in pursuit

of happiness, the discovery of joy 

[adalmas]

ofcosima

“i no longer recognise you,” rasps cosima, as she fights the urge to do what she’s been doing her whole life - to pick up the broken pieces, glue them together & go on with her merry life, as if nothing terrible just happened. how come she never questioned herself? a better question - how come no one questioned her? how could they witness such a form of self-destruction, and live with the guilt? “where were you when i threw my life away? for you? for mother? you weren’t complaining .. then again, why would you? the sweet,comfortable life. without consequences. without responsibilities. you have all you need,” she scoffs, unable to suppress the negativity overflowing from her. “pardon me, you had. you had your own little robot, tweaked by the great queen herself, so that her little princess wouldn’t endure half of the shit i went through.” the blue hues would gleam with warmth upon a mention of her dear sister, heart growing fonder, to the point cosima thought it was impossible to love someone that much. the same unexplainable love that forced her to pick all of her battles is now the architect of her downfall. ironic, eh? dull oceanic eyes fixate on everything but her, knowing no matter what happens between them, cos cannot bare to see her cry. the clenched fists dig through her skin with such pain that they become the only contact with reality, knowing she’s destroying everything else, with every word that falls off her lips. it’s the truth in alma’s words that shakes the crown princess’ core, stripping her away from the possible reconciliation chance she has with their mother. oh, she wishes she was as strong as alma thinks she is - she really does. truth to be told, in that very second, there are two princesses, standing together, but only one of them ever showed the courage to stand up to the queen, however minor the problem was. “i can’t make mother cry, but you, that i can,” is the only logical explanation cosima can foster at the heat of the moment, desperate to defend her case. nothing she says would be enough - at least for cosima, if she were in alma’s position. it’s the ugly truth she, but mostly both, have to hear, as hurtful as it is. “i was going to kill him, alma.” her voice is flat, but in a whisper, hoping she wouldn’t be able to hear. “i would lay in bed beside him, for days. i would make him give everything and anything i, andorra needed. then i would lay in bed, beside him but only one of us would wake up, because that’s the princess mother raised.” her low breaths aren’t enough the fill the silence between; cosima’s gaze falls upon her hands ( lady macbeth foreshadowing at finest ), surprised how clean & soft they look, beside the fresh marks on her palms. “i can never be happy. she took it away from me, and you let her.”

“you wouldn’t let me! cosima, i have offered to help you for so long. you told me no- and the queen didn't want me around either!” alma swallows hard, throwing her hands out in frustration, “our mother doesn’t care about me. and, i guess, now neither do you! so where does that leave me?!” her heart is pounding and there’s nothing she wants more than to redo this conversation, to redo this whole process- she had been excited for the summit, but now she wanted to take it all back. she would do anything so that her sister wasn’t looking at her like that anymore. so alma cries harder. she can hardly believe this is happening. full-on tears on the lawn of buckingham palace- if only the queen could see her now! she blinks, tears clouding her vision, “are you proud? look at me, cosima, does this look like someone who has spent the last couple of months plotting against you? against your future?! tell me!” she doesn’t know how to fix this. her problems were always fixed for her. and, honestly, she had lived most of her life pretty problem-free. at the expense, of course, of her older sister. she shakes her head, “then i’ll go home! i’ll tell her i’m not getting married. if that’ll make it better then that’s what i’ll do.” she murmurs. she’d rather leave and never see what she and mari could become than lose the one person who has always been there, making sure that she can live as she pleases, protecting her. there is not one person in her life more important to her- even as she throws hurtful words at her. as the other blonde continues, though, she steps back like she’s been slapped, “what?” her voice is as quiet as her sister’s, barely a whisper. alma shakes her head again, “you’re lying. tell me you’re lying, cosima... you couldn’t. you wouldn’t. you’re not- you aren't that person?” there’s a question in her voice and she’s not really sure what she’s asking. but she’s horrified. truly and completely. she knew their mother was a hateful, terrible person, but she never imagined she was raising her sister for that, to kill. to take? yes, she had always expected that. but not... this. alma looks at her sister, rubbing at her eyes and feeling like a child, “please, that cannot be.” 

