Logs:Family Who Sucks

Family Who Sucks
Dramatis Personae Harm, Marcus, Mina
In Absentia	2019-05-20 "I find a lot of adults obnoxious so I think it's even."
Location XS - Lake
Bright, bright, bright; the lake glitters wide and expansive here, stretching off into the distance. Sunlight, moonlight, starlight, it catches them all. Lapping at the rocky shore, its deep waters are frigid in winter and cool even in summer. A stone pier stretches out a ways into the water, wide and smooth, though often icy in winter. The water teems with life nevertheless, home to myriad species of fish that provide for ample fishing or just lazy watching on a slow summer day, for those who want to take a boat from the boathouse out to the center of the lake, or perhaps lounge on the pier and try their luck. It's finally feeling like /summer/ out here, warm and bright. Maybe edging toward an oppressive level of heat for the northerners, but Mina doesn't have that problem. In the late afternoon she's elected to come out to the lakeshore with her backpack, sprawled on a large flat sun-warmed rock that's half-submerged in the cool water. Her backpack sits a ways above her, out of immediate splash risk. She's wearing a vivid blue halter bikini top, a bright yellow floral-patterned sarong wrapped around her waist. Her Chinese textbook is on her lap, a workbook tucked against its open pages, but she isn't actually doing much studying or writing at the moment. Maybe at one point she was! She's still holding her pencil in one hand, tapping it idly against her cheek. Her eyes are fixed out across the lake right now, though, her toes wiggling down the rock where the water laps up against the stone. Marcus is making his way down the edge of the lakeshore, bare feet splishing through the shallows of the water and his head bobbing in time with unheard music piping through the large red headphones on his head. He's in jean shorts, a color-blocked t shirt whose sleeves and body and chest pocket are each different shades of muted greys and blues. Phone in hand -- though he lowers it as he nears Mina, slowly pushing the headphones down to hang around his neck. Looking at her with a curious tilt of his head. Looking out across the water in the same direction, his brows raising inquisitively. Harmony is walking along the lakeshore from the other direction of the woods, also barefoot, also splashing occasionally in the water. They wear a brown tank top with a faded graphic a waxing crescent moon and green woven wrap pants tied above their knees to keep them dry. Their hemp sandals are clipped to one strap of their bicycle tire bag, and a few bundles of herbs -- sage, hyssop, yarrow -- dangle from the other. They carry a bunch of wildflowers in the crook of one elbow, weaving the stems one by one into a colorful garland. "Hi," they say, coming to a stop near the others, waving at both, then following Mina's line of sight. "Is the lake monster back?" They don't sound too worried, but they do take a step out of the water. Just in case. Mina blinks rapidly, looking up with a reflexive smile. "Oh hi! Sorry I think I got a little zoned out for a bit. You know, I used to think this lake was /terrible/ but it turns out it was just cold? It's actually really kind of pretty out here. What are you listening to?" She waggles her pencil toward Harmony in greeting as they approach. "I haven't seen it lately." She cranes her neck forward, though, as though she might catch sight of the lake monster /right/ now. "But it's only just starting to get warm enough to swim! It's a /big/ lake, but I might try looking for it before --" Her brows furrow. "Before summer's here." Marcus steps forward, taking the headphones off his neck and holding them up by Mina's ear for a moment. Lizzo's "Good as Hell" is playing through them; even though the volume is tempered enough Marcus /probably/ can't hear them at this distance, now, he still continues bopping his head in time with the song. His brows knit, and he scrutinizes the water a little more intently, rising up onto his toes to peer out at it. He turns back to the others, free hand lifting to exaggeratedly mime a grasping claw hand -- 'Monster?' This is mouthed /very/ skeptically. He lowers the headphones to his side after this, shoulders sinking and a deeper frown inscribing itself on his face. His toes wiggle lightly at the rocks, gently nudging one toward the water with a quiet grumble. "Mina and Nessie saw a monster in the lake, a while back," Harm explains, lowering their voice conspiratorially. "You're very brave to go looking for it." They look between their schoolmates. "Not looking forward to going home?" Their eyes drop to the half-finished flower crown in their hands. "Thought it was just me." "Oh!" Mina's eyes widen and she bobs her head along. "Good taste, she's /great/. Anyway Gaétan doesn't think there's a monster but I'm sure there is." She looks down to her workbook, drumming the her eraser against it. "Are you kidding, my home is /way/ better than here." Prompt and /firm/. The drumming grows a little faster. "I just.... it seems like things out there are kind of..." She lifts one shoulder, her nose wrinkling up. Marcus nods enthusiastically, hanging the headphones back over his neck. The lake gets one more last (dubious) look. His long fingers tap against his phone, mouth twisting to one side before he swipes at its screen and then sticks it back in his pocket. At first he just shrugs, slowly lowering himself into a crouch on the damp rocky shoreline. His arms wrap against his knees, head dropping to rest sideways against his knees so that he can still look at Mina. His mouth twists, skews to one side. He lifts a hand, shaping forefinger and thumb into a