savetheearth | [closed] spring cleaning time!

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[closed] spring cleaning time!

Who: Karl Aurion, Melissa Lyre
When: July 8th
Where: Karl's place
What: Just watching home movies and talking about dead wives.

[It's odd, or at least it feels as such to Karl. One trip to Boston, one he had been dreading the week prior, turned out to be almost cathartic. All the worries about family and friends wanting nothing to do with him or hating him had been for naught. Sure, some were angry. His sister nearly threw a lamp at him upon arrival. Yelling and anger dissolved into happiness so quickly, though. Soon after called him some colorful names in one of three languages, she hugged him! Just like that. Not to mention the incident with his mother-in-law. The fact she apologized for how she behaved still seems so surreal.

Then again, Karl's own actions now also aren't easy to believe. To think he would actually be cleaning out all the old things piled up in the spare bedroom. This room had been so pointedly avoided for so long. Things were tossed in and never looked at again. Some were just too painful to look at. Old pictures, old books, old videos: so many memories from before Anna died. Some items should have been tossed out, too. No way is Anna's old bikini coming in handy anytime soon.

As he sits atop a cardboard box, a small smile crosses his face. He actually kept her bikini. And so many of her clothes. For some reason, the very idea sounds hilarious now (then again, he hadn't really paid attention to what he took with him when moving in to the apartment but still). The fact he can see it as such, well, is nice. Very nice. God, more nice than he ever dreamed!! Sitting here and surrounded by all these reminders of what was and not being overwhelmed by guilt and sadness? So amazingly nice. The bikini and everything else in this box of Anna's old clothes gets set aside and Karl moves onto the next. Ah, this one. Old home movies. Definitely a keeper.]

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[Melissa's a little later coming back to the apartment- she doesn't know how long it's been since she's spent the night at her place at this point, but after a day of trying to play catchup with paperwork an empty apartment is not the most appealing place. She opens the door, pausing for a moment to pet Bellona, who as always winds up purring and rubbing against her ankles, before realizing that something very important is missing from this picture.]

Karl?

[She calls out, walking further into the apartment before she finds the door to that room... opened. She'd been here many a time and has never seen that happen, so she moves over and peers into the room.] Hey... what are you doing?

[The door opening catches his attention quickly enough (super hearing has its perks). No move to get up comes, however. It can only feasibly be one person and said person is likely to find their way here. True enough, Melissa appears in the doorway moments later. A teeny smile accompanied with a nod get sent her way before Karl turns back toward the videos.]

Just a little organizing I should've done well over a decade ago.

[Better late than never, right? Right. That's what Karl's telling himself, anyway. Wow, it's surprising how many videos there are in here. Had they really recorded this many? ...Wait, didn't they also record one special one? Memo to self, do not show these to Lloyd until the special tape has been found.]

[Melissa moves into the room, sitting on the floor next to him since she doesn't know what's in the boxes and doesn't want to crush them. A quick look around the room fills her in pretty quickly on what exactly he's organizing. He's had all these reminders in his apartment this entire time... how the hell has he coped at all these past fifteen years?]

Do you want any help?

[She asks like that because maybe he doesn't want her touching this. The accidental meeting of his dead wife's mother had been possibly the most awkward moment of her life thus far. A strange sort of reminder that Melissa, who is so painfully new to even the idea of a relationship, is far from the first of Karl's experiences. It's a weird dynamic that she hasn't brought up because she doesn't know how, and would never dare try to figure out where she falls in comparison to Anna.]

No, this is something I should do on my own.

[Something he needs to do on his own. Karl doesn't full grasp why he feels this way, but he does. Something about throwing all these items away or even sorting through them with his own to hands simply feels necessary. The most Melissa could help with is sorting through the videos, which just involves watching them.]

Unless you'd want to watch these through with me?

[He motions toward the box filled with videos. It's said half as a joke, really. Who'd want to watch these with him, right?]

[Melissa looks at what he's holding up- home videos, from the look of it. There's a bit of a pause before shrugs with a slight smile.]

Sure. Why not?

[There's a part of her that kind of wants to see what Karl was actually like when he was younger... not just through all his crazy stories.]

[The answer actually surprises Karl. Definitely not the sort of answer he'd expected. Is she serious?]

You'd really want to?

[Why would anyone want to watch these old things with him? Most of them are just silly videos, after all/]

[Melissa chuckles, smiling at him.]