[robinshcerbatsky]

[ofcosima]

@infantacarlota @adalmas

[adalmas]

mariyamato

“I would enjoy that, I think,” mari smiled, or what she thought was a smile, but must have looked far more like an odd mouth twitch. “I’ve always liked trivia.” and the last movie she saw was….was…. the japanese princess’s face screwed up into a worry wrought frown. she couldn’t remember the last movie she’d seen; she knew she’d seen a movie before. the distinct memory of the lion king burning in her head, but having always preferred tv shows or books…movies had rarely crossed her mind. “could you be?” now, she grinned, eyes sparkling with the promise of, well, krumping. “I’d like it if you krumped. I don’t think I enjoy waltzing very much,” she glanced down at their feet, but quickly back up at alma’s face as she realized what she’d just asked. “no, I-I’m sorry, I didn’t mean–” she bit her lip, “if this is the tradition then we should respect it. we shall krump at the krump ball—is there a krump ball?” in truth, she had only a vague understanding of what krumping even was. with a sigh, mari went back to following alma’s lead, it wasn’t like the fun dancing she’d seen in the step up 3D trailer ( she’d only seen the trailer, having no time for the full movie, but she could imagine a plot well enough out of that ); but it was fun in its own way. now getting the hang of the basic step, her face screwed up in serious concentration, it took her a moment to register that alma had spoken again. “right, left, right—” she glanced up, shaking off the expression of dedication. “oh, right, the spin—” she’d forgotten she’d asked for a moment, “I’d like to, yes. is that okay?” she paused, “I don’t know the difference between those two options you have just given me so I am going to nod and say nothing.”

“i feel you probably have much more trivia that you could share with me, but we’ll tackle movie trivia first and then you can pick a subject to educate me on.” alma smiled, her stomach full of nervous butterflies at the thought of spending more quality time with mari. she shook her head, laughing, “if my sister’s not around then i could definitely pull out some moves. i don’t quite think she’d approve of krumping.” her sister’s opinion mattered more to her than she liked to admit, “but krumping is definitely more fun than waltzing. it’s less stuffy and official, by far.” she tilted her head to the side, “don’t apologize, please. if you hadn’t noticed- i’m not really huge on tradition. some rules are supposed to be broken.” she shrugged, grinning at the shorter princess, “we should throw a krump ball.” the blonde joked then, almost forgetting they had been waltzing at all. she admired mari’s concentration, plus, it was amusing- and also cute, but she wouldn’t say that out loud. not yet, anyway. alma slowed their dance slightly, getting ready to spin the other princess, “it’s more than ok. we’ll do under the arm because i think that looks more... waltz-y.” she told her, gracefully lifting her arm so that mari could spin beneath it, “now just do a tight spin and we can go right back into the right, left, right.” she explained, she was thankful in that moment for her height as it made it easier for her to lead, “we can take it slow too, if it will make you feel more comfortable.” 

[adalmas]

ofcosima

“i don’t think you have the capacity to understand, alma.” her words aren’t calculated like they often are - the source is something unfamiliar; feral, like the start of a wild forest fire. at this point, she doesn’t care who she hurts and as awful as it sounds, it’s kind of a riveting experience. consequences? she doesn’t know them. all the rules she had to obey? see you never. responsibilities that has been weighing her down ever since she can remember? gone with the wind. “you know what, i should be THANKFUL to you, my dearest sister.” words leave her mouth in speed of light, sarcasm dripping. the crown princess can’t even bear the idea of looking at her sister, only to be reminded of her betrayal - or to see their goddamn mother’s face, staring back at her ( ironic how she couldn’t see it before, the uncanny resemblance between the younger daughter and the queen, splitting images ), which makes her sick to her stomach. “thank you for freeing me!” she’s laughing, alright, then why does it feel like someone’s gutting her? foggy vision lands on her pale & soft hands, trembling under the pressure of having this alien like feeling controlling her. she can’t be sure what’s more terrifying; sacrificing her whole life over nothing, or missing how it felt? she sees the crown rings on her fingers, shining brighter than the sun, ridiculing her. “alma, alma, alma,” it’s actually funny how lost she feels, nothing makes sense and the chaos is nearly driving her crazy. she holds the princess by her shoulders, twitching at her sight. “tell mom i’m out.” mom? no word felt more unfamiliar than this one. she’d always been the queen for cos, but suppose it is the time to drop the act. “clearly you’re more equipped than i am. so go ahead! save the precious, stinky andorra! hurray for the princess alma!” cos feels like a glued up porcelain vase, overflowing & slipping through the cracks. “how dumb i am,” she taunts, slim body quickly bending, no, bowing to her sister. “i should bow to the future queen of japan, right? right, alma?”

