no one and nothing can break through

[predecir]

[Well! That sure did happen!

Bruno does not organize an afterparty. He's not a party organizer in general - that was Wu. But he knows he was completely useless, if not downright actively unhelpful, during that whole thing, and he already feels guilty enough. He has to be useful somehow. Otherwise, why's he even here? 

So, before everyone can leave the teleportation circle in the dining room and all go their own separate ways, Bruno mumbles something about making food and takes off for the kitchen. He'll be there for a couple of hours, whipping up some quick chicken sancocho, with Olive on rice duty. Azul can be in charge of actually grabbing people and bringing them in - god forbid Bruno do anything like that - but if anyone does happen to be there to take one, he'll make them up a bowl. Otherwise, he's just gonna leave it all warming on the stove. 

There's also some arroz con leche simmering for later, if anybody wants dessert! He'll put cinnamon in it, and then add some hot chocolate to the lineup as well. He's no Julieta, of course, but at least he's made something? It's not enough, but it's...something.]

Comments

[predecir]

...I didn't think you did it.

[Pepa never could hide her emotions. Bruno knows that doesn't prove anything; Stella's powers aren't the same as his sister's at all. But that explosion when she'd seen Wu had been enough for him.]

If you mean what you did this morning, that was...no one should expect you to just not have feelings.

[strongestfeelings]

Mmm. Well. [She gazed down into the hot chocolate—- a far easier task than trying to look Bruno in the eye.]

People expect a great many things of me. If I hadn’t raged, people would have questioned the sincerity of my feelings towards him. But because I did rage, they’ll all question my stability.

There’s no winning in these circumstances.

[predecir]

No. There's not.

[Bruno's voice is heavy. You give a prophecy about something bad, you're a monster; you don't warn people and something bad happens anyway, you're neglectful. There's never any winning.]

...I'm sorry.

[strongestfeelings]

It’s unfair. [Her voice is soft, her chin pressed to her knees.]

Few saw it—- but he was kind. An idiot. But kind. And… someone took advantage of that. That he was kind to me.

[predecir]

He...bought me some presents, from Garfield. Stuff for my hair and skin. Because I wasn't taking good care of it, he said.

[Bruno hesitates, then sits, folding cross-legged onto the ground.]

He'd always get on me for, um. Having low standards. He'd be like, "is this a bar soap thing?" [He lets out a soft, wet-sounding breath.] I've spent a long time getting by on whatever I can. Things like that don't really bother me. But he kept insisting I deserved better. Even though we didn't know each other that long, he cared so much.

[strongestfeelings]

[She musters a hint of a smile, but just like her little light, it’s flickering.]

He was even more pretentious than me. An achievement. I hated it at first. Intended to use it against him. But then—-

You’re right. He cared so much. Too much.

[predecir]

...I don't think he was wrong. It wasn't his fault for being trusting, it's Jasper's for using that. Of course, I'm from a pretty small town, so...things like this don't really happen there.

[He would have been the same, is what he's saying. It would've been just as easy to turn up looking for Bruno, disguised as anybody other than Bryn. He probably would've fallen for it. They were the two easy targets, and Bruno doesn't...know why it wasn't him again. He could've just framed Bryn, it would've been easy.]