Sure. It... might be nice. [She doesn't know if he'll get her intention, to get a glimpse of his life when he seemed honestly, truly happy, but who knows. Maybe it's better if he doesn't know that.]

[A soft, amused chuckle comes from Karl's end, too. If she really wants to then why not?]

Well, all right. In that case, would you mind taking this box out to the living room? I'll be out as soon as I locate the VCR.

[It's somewhere in this mess. Somewhere. And should still be functional.]

Sure. [She'll move back to her feet, picking up the box and... quickly giving him a peck to his cheek before moving out in the living room with.]

[The peck manages to get a small smile out of him. He has to admit, little unexpected kisses like that are very nice. All right then. VCR where are you?

It takes a good few minutes before Karl emerges with VCR in hand. It had been buried under a huge pile of papers, a pile that may have tumbled down on him in the process of getting the VCR. Whoops.]

I'll have it hooked up in a moment so feel free to choose whichever you'd like to watch first.

[He kneels down by the TV and begins to work the wires before pausing suddenly. Ah, right, one of those videos may not be entirely appropriate. Karl glances over his shoulder.]

Although, one of the videos in there is a [pause] homemade sex tape. I can't recall which video it is.

[So just don't be startled if one of those starts off as a cheap quality porno. Hopefully it won't end up being the first movie selected.]

[Melissa's eyebrows shoot up at that statement, and is immediately greeted with mixed emotions.]

...I can't decide if I'd want to watch that or not. [On the one hand, boyfriend in a sex tape = hot. On the other, boyfriend plus his wife in a sex tape = probably incredibly awkward. So she'll shift through and pick one at random, slipping it into the VCR once it's hooked in.]

[The commentary gets mistaken for something else entirely, namely just a joking tone. Any awkwardness about a girlfriend watching a former wife screw around with their boyfriend doesn't cross his mind.]

It isn't as interesting as it sounds.

[Just your average sex tape, nothing special. Thankfully, the video of choice isn't that. The lucky video is.... xmas time when Lloyd was 3!

A happy Christmas scene pops up, complete with little Lloyd dressed as a reindeer and with Karl wearing a Santa hat and one of those cheesy holiday sweaters. His mother is there, too, and the three of them look to be helping decorate a Christmas tree. Karl, with a big smile on his face, lifts up Lloyd so he could put some decorations on the higher branches.]

[...Ok, Melissa can't help it. She doesn't like being in the near vicinity of really little kids most of the time, since they're kind of gross and not in a cool way. But this?]

Oh my god that's adorable.

[She's not even really just talking about Lloyd, though that is real cute. (And soon she will have all kind of shit to hold over him too.) But Karl just looks so happy...]

[The comment gets taken to be completely regarding Lloyd. Why else would she have said that? Nothing aside from the cute infant could be called adorable. Karl can't help but smile at both the comment and the child he assumes it's about.]

Lloyd was an especially adorable child.

[Biased. So very biased. Even if it is true. So very true. The cuteness is only reaffirmed watching this.

Soon enough, a redhead woman, very obviously Karl's sister, walks on screen before telling the cameraman to come on over. She walks over to take over cameraing duties and another woman walks onto the scene, namely one Anna Aurion.

Karl's own expression gains a wistfulness to it when she drapes her arms around his younger self while smiling ever so sweetly. It still hurts. Seeing her smile and laugh and live, it hurts more than he'll ever admit. If only he had been more careful then maybe, even if not together with him, she'd be alive and happy.]

[She doesn't bother to correct him, partly because she's sure he won't get it and partly because of what happens next.

Now that Melissa thinks about it, she doesn't recall ever seeing the woman before, but from her place in this scene and how Karl's reacting... that has to be Anna. There's no one else it could be. She glances over at Karl, and with a bit of hesitation, rests a hand on his arm. Suddenly, she's not sure if she should be here looking at this.]

[The touch manages to get his attention, almost startling him. That look says everything. Concern about him. Some of his present emotions are showing, aren't they? Even the best stony masks fails when it comes to Anna. Good job, Karl, worrying your girlfriend because of something like this. ... Worrying her over your dead wife, too. How awkward this might be only just now hits him.

A teeny smile, clearly an attempt at being reassuring even if not entirely successful, comes Melissa's way. Between the awkward and the unnecessary worry, putting on a somewhat strong front is the least he can do. The smile falters momentarily when both Anna and past Karl laugh joyfully at some of Lloyd's antics. It returns seconds later.]