alma falls back a step, blinking as her sister’s words fly at her, “cosima, i don’t get why you’re so angry at me.” she had known much of what their mother had put her sister through was not fair, but the younger urgell had never intended to be anything special- her mother hadn’t raised her to be. and she was confused now as to why cosima was lashing out at her like this. it was the queen’s fault before anyone’s. alma had no say in what her fate was to be, “you can’t be mad at me when i did nothing wrong! i didn’t choose to be betrothed to mari,” though, if given the choice, she may have picked the japanese crown princess, she couldn’t deny her attraction to her, but, still, if she had chosen her it would’t have been for power reasons or to be a ruler. that was not the role alma was ever supposed to fall into, and she figure that was why their mother had pawned her off to japan, to give her to someone who was equipped to rule, to someone who would ensure that alma was far away from andorra. she shakes her head, “stop it!” she’s never spoken to cosima like this, but, then again, she’s never seen her sister like this. and it’s terrifying and she can feel her own anger and hurt rising as the other blonde continues. alma flinches as she holds her shoulders, “out of what, cosima? i have no say! what do you think i’m trying to do? you said i don’t have the capacity to understand. and, yeah, maybe i don’t! i’ve never wanted to be ruler of anything! you of all people should know that!” she hisses, stepping away from her sister’s grasp and tipping her chin up. she uses her defiance as a weapon, trying not to let her sister’s emotions evoke too many from her. though, she can feel tears welling up in her eyes as cosima bows to her and she knows her fake act of defiance is probably no use, she’s feeling sadness and something akin to guilt. obviously this whole situation has set something off in her sister and she doesn’t know how to handle it. she swallows, shaking her head again, “don’t. you know that’s not what i want.” she pauses, staring straight at the other, “all i have ever wanted was to see you succeed. to see all your work finally pay off. to see you finally get out from under mother’s thumb.” a single tear slips down her cheek as she gestures between them, “i don’t want this.” the words are only a whisper, “i don’t want you to hate me and i don’t want to rule anything. i just want the freedom to make my own choices. and your happiness. that’s all i’ve ever wanted.” she wets her lips with her tongue, “you have known me my whole life. you cannot really look at me now and think i would ever want to undermine all you’ve ever worked for? what kind of sister would that make me? what kind of person?” 

[victormanchas]

[ delivered to @adalmas ‘s room along with a (not pictured) toilet, which had already been installed. attached is a letter. ]

Alma, How have you been? I wanted to thank you for teaching me how to waltz. It is a boring dance but that has nothing to do with you. I was able to find these things online. I hope you will become a proper spy child, and that you make good on your promise to show me all of the spy children.

also that is mr. stallone. it is signed by him. i do not know why someone wished to part with that but it is yours now. 

I have also given you a toilet because the toilets here are bad. they do not have bidets. the UK is wrong.

Please take care of yourself, Mari

[adalmas]

ofcosima

“i’m sure you can handle her,” cosima says, knowing damn well that queen is, in fact, impossible to handle. still, it’s never stopped her from trying, so why shouldn’t alma do the same? the corners of her perfectly painted lips curl into a shy smile, afraid of showing too much affection & fucking up their delicate power balance. to keep her in order, cosima needs to be stern & stoic one. it’s a tale as old as time; alma is everything cosima isn’t. she’s the embodiment of fun, youth, freedom .. yet, surprisingly, it’s never bothered the crown princess. the jealousy she’s supposed to feel ( let’s be honest, she’s the envious type ) is always pushed to the aside by the love she harbours for the little one. i can never have it all, she thinks, but alma can. since the revelation of her unchangeable future, it’s been the only thing that kept cosima sane - knowing her sacrifice isn’t for vain, even though no one asked her to do so in the beginning. but that’s the thing, cosima endures all of it, because she has to as the crown princess .. right? queen raised her for it. to be powerful - to be the one to restore andorra’s glory. when queen decided egypt wasn’t a mighty companion, cosima acted against all of her wishes & left hamza behind. when queen couldn’t make spain work, cosima did what she was supposed to do - leave. hell, she didn’t even doubt queen’s tactics when she ordered cos to marry the prince of san marino ( mind you, he isn’t even the crown prince ). until now. the weight of withered hopes burdens her, almost to the point she chokes on her saliva. as if someone pressed the replay button, she goes back to‘ the crown princess of japan ’ a millionth time, allowing her sister’s innocents words to work as a weapon. if there’s a god, for sure he’s mocking her. for the first time in forever, her vision gets clouded, mind fighting a losing battle against her tears. it takes all the willpower in her to suppress the need to scream until her face goes violet, throat scarred for life. in the most dramatic way ( shouldn’t expect less that the crown princess ), a single tear rolls down her face, deeply contrasting with the forced grin she has. “LOVELY! i wish you a happy life in japan. - i have things to do. see you.”    

