothing beat the real thing.

She stayed silent, remaining in the passenger seat until Aloysius came around and opened her door. She slipped out of her seat and followed him into the shop. She could feel her stomach grumble as soon as she inhaled the scent of pizza. The place may have been far from fancy, and definitely far from their mother's high standards, but those were the best. Lola took her seat across from her brother. She only really had one person on her mind and missing him hurt. Lola felt she didn't really get the time to grieve her father, or at keast to process that grief. Part if her felt stupid for how much pain his death held for her considering he was closer to Al than her and he seemed to be fine about it. She looked up at her brother with big sad eyes, unable to contain her thoughts anymore. ”Is it dumb that I still miss him so much? Even after 3 years?"

[Hedgehawk]

"Honestly, it isn't dumb at all. I still miss him too. A lot. Things made alot more sense. Then suddenly it didn't" Aloysius let out a sigh and lowered his eyes and raised the menu a little more to help disguise his own sad eyes. Though it was by far a perfect job. He would glance through the menu, finally deciding his order. "I think I have decided on what I am going to have. I am going to go for a simple pepperoni pizza" He smiled weakly.

[SouffleGirl123]

Lola sighs, eying the menu herself. ”I just wish we had more time. You're lucky, Al. You got so many memories with him," she muses. With their mother being set on Lola becoming the heir to the Leighton prestige she was left with little time to spend on anything else. With Al being somewhat neglected by their mother at the time their father stepped up for him. Lola never blamed him for that but she did wish she got that time with him.

At Al's declaration of his dinner choice Lola gave him a meek smile in return. ”I could go for a pepperoni pizza too,"

[Hedgehawk]

"Yeah. I feel bad because mother was so obsessed with you that no one else could get a word in edgeways." Aloysius would order the pair their pizzas with ease and dismissed the waitress while still thinking about their father. "He really just wanted the best for you. He was driven like mother. He wanted to see his little princess blossom at the top."

"You know. I had considered trying to learn soul capturing once he died. Try and use necromancy to bring him back. I know it was a forbidden art, but I missed him so much. Life kinda just felt empty with him gone. I have tried my best ever since to try and find a way to contact him in the afterlife. But since he was mundane, it's harder than trying to pick out a Magi spirit." Aloysius let out a sigh, fingers running along his scalp and parting his hair as he did. There was alot of stuff Aloysius never got to work through after the death of his father. His family had made it clear about how he had to grow up.

[SouffleGirl123]

”Well, tag, you're it" Lola replies to Al's first comment. ”I don't really want any part in her plans anymore," She purses her lips as Al speaks, his words actually striking a chord for the first time that evening.

”I guess he left a mark on both of us, hey," she replies, poking at the cutlery on the table. ”Well, if you every cave in and try, tell him I said hi,"

[Hedgehawk]

"Well I have already started some of it" With a small smile Aloysius moved his hand to under his shirt, before pulling out and revealing a small white elongated crystal attached to some string. "It's a soul catcher crystal. Let's you capture the soul of those near departed. If I can summon Dad back to the material realm I can catch him with this." He would then slide the crystal back back under his shirt. "Officially the Guild doesn't know about this. And they don't need to know that I am looking at illegal magics" Aloysius said with both a stern and sweet tone. He clearly didn't want to be his mother around Lola, but at the same time he was trying to impress the importance of what he just said. Before long, the waitress returned with their food. Aloysius thanked the waitress, she was a pleasant young woman with purple hair and a deep southern twang to her voice. With a disarming smile, the woman left and let Lola and Al tackle their pizzas.

[SouffleGirl123]

”And what does mummy dearest think of her prized son working on soul catching her dead husband, hmm?" Lola asks before tucking into her first slice of pizza. She couldn't help but let out a satisfied sigh as she takes the first bite if the greasy, cheesy slice.