malia tate.

“You’re right. I prefer that one anyway.” Murphy sighed, joining her at the table. “Depends on whose perspective you want. I shot someone. Someone who apparently shouldn’t have been shot. She’s fine, by the way. Basically. So, if it’s Alma Coin’s story you want, well then, I was protecting the very core of this nation. If it's the Rebel’s, then I’m Satan incarnated, reborn to hurt the innocent and take everything I want for myself.” He shrugged, acting like it didn’t get to him. “A little dramatic for my tastes, but what can you do?”

#interaction.#c: john murphy.#november 2018.#aw <3

“I don’t really understand like… half of what you just said,” Malia admitted, pausing for a moment in an attempt to fill in the gaps for herself. Of course Bonnie and Jackson had spent a long time explaining the rebel’s history, of how the world had changed, but there was only so much information she could retain within a few weeks. Perspectives, she found, were also hard to navigate. Murphy was an example of that, as he went on to point out. “If she was shot, but she’s fine, why do they care? I’ve hurt people before when I didn’t mean to, and I’m still here. My alpha told me that those mistakes weren’t my fault, that if I learn from them, I can forgive myself and move on. So what makes you any different to me?” Malia’s questions were her way of trying to form her own opinion, as she’d been encouraged to do, but she couldn’t do that with only half the story. “I know Coin’s bad. I wasn’t here to see what she did, but I’ve been told. But you don’t smell like a bad person to me.”

Brian leant back for a moment, scoffing, hand hovering over his heart. “Much offence taken! Adults can be very cool. Where are you getting your intel?!” He dropped the act a moment later, chuckling. "Well, that's fair enough. But you should know Miss Oswald is definitely one of the cool adults."

“Hm," he pouted in thought. "Well, maybe it just wanted you to think it was bored, so you didn’t start getting curious or jealous? Guess they wouldn’t have a marketing team over there. Wherever… over there is.”

#interaction.#c: brian finch.#november 2018.#PROBABLY LOL

“From meeting them.” Malia was certain to change her opinion, as she adjusted and matured, but for the time being, she was stuck in a childlike mentality that all adults were boring rule-abiding citizens. One person had made her question that already, though. “Okay. Maybe just one or two are cool. Like Bonnie.” She was yet to make up her mind on Miss Oswald, though. The woman was still a teacher, and a firm one.

“Why would I ever be jealous of a dead person? I wouldn’t wanna’ be dead. All they do is float around and annoy people.”

nicholasclark

“Yeah,” he frowned back, sharing in her concern. “Because.. they weren’t really lost. Maybe in their parents’ eyes, but… they were free. And they made a home for themselves, and they had each other. They were brave, they wandered Neverland all on their own. They didn’t fit in this type of world, they belonged there. They understood it, and it understood them.” He shrugged. Nick had always hoped he’d find his own version of that one day — of feeling like he belonged.

#interaction.#c: nick clark.#november 2018.#oh <3

Malia was unsure how to respond. He seemed to feel deeply about it, even though she herself only viewed it as a storybook. So, she shuffled closer to him, scanning his expression for a while, looking for social cues. “You’re sad,” Malia commented, eyebrows frowning in concern. “Why? You wanna…’ be free? You belong with the lost boys?” Pairing his comments now to the earlier one about wanting to be a lost boy, that was the conclusion Malia drew. Maybe she was wrong, but he didn’t seem happy, he seemed down and out of place.

“A teacher, huh? She sounds cool.” Brian smiled knowingly, familiar with the town's only English teacher. "Her name wouldn't happen to be Clara, would it?" He nodded enthusiastically, agreeing. “Of course! I don’t know if I know anyone who wouldn’t – oh, wait. Alma Coin. She’d have hated it. Too many ultimately happy kids.” Perhaps that comment wasn’t appropriate, but Brian continued on without too much thought.

He hummed. “Because.. it meant something. Even if we’re totally boring, we mean something when we’re alive, so it’s the same when we’re not, I reckon. We don’t know if there’s nothing after either though, right, like – have you ever seen a ghost?” He narrowed his eyes in thought. “They’re super secretive, I don't think any of them have ever let on where they come from, where they go, but it sure seems like an adventure to me." Brian shrugged.

#interaction.#c: brian finch.#november 2018.

“She was helpful. I wouldn’t say cool. Adults are never cool,” Malia commented, shrugging her left shoulder. “No offence. But yeah, her name is Clara. I'm not allowed to call her that, though.” As he continued rambling, she began to frown, clearly lost on where the conversation was going entirely. Brian talked a lot, about several different topics — it was hard focusing on which part she was supposed to reply to. That wasn’t his fault, though, that was just because she was adjusting to conversations as a young adult, and not a child. People spoke to her differently, now.

“Ghosts?” That was one word she’d managed to single out, so she focused her attention there. “I saw one once, I think. It didn’t seem very adventurous to me. It just seemed… bored.”

“Murphy. John Murphy. Your lord and saviour. Traitorous cockroach. Whatever you wanna go with.”

#interaction.#c: john murphy.#november 2018.

“Murphy’s easier to say.” Malia frowned at him, wondering what the deal was. “But it depends what you did. So, what was it?”

nicholasclark

“It should be,” he nodded. “I think everyone gets it, that’s why. I mean, who wants to grow up? To get old and sick?” He sounded quite conversational despite the frown on his face. Nick nodded again, resting his elbows on the table, and his chin on his hands. “The Lost Boys are my favourite. I always wanted to be one.” Although in a way, he’d become exactly that. Nick smiled at the thought, but it never reached his eyes.