“doubtful. i’m not you, cosima. but i’ll try my best.” alma murmurs, a lopsided grin on her face as she looks at her older sister. and the thing is, alma’s ‘best’ isn’t good enough for the queen, but she never made the younger blonde try and be better- because she wasn’t cosima. there wasn’t any pressure to make alma great, for her to be perfect. and, because of that, she could have the life she wanted. for the most part, anyway. alma isn’t sure what she said wrong, but second she tells cosima where mari’s from, where she’ll be going, she sees her sister’s face change. it’s not overly noticeable, but her sister has never made her emotions completely noticeable to her. alma stops, watching her sister cautiously, curiously. she blinks. she’s not sure that she’s ever seen cosima cry- and if she has then it was so long ago that she can’t find a moment like this anywhere in her memory. she’s sure her confusion must show on her face, but at cosima’s words there’s mostly hurt. ‘lovely’? what? alma doesn't understand and it pains her. she wants cosima to tell her what’s wrong, she wants her to tell her she wish she’d stay in andorra- maybe offer her a place there if that’s possible (alma doesn't know)- she just wishes that her sister would talk to her, help her get it. she feels like she’s back at square one, behind an impossible wall. a wall cosima’s built to protect her. she furrows her brow and shakes her head, “what?” her voice is quiet and sad- and maybe a little angry, alma never gets angry, “that’s all?” she chews at her bottom lip for a moment, “you’re always too busy. and i don’t know what i did wrong this time... and- and i need you, cos.” it takes a lot out of her to admit it, but it’s true. she does. and she especially needs her now. alma’s a step behind her. her head is swimming and she almost feels like crying now and she’s watching her sister trying to leave her, “i need you to help me understand. to help me do the right things. i can’t do it without you... i don’t want to do it without you.” 

[adalmas]

kathcrinc

        ‘ that’s why you are the best. ’   katie said before stuffing her mouth with yet another spoonful of icecream, trying to relax with the flavors and the sugar intake. at alma’s question, though, she nearly choked on it.     ‘ of course not ! he’s a – a … scoundrel ! ’    she exclaimed, probably reacting a tad too much.     ‘ he’s annoying and selfish and arrogant … and tall, dark, and handsome … and too flirty … and charming – and - and really, really, really dumb. ’   she finally inhaled after a long train of words, pressing her lips together as she let the silence linger for a moment.     ‘ i think he will. when i told him i’d at least try to be friends, he said he hoped that it’s with benefits. and then there’s the whole thing with heirs … ’    she groaned, dropping to the side and faceplanting on a pillow.     ‘ this is a mess. ’

alma arched an eyebrow curiously as katie explained her betrothed, nodding, “well, at least he’s handsome, but, otherwise? he sounds like not the best.” she hated the thought of her friend being with someone selfish and rude- katie deserved the best and someone who would try their best to give her the world. the blonde let out a breath, “well, that’s gross.” she wrinkled her nose, “the whole heir thing is rough. and unfair. but, seriously, if he has any ounce of goodness in him,” which alma sincerely hoped he did, “then he won’t be entirely idiotic about it. and if he is then he’ll have to deal with everyone who loves you. we’ll take him down a peg.” she teased, though, she was partly serious, “maybe telling him won’t go horribly. you know, glass half-full and all that!” 

[liveasheroes]

[adalmas]

ofcosima

she simply nods at her sister’s declaration - it’s best not to dwell on unchangeable aspects of her personality. by now, cosima thinks alma would be done with the futile efforts, but no. she doesn’t blame her though ( in a way, she’s delighted to have someone who still asks, whether they mean it or not ), it’s the sweetheart in her that does not give up. “is she nice?” cosima says in a flat voice, contrasting with her sister’s cheerful attitude. a half ( but real ) smile breaks into her pale face - she knows alma loves her, but it doesn’t hurt to hear it more often. “you too, ma.” she tucks a loose strand of hair behind her ear, slightly nudging her sister to show her appreciation. good job, cosima. “you shouldn’t avoid her. she’s a queen.” unsure if she comes across as sarcastic ( god forbid she makes fun of mother ), her expression stiffens. “a-ha!” alma frequently finds ways to surprise cos ( most of the time .. they’re unpleasant to say the least ), but this, this makes her feel proud in a strange way. eyebrows rise as she flashes her pearly whites, “be careful what you wish for, sweet sister,” she means to meet her eyes, but ends up shrugging. “but i mean it. you wouldn’t want her to be mad. i don’t want her to be mad. you understand me?” now she’s back to her usual self – almost scolding her grown-ass sister over nothing. “do you know where you’ll go? like .. will you & your wife live in andorra? or go to .. wherever she’s from? where is she from?”