gun handshape once she trails off -- pointing it at her with one eye squinched up. Miming a gunshot with a small POW of lips. Harmony frowns, seemingly perplexed by Mina's incomplete statement, until Marcus supplies the explanation with a gesture. Their "Ah" is almost silent. They sit down cross-legged on a boulder next to the others, their fingers still working steadily over the garland, weaving in more flowers and tucking in the stems where they poke out. "Yeah, it's scary." Their shoulders slump. "Your families, though? Are they supportive?" There's a slight hesitance in their question. "I mean, I'm sure they know what all's been going on." "Yeah. That." Mina waggles her pencil towards Marcus's mimed gunshot with a small shudder. "I /like/ to think that kind of thing won't happen at home but that's probably kind of delusional." She falls into a brief quiet, watching Harmony weave. Smiling a little brighter at the question about her family. "Oh sure!" Cheerfully. She stretches her legs out further, feet extending down into the lapping water as her palm braces against her textbook. "I mean they want to be. They try to be. But --" Some of her brightness dims, her cheeks puffing out. Her breath comes out in a sharp puff. "Trying is great, but they're human, they don't -- they won't --" She shakes her head uncertainly. "What about yours? Are they okay?" Marcus folds his long fingers inward, slowly. His brows crease, deep. A slow tension coils through his shoulders, setting them tense at the question. He pulls in a deep breath -- lets it out slow. Turns his head, chin digging into his knee and his eyes facing out across the lake. "O-kay," he finally echoes this word, slow and stilted after a long and careful deliberation. His fingers squeeze hard at his shins. "There are bigots everywhere so, probably it can happen anywhere." Harmony bites their lower lip and looks down at the flowers, selecting another one to add to the crown. Then glance back up at Marcus. "Sorry, I guess it's a complicated question." They spin the stalk of the trillium between their thumb and forefinger. "I have two whole families and neither of them are --" They sigh, shrugging. "I don't think they're /actually/ even trying." "Do you have to go back? Like for the /whole/ summer? I mean there's classes here, right, the school could --" Mina considers this, then wrinkles her nose again. Then brightens. "You could come visit my place, it's great! I mean, my family is. I can't speak for the possibility of bigots. But summer's long and spending /all/ of it with people who aren't trying is -- I don't know that just doesn't sound great. It's... not great, right?" Her brow creases slightly as she looks between the other two. Marcus's eyes widen. He straightens, looking up at Mina with a widening of his eyes, a smile starting to pull at his mouth, a surprised lift of brows. Almost as soon as this starts, his shoulders sink again, an uncertain furrow etching itself into his forehead. He stretches out his hand nearer Mina, looking between his own blue arm and Mina's tan one with a pointedly quizzical tip of head. Harm shakes their head. "I mean, it's not like --" They frown again, shoulders sinking, hands slowing to a stop over the flowers. "No, it's not great. And I'm not trying to be like, other people have it worse or whatever." They look at the arm Marcus holds out. "Though. I guess some stuff is /always/ harder, huh?" Though here they venture a small smile. "But how awesome would that be, to hang out with other mutants? And /not/ be in school? I'm not sure how much it costs to fly out, but maybe if I get a job I can spend a few weeks with your family." Then, hastily, "If they'd be alright with that, I mean." "Why would they mind? There's always, like, ten gazillion cousins running around our place they would barely notice." Though here Mina does pause, pursing her lips as she examines the blue skinned arm Marcus holds up. She cringes, holding up forefinger and thumb a small ways apart. "Okay, they might notice Marcus. But I don't think they'll be like jerks!" she's adding hastily. Then, reconsidering: "... probably not like jerks. Not on purpose or anything. Ummm, I'll ask them when they call tonight? Because they'd love to meet my friends and you all can't tell me you wouldn't love hanging out on the beach this summer away from --" She waves her hand expansively back towards campus, "or families who kind of suck. No offense." Marcus nods enthusiastically along with Harmony's assessment. His echoing: "Awesome." is very quiet. His smile is kind of self conscious as he drops his arm back to his side, but his posture has perked up considerably as he rises back to his feet. Bounces slightly on the balls of his toes, turns his face up toward the sun. A little more confidently, "That would be. An awesome." "I don't know, a lot of adults seem to find teenagers...obnoxious?" Harmony tilts their head, looking not very certain about their word choice. "I /would/ love to hang out on the beach, though." They nod their agreement with Marcus, their smile returning, their hands moving over the garland again, tucking in one last stalk of lobelia. "I hope we can do that. My family...does kind of suck, I guess." They seem comfortably /resigned/ to this, their smile only fading momentarily. "But even if we can't, thank you for offering. Really." They also stand up, then, looking at the completed garland, holds it out for Mina, eyebrows lifted up. "I find a lot of adults obnoxious so I think it's even. It's decided, then." Mina swipes the garland from Harmony with a bright grin. Drapes it around Marcus's neck, looks over the boy appraisingly, then nods. "See? You guys are /basically/ already ready for Hawai'i."