#interaction.#c: nick clark.#november 2018.

Malia frowned at him. “You wanted to be one?” As someone who’d spent so much of her life trapped in wolf form, with no adult supervision, she’d certainly felt like one before. Not so much now, since she’d still managed to age as a human. And she’d found her father in the process. “I don’t get it. Why would anyone wanna’ be lost?” Malia shook her head, the confusion evident on her face.

Murphy eyed her for a moment, noticing an irritation that mirrored his own. She seemed just as defensive. “Whatever,” he finally shrugged, figuring she wanted to keep to herself, especially since she was sitting alone. No point angering the crazies.

At her question however, he raised his eyebrows a little. Murphy presumed she was being sarcastic, but he didn’t recognise her as a Capitol prisoner, nor from those who had kept him captive in return. In fact, she didn’t seem like she fit into this hellhole at all. So, without anything better to do, he answered properly. “Uh, what’s your name, I guess?”

#interaction.#c: john murphy.#november 2018.#what's your name ig still sends me

It surprised her that the conversation continued, especially with both of them having somewhat of a bad attitude, but people shocked her every day. They would continue to do so — Malia was still learning how to be around them again. Humans were supposed to be animals, but each one was so individual and different. At least the wildlife she hung out with had been easier to understand, for them it was black and white, kill or be killed. Nothing about love or relationships. “Malia.” A brief pause. “You?”

“Well that’s cool,” he announced, sitting back to appear impressed, drink still in hand. “Books are always fun. But you picked a really fun one to get back into it." The straw made a lot of noise when he reached the end of his smoothie, but he didn’t give up on it, using the time to think about her question. Sighing in satisfaction, he finally put the empty cup down, leaning forward again to get serious.

“I think… because it’s such a big thing, you know? Like dying is.. the biggest thing of all the things. It’s so final, which would make it the scariest thing ever, too. And so life’s kinda like, the journey to get to that big finale, which is an adventure itself. Right?” Considering he’d just spoken as the ideas came to him, Brian wasn’t sure any of it made sense, but he went with it anyway.

#interaction.#c: brian finch.#november 2018.#she's lost asf

“Yeah. A teacher picked it out for me, she said it was one of her classes favourites.” Malia shrugged, she didn’t really understand why strangers were helping her. They didn’t know her, so by her own logic, they shouldn't owe her anything. “I like it so far.” And that was true, she did. Peter Pan was fun, he made the daunting task of learning so much seem more bearable. Unlike the way this man slurped on his drink — the sound was loud for her, and extremely irritating. She would have complained, but a moment later he finished.

“How can it be the biggest thing of all time if it leads to nothing?” Malia continued to frown, but his logic was starting to make sense. Kind of. “So… your last few moments — or the thing that kills you, that’s the biggest adventure? ‘Cause no adventure comes after that? Right?”

bonniecarllson

Walking closer, Bonnie shook her head in disagreement, pulling her cardigan tighter around her. “That doesn’t matter. Trying is all that counts. Besides, Skye’s the best audience you could ask for. She’s learning, too. You could do it together.” She smiled encouragingly, pausing for a moment. “Want some tea? It always clears my head."

#interaction.#c: bonnie carlson.#november 2018.

“Yeah, yeah maybe. You’d be there too, right?” The thought of being left alone with Skye triggered Malia’s anxiety, the distrust she had for herself. Although Bonnie and Jackson had every faith in her, and constantly reminded her that Kylie’s death wasn’t her fault, there wouldn’t be a day that passed where she wasn’t riddled with guilt. Her younger sister would still be here if she hadn’t turned too young, if she hadn’t lost control. It was a heavy burden to carry, one which disallowed her from relaxing around children, even those closest to her. “I’m not sure I like tea, but yeah, sure.” It’d been a few weeks since Jackson had found her, and changed her back. She was unsure whether or not tea would help calm her nerves, not when another full moon was approaching, but she’d try anything.

nicholasclark

“Oh, man. That was one of my favourites growing up. Still is,” he grinned, sitting down across from her. He’d wandered off the second his mom had left him alone, unable to sit still for long, and wanting to avoid her lectures about that. “It says ‘adventure’, right?” It was painfully ironic how much Nick related to that quote now. “Is this your first time reading it?”

#interaction.#c: nick clark.#november 2018.

“Then I guess it’s everyone’s favourite.” He wasn’t the first person to have complimented the book choice. Malia herself was actually enjoying it, too, both as a story and a way to learn. Glancing at the page, she then nodded to answer his question, now knowing the answer. “Yeah. Adventure. And yeah, it’s my first time reading it.”

Murphy watched on quietly for a few moments. Initially, irritation at her need to read aloud had caught his attention, but then he’d realised what she was actually doing. She seemed a little old to be struggling this much, which only caught his curiosity. “Uh.. you okay there? You haven’t got that thing upside down, have you?”

#interaction.#c: john murphy.#november 2018.

“I’m fine.” Malia replied bluntly, slamming the book closed so that she could glance at the man who'd addressed her. “No, it’s not upside down.” Her irritation was obvious, but it was also a cover for her embarrassment — an emotion she hadn’t had to deal with until the past few weeks. “Any more questions?”

Brian smiled brightly when he realised what she was reading, all his other plans for the day instantly leaving his mind. Sitting down across from her, smoothie in hand, he crossed his elbows on the table, continuing to smile at her. “Big adventure,” he finished with a nod, slurping on the straw. “Y’know, I totally think he’s right. I mean, I haven’t died but.. I get that vibe. You’re doing great, by the way. First time with that book?”