I...I'm all right.

[Melissa isn't buying that for a second, but she won't say anything. This is probably not the time for snappy comebacks. She's not terribly comfortable with all this, sure, but maybe he does actually need someone here with him.

She'll just look back at the home movie in time to see Lloyd trying to open a present, smiling a little. ...He is pretty cute. Not sure how that happens, with the kid as he is now.]

[How poorly that came across went over Karl's head completely. The home video has entranced him and taken all his attention. It doesn't last too long. Within a few more minutes of laughing and fun, the video ends.

Even when it ends, Karl still keeps staring at the video static a little longer. Happy and nice as life might be right now, watching that movie hit harder than expected. Not watching this prior to now had been the right call. Who knows how he would have handled just a year ago? Probably with crying and alcohol.]

[Melissa will sit in silence for a moment but... it quickly gets to be too much quiet for her. She needs to say something.]

...Did you want to watch more, or should we stop? [Yeah, try and hide your feelings from her all you want. It probably won't work.]

I [Sigh] I don't know.

[That's the honest and goodness truth. How DOES he feel? Does he watch more or just go back to cleaning?]

It's been so long since I watched these.

[The words leave his mouth before he realizes it. It's a pointless commentary. Really, Karl doesn't know why he said it. Just to say something more? Possibly. Argh, this is all too confusing.]

Edited 2014-07-30 23:42 (UTC)

[That is not helpful at all. Though, in something like this, she can't imagine there are any easy answers. Melissa will lean against him, resting her head on his shoulder in an attempt to be comforting.]

It's up to you. [She'll stay with him in either scenario.]

[Comforting helps. Hell, her mere presence helps. Someone being there with him while watching these has to be the best thing. Sure, the feelings hurt, but it would hurt so much more if no one was by his side.

A moment of silence passes as Karl considers both options. Stop now or keep watching. One will make him likely watch later while alone while the other involves having this small level of comfort no matter what pops up on that screen. For once, Karl's going to be selfish and pick choice b. If Melissa looks far too uncomfortable, however, they'll stop this at once.]

Would you mind watching another with me?

Not at all.

[She's just glad he made a goddamn choice. Melissa leans up to kiss his cheek before moving over to the pile of movies again, pulling out the one they'd just seen and setting it aside (they probably should label these too), sliding in another before rejoining Karl on the couch. This time, she's starting right next to him.]

[The video starts at an outdoor event. Chairs are all lined up and decorations are everywhere. What might this event be? Very obviously a wedding. The camera pans over the audience, the voice over being that of a very enthusiastic woman (their drummer). Once the audience is done, the view shifts to the front where the groom is standing and looking, as she nicely puts it, ready to drop dead from lack of oxygen getting to the brain.

Karl tenses the moment the video starts. He knows instantly what this is. Why couldn't this have been the sex tape? ...Dear god he really did look about ready to pass out. The fact he didn't had to have been a miracle.]

[...Oh. Yeah. Even to someone that wasn't there, Melissa can figure out what this is. She'll glance up at Karl to see if she can get some kind of read off of him, but she's going to be sticking stubbornly to his side. This is beyond uncomfortable for her, especially seeing how much his wife meant to him (god he really does look like he's going to fall over at the alter, doesn't he?) and she has no idea what her place in all this should be.]

[Soon enough, music begins playing and in comes the beautifully dressed bride. The commentary reflects what is on everyone's mind: she looks radiant. Her dress has an air of modesty to it; not big, not frilly, a little lacy design on the neck and sleeves. It fits perfectly with her.

Karl can't help but agree. She looked perfect, even with the teeny baby bump that one at the time realized was in fact a baby bump. His face gains a teeny smile at the memory. It should be in the video later on, the surprise.]

I do recall finding it annoyingly difficult to catch my breath and blamed the suit.

[Melissa's never been big on weddings- she has enough older siblings and extended family that she got bored of the general proceeds early on. (They got slightly better when she was only enough to drink.) But even she has to admit that this is a really beautiful scene.

She chuckles quietly at the comment, shaking her head.] The suit. Sure, Karl.

It felt like a good excuse at the time.

