Bliss decided to see how Mary and Caora were doing. Mary was devastated after the last murderer, and this one was going to be especially hard on her, being that she had feelings for Shaun. Caora probably needed some comforting too. He had also been rather close to Shaun, as the two spent a lot of time together. It was difficult to pick which needed her help more. In truth, she wanted to help both of them. She was going to help both of them. So it was just a matter of picking who she felt would be easier to help. It was a tough choice but...
“Caora?“ Bliss knocked on the infinite trap's door.
“Can I come in?“Caora was in the corner of the room, clutching his doll while rocking back and forth.
He yelped in fear when he heard the knock, and shivered.
”Why...What’s the point?” He meekly answered.
”Shaun is dead...There’s no hope...” Bliss did a fair bit of crying last night, but she felt the need to dry her eyes on her arm.
“Caora...“ The death of a friend was a hard topic to breech with anyone. This was especially true when dealing with someone with Caora's unique quirks. But Bliss had been in the boy's position herself. The worst thing you could do was stay quiet. Anything was better than silence.
“Shaun is dead, and it's very sad..“ Bliss leaned against the frame of the door.
“But there's always hope, and I'm still here if you need anything.“ She waited for a response.
After about a minute of time, the door slowly opened, and Caora stood at the other side; his eyes were puffed from crying, his lower lip trembling. He held the doll tight to his chest.
”Miss Bliss...Can I have a hug?” The boy asked, with the kind of sad expression that could cause anyone to pity him.
There was no hesitation. The nanny leaned in to give the boy a gentle hug. She was overcome with a sense of relief. It felt good to be able to break through to Caora, but Bliss felt like she was wearing a mask the entire morning. She almost let it down in front of Cyrus, but there were too many people around. No one should see her this week.. But Bliss knew she didn’t have to keep pretending in front of Caora. The nanny wasn't sure who needed this hug more. With a sniff, she pulled away from the boy.
“So Caora, are you hungry? I cooked breakfast for everyone.“Caora calmed down after Bliss’ heartwarming hold, and managed a weak smile.
”Thank you, Miss Bliss.” He blinked upon hearing the question, and averted his eyes.
”Umm...Well...” His stomach grumbled, and he blushed.
”I...I would like that.” The nanny let out a chuckle.
“Alright, let's go.” She kept a hand on Caora's shoulder and walked him towards the dining area. If he got along better with Mary, The nanny would have considered inviting him along to cheer up the streamer. However, that did not seem like the wisest thing to do. Caora might have been cooperating, but that did not mean he wasn't still grieving, or that he would remain that way. But Mary was not outside of Bliss's thoughts. Once Caora was seated, Bliss zipped over to the kitchen and quickly returned with Caora's food.
“I'll be right back, I just have to check up on someone.” Bliss gave the trap a warm smile before heading back downstairs.
”Okay. Goodbye, Miss Bliss!” The Infinite Trap waved his dainty little arm as she left.
Bliss had good luck coaxing Mary out of her room last time, but she doubted Mary would leave her room so easily this time.
“Mary?” Bliss knocked on the door.
“Are you alright? I made breakfast for everyone.”There were faint sounds coming from the room, barely discernible, and then Mary opened the door. She had not put makeup on, and was wearing a long-sleeved sweater she found in one of the new rooms opened before Marianne’s murder. With her hair also undone to her trademark pigtails, she looked like a completely different person. She stared at the Infinite Nanny with a furious look.
”Does it look like I’m alright, Bliss? DOES IT FUCKING LOOK LIKE THAT!?”Being screamed at was not exactly what Bliss was used to hearing when she told people there was food ready.
“Gheh!” The nanny was not in an emotionally stable state herself. She could feel her heart racing inside her chest. She was never especially confident when dealing with older people, especially ones this upset. There was little her experience as a nanny could do to help get her through this situation.
“Mary, we were all hurt by what happened last night.” Bliss's voice was shaking.
“But I just wanted you to know that I'm still here if you need anything.”Mary looked like she was about to explode. Her fists clenched so hard her long nails dug into her palms and drew blood, and she bit her lip with a gnaw. And then, she began sobbing.
”Nnnnghh! I can’t believe this!” She took Bliss’ hand, and lowered her head.
”I’m sorry I yelled at you like that, Bliss! I’m just...Everything I’ve worked towards...My popularity, my fans...I wanted to deny it, but I needed the attention. And at first, I thought nothing would change, that I’d still be with people I know.” She looked up.
”But now, with Shaun dead, and poor Cookie having shut himself in his room...I realized I’m no Infinite. I can’t do anything while good people like Mondatta or Marianne get murdered. I’m nothing. And it hurts.”Bliss sighed. She wasn't sure what she would have done if the streamer had continued yelling at her. While the nanny felt like she had started to break through, she couldn't feel happy about it. Bliss was too tired.
“Oh Mary....” Her voice was wispier. Not because Bliss was trying to be gentle, but because she was really that tired. She pushed her hat off of her head and weakly wrapped her arm around Mary's shoulders. She still held onto Mary's hand as long as she permitted.