“my betrothed? yeah, yes, she is nice. we met before. a long time ago, when we were kids. i think i like her better now than i did then.” alma lets out a gentle laugh, touched by cosima thinking to ask about how nice mari was. she smiles then, bumping her older sister back lightly. it wasn’t often that cosima openly showed her affection, so she throughly enjoyed it whenever it did happen. alma sighs, “but it’s a lot, cosima. i don’t like talking to her. everything i do is wrong in her eyes and i hate it.” she pauses, chewing at her bottom lip. she knew that as much as their mother criticized her, the pressure she consistently put on the elder urgell was much higher. alma almost felt wrong complaining about it when her sister had to endure so much more being the crown princess. so, instead, she pivots her focus to the smile cosima flashes at her, “i’d rather take a hundred criticisms from you than try and last through a ten minute phone conversation with the queen.” she says it teasingly, but it was pretty much true, “i’ll answer next time she calls. promise..” she replies quietly. having their mother be angry at either of them was the last thing she wanted and if it would satisfy cosima then she would answer her calls. alma is thankful for the switch in conversation, she would much rather have her focus on mari than the queen, “mari is the crown princess of japan so... i would assume we would live there? though, i cannot say i know that much about royal custom. but that’s how it usually works, yes?” her stomach sinks at the thought of moving so far away from andorra- from her sister. of course, she travelled often, but moving to japan and visiting were very different concepts. it wasn't something she hadn’t put much thought to before. 

[adalmas]

kathcrinc

        ‘ that’s why you’re my bestie … ’     katie trailed off, grabbing the spoon to dive into one of the icecream tubs already. with a soft, nervous chuckle the girl shook her head, letting out a sigh.     ‘ you know i can’t get too much of a sugar high, at least, we can’t let william know if i do. ’     or else her brother would lose it. stuffing her mouth with a spoonful of icecream, she then let the comfort take over before raising her eyes up to the blonde again.     ‘ so i met him. my fiance. ’    she said, the image of the russiam prince filling her mind.     ‘ he … has expectations. of course he does – we will get married ! but i will disappoint him, alma … i haven’t told him about my problem yet … ’

“the secret’s safe with me.” alma gave her a warm smile, miming locking her lips and throwing away the key. she understood why william was protective, but she was sure a little bit of ice cream couldn't hurt. the blonde listened intently as the brunette told her about her dilemma, a sympathetic expression on her usually bright face, “do you like him?” she asked first, wanting to know katie’s thoughts on the man, “do you think he’ll really have an issue with it? if he does then he’s a dick.” alma told her seriously, reaching out to set her hand on top of the other princess’s, “you could never disappoint, katie. you’re the absolute best.” 

[adalmas]

viinays

“I guess that’s the best thing to do, to sleep it off,” He nodded slowly. That was if his headache actually let him fall back asleep. “…That’s true. I don’t think there’s been any greasy food here. Not even on occasion,” Which was sad, considering how much he could go for some starchy rice cakes or greasy samosas. “You named your dog Sylvester?”

“Well, we could always venture out and find the nearest McDonald’s, that would fulfill all your greasy food needs- I’m always down for an adventure, if you want a companion.” Alma grinned cheekily. She would take pretty much any opportunity to escape from the palace for at least a little while. She nodded then, “Mhmm, he’s named after Sylvester Stallone.” 

[azkcban-blog]

[adalmas]

ofcosima

as it’s with grief, cosima needs to go through her own stages to be finally in peace with the fact .. she’s not in control of her life, and has never been. the crown princess’d have been on her way to the final step if it hadn’t been for the sudden illness that imprisoned her to the comforts of the grand bed. a part of her is anxious to go out again, to mingle – more importantly go through with her plan, which she’s no longer 100% sure of. mind crowded with thousands of thoughts, wearying her constantly, it’s the fresh air that gives her any kind of solace. “alma!” her monologue ends rather abruptly due her sister’s .. classical act. cos straightens her back ( fighting to urge to lean on her ), head tilted slightly to meet the younger urgell’s eyes. “i was preoccupied - that’s all.” thank you, she means to say, i am happy to have you with me, amazed how a side glance of alma’s famous smile can lift up her mood so suddenly. “how have you been, sister? any words from queen?”