[The mind fails under pressure. Double that pressure by throwing in the brain not getting enough oxygen and you get excuses that suck completely like this one. Ah, video Anna just giggled upon seeing how scared stiff her groom looks. What had she said after? 'I really wanted someone to come up behind you with a blow horn and see what happens?'. Best spouse, hands down.]

Although, lack of oxygen does make excuses sound better than they are.

[The couple onscreen has gotten to the vows. One remains close to losing consciousness; the other smiles as though that fact is obvious but she'll catch him if anything.]

Of course it did. [Karl seems kind of like the king of crappy excuses, after all. Their vows are sweet, even though Karl looks like he's going to fall over at any second. Anna at least seems prepared for that possibility. She probably saw it coming.

Melissa's still quietly leaning up against him as the two exchange rings. Maybe past!Karl will stop looking like he's going to die.]

[Dying stops after kissing the bride and the scene shifts to the reception. It's still outside, with tables full of food and drinks everywhere and people dancing. Groom Karl appears far less dead when the camera comes across him. The music stops as comes time for the toasts. Best man speaks up, including a fun story of Karl and his brief cheerleading career (cue a 8| look from the groom). Once all the toasts are over, the dancing nearly resumes. Then Anna stands and says she has an announcement.

Karl's smile widens, leaning a bit closer to Melissa as a sign of his increasing comfort level. He knows what's coming. How cute and innocent his past self looks, unaware of his wife's surprise.

"Everyone. I just wanted to say, thank you all for coming here today. Karl and I... and the little one are all glad you came."]

[...Huh. Somehow, Melissa wasn't expecting that. She knew the story of how Lloyd came into the world, but still.]

That's one way to break the new. [Certainly likely to get people's attention. Though... she has to wonder how many people were too drunk to properly interpret it at that point.]

[Night was still young so a good number of people gasped and cheered and whatnot. The camera woman whistled and said "there you have it, ladies and gentlemen. Karl Aurion: married for an hour and already jumped from groom to dad".]

It took me a second to fully grasp what she'd said.

[True to those words, the camera pans over to Karl drinking some water and looking as oblivious as they come. Not five seconds later, his eyes widen and he chokes HARD on the water. Yup, realization hit.

The here and now Karl almost pities himself. That face looks worse than the alter face. Add in the nearly choking to death and you have a true groom of the year right here.]

[Melissa snorts a little in laughter as Karl chokes, patting his arm in sort of sympathy. It's really kind of cute, how totally oblivious he was. Is, really.]

Guessing that wasn't a planned announcement, then? [Anna seems like she was probably a lot of fun.]

She thought surprising everyone, myself included, would be hilarious.

[That teeny smirk at the sight of her husband nearly becoming her deceased husband says as much. Cue a bunch of best wishes and then Anna giddily telling both mom-in-law and cameralady how baby got made ("airplane bathrooms are a lot funner than they sound!!")

Watching all this just fills Karl with a happy feeling, if with a dose of a bittersweet one. God, he loved her. His smile shifts into a more thoughtful expression.]

It's hard to believe she's been gone for so long some days.

I have to say I agree with her.

[She watches the video, chuckling at just how shell shocked Karl looks (both at the announcement and Anna telling everyone exactly how it happened), but soon enough Melissa looks over to see a slightly more subdued boyfriend. She squeezes his hand a little.]

...You really loved her a lot. [It's not a question. The answer is right there in front of her. And... it hurts, a little bit.]

[The hand squeeze gets gently returned. God, Melissa, you have no idea how good it feels having you here by his side at this moment.

Despite that not being a question, it still receives an answer. It comes without any hesitation. Why should there be? It's an obvious answer.]

I did. She was someone impossible to not fall in love with. [a pause.] Maybe I even fell too hard for my own good.

[Judging by how he moped for 15 years. Good reason may have been behind it, but maybe if his affections weren't as intense then he could have bounced back sooner. Then again, maybe if he hadn't been an idiot she'd still be alive.]

[Melissa would like to ask if that's possible, but... maybe he's right. Which isn't to say his love for her wasn't justified, or anything, just that he's been suffering for years without her.

The video's still going, with the occasional narration on just how happy the bride and groom are, and Melissa is again wondering if she should even be here. Watching this has sort of helped her know Karl better, but it's not exactly doing wonders for her confidence.]

[Silence passes as Karl watches a little more of the video. How deep an impact this may have on Melissa is lost due to various thoughts popping up. Only after a good few moments pass does one of those thoughts finally