“None of us were able to protect those that died.” Bliss patted Mary's back.
“But you shouldn't be so hard on yourself. While Caora might not rely on you as much as you like, there are those of us that do. I know I wouldn't have been able to vote for Erin if you weren't there with me.” Bliss leaned away from Mary so that she could look at her face.
“I’m definitely your biggest fan in here.”Mary drew in a long breath, and sniffled.
”Really? You’re not just lying to me to make myself feel better? I know I’ve done that every day to myself...” She shivered as she felt Bliss’ touch, but she didn’t shy from it.
”...Thank you, Bliss. I’ve never met a person as amazing as you. You actually remind me of my mom, from way back. In a good way, I mean!” She added, her eyes having lightened up and her lips curled into an awkward smile. She removed herself from the half-hug, and flipped her long hair back.
”I can’t just stay here and wallow in self-pity! What kind of star shines from the backstage? I gotta be out there, making people smile!” She also winked.
”Besides, a girl’s gotta keep a healthy diet to stay slim and beautiful~”Once again, Mary seemed to be back to her bubbly self. Bliss could never turn herself around that fast, but being likened to a mother was extremely rewarding. This was why Bliss considered Mary to be such an uplifting person to be around. It was hard to stay glum after hearing a compliment like that. The nanny grinned and walked beside Mary as they approached the stairs.
“Of course. Caora is actually waiting on me, so if you sat across from him I could serve both of your breakfast. Just try to keep your hands to yourself, and I'm sure he'll stay.”Mary became flustered when Caora was mentioned.
”Eeeh? Cookie? I-I don’t know if I’m ready to see him yet! I look like a mess, and, and-Oh geez!” She began shivering, her eyes flickering between Bliss and her hands.
”I need to apologize, that I know, but will he accept it? What should I say to him? Please Bliss, help me out!” She pleaded with a pout.
“You don't need my help.” Bliss placed a reassuring hand on Mary's shoulder.
“You just need to relax and speak from the heart.” Bliss was actually really excited to put Mary and Caora together. She didn't want to force it, but it was a great way to get their mind off of things. And their antics were just adorable to watch. After a short walk, they arrived at the diner.
“Hi Caora!” Bliss waved to the boy before walking to the kitchen with Mary.
“Just stay calm, he'll forgive you as long as you mean it.” Bliss knew Mary was nervous, probably every bit as much as she was when she approached them a few minutes ago. The nanny sat down beside Caora while letting Mary sit down across from him. The idea was to make Caora feel safe while being in a place where she could give Mary signals without Caora noticing.
Caora was nibbling on a sandwich like a chipmunk when Bliss and Mary sat down at the table, and squeaked in surprise at seeing the latter.
”Boobie monster!” He screamed, and tried to stand up, but was caught by Bliss’ hand firmly resting on his knee.
She winked, and Mary nodded.
”Hey, Coo-Caora,” the Infinite Streamer began, and kept her hands clenched on her lap as she kept her head down, not daring to look at him directly.
”I...I’m sorry. I haven’t considered your feelings at all, and made you feel awful. I should have realized my boobs could be so deadly! I was stupid for not understanding their power!” She hugged her waist, causing her chest to lift; they pushed tightly against her sweater.
”Can you forgive me?”Caora blinked with a trembling lip, nervous about the attention the monster showed to him. He wanted to run away, but couldn’t. Instead, he hugged Bliss, and nuzzled his face against her body.
”Save me, Bliss!” Bliss had forgotten exactly how strange these two were together. In hindsight, she should have probably inquired exactly how Mary was going to word her apology. But there was little that could be done now. Bliss slowly reached her arm out for Caora.
“Mary isn't going to hurt you.” Bliss spoke as gently as she could. She looked at Mary and tugged at her shirt around her breasts, hoping that the streamer would understand her shirt was too tight.
“She's just very excited to be your friend! I'm just better at controlling myself. You're so adorable she can't stay still. Isn't that right Mary?” Bliss made an awkward smile. Hopefully Mary wouldn't say more than what was necessary.
Mary’s mouth opened in surprise, but she then nodded, and once again looked at Caora.
”Caora, I...I liked Shaun, you know. A lot more than was healthy, actually. But with him now gone, I want to keep him in my memory, and so I’ll stop playing around.”She reached out with her hands towards Caora.
I want to be your friend. So, I promise I won’t chase you, or hurt you again. Is that...Ok?”Caora continued holding onto Bliss tightly, like a scared child. He pouted as he looked up at the Infinite Nanny, and glanced in Mary’s direction.
”Shaun...” He mumbled, deep in his thoughts.
”If Shaun liked you...” He turned his head, and for a long time simply looked at the Infinite Streamer’s hand. He puffed his cheeks, and sighed. He took his stuffed doll, and pushed the doll’s stubby hand against her palm.
”You have to promise Fang to be a good friend, ok? If you’re good friends with Fang, then I will be your friend too. Pinky promise?”Mary gently grasped the doll’s arm with her pinky, and tears began streaking down her cheeks from sheer, unfiltered joy..
”Pinky promise.”