“preoccupied? you know you can ask me for help with stuff if you’re busy, right?” alma asked, tilting her head as she looked at her older sister, “you don’t have to do everything alone.” cosima had always been under more pressure than her and alma knew it. she wished she could take some of the pressure off. she shrugged as they continued walking, “i’ve been alright, met my betrothed, all that sort of stuff. it’s kind of boring here, but i’ve been making my own fun. it’s really good to see you, cos. truly.” her nose wrinkled slightly at the mention of their mother, “uh, we spoke on the phone once. i have been avoiding her other calls- not that she calls me very often. but i just can’t deal with that right now- with her. i don’t want her advice.” she sighed, “criticism. i don’t want her criticism.” she looked at cosima with a cheeky smile, teasing, “i’d rather have yours.” 

[adalmas]

mariyamato

“don’t be so hard on yourself,” mari replied, unsure why exactly she was defending alma from her own self-deprecating humor. “you are also very good many things. such as speaking a lot. and I suppose you probably are also exceptional at spykids trivia.” the japanese regarded alma with curiosity, head cocked to the side. if she didn’t know any better, she would have said alma seemed nervous. of course, she knew better. there wasn’t a thing to be nervous about when it came to acquaintances dancing. still, mari found the reaction endearing to say the least (cute, if she ever thought to dare compliment alma). “oh no, and here I thought we might be able to start krumping on the dance-floor.” her lips quirked up into a small smirk, slowly growing more comfortable in alma’s presence. “I see,” she nodded along, biting her lip as she glanced down at their feet. she kept a firm grip on alma, half-sure she’d fall down if she didn’t. unannounced, mari took one, comically large step backwards with her left foot, as far as she could without letting go of her not-date. “I–like this? when do we do the spin-thing?”

alma’s mouth turned up into a half-smile at mari’s unexpected validation, “i do know a lot of spykids trivia. and i’m going to make you watch it- the whole series- and tell you trivia the whole time.” then she laughed, nodding, “we can save krumping for a different time. that’s not usually ball appropriate. though, i could be persuaded to break it out here, this is all too traditional anyway.” she shrugged with a grin, starting to move across the floor slightly. the blonde tried to push her nerves away, focusing on the princess in front of her. she snorted, amused, as mari took a step back, lurching forward toward her dangerously, but deftly catching herself with her right foot and righting them as quickly as possible, “smaller steps are usually better, but if you want to move large distances then, by all means, we can take big steps.” she took a much smaller step forward with her right foot, gently guiding them in that direction, “you want to do a spin? we can do that. do you want to spin out or under my arm?” she asked, wanting to make this fun for mari. 

[adalmas]

@ofcosima

alma hadn’t seen much of her sister since arriving in london. both were busy and there hadn't seemed to be enough time to catch up, but alma was determined to change that. as different as they sometimes were, she needed cosima. this situation was a lot and it was taking some adjustment, especially because no one had expected the queen to try and marry alma off too- at least, not yet. so, as excited as she was, alma was also pretty nervous. she approached the other blonde on the palace grounds, hoping to sneak up on her and fall easily back into the role of annoying little sister. she looped her arm though cosima’s, exclaiming, “i hope you haven’t been avoiding me, cos!” she gave her sister a goofy smile, “how miserable have you been without my presence, hm?!” 

[thorodinsson]

[adalmas]

infantacarlota

“Pshh, your back is covered in … there’s a bit of… ” The brunette trailed off, tilting her head to the side, checking the other’s back once again to take a better look. She frowned slightly. “… some sort of dust?” Without thinking, Carlota was getting ready to reach out and ( attempt to ) brush the dust away, but hesitated just in time, her hand mid-air. She shook her head slightly, admonishing herself, before offering the other a smile. “I’m sorry, may I?”

Alma stopped as she heard Carlota’s voice, looking over her shoulder to try and see if she could figure out what exactly was on her back, “Dust? What? From where?” Of course, it could probably be from a number of places, but, all the same, no one else had taken the time to tell her there was something on her, so she appreciated Carlota pointing it out. She nodded at her, “Oh, yeah, of course, I can’t see anything so... help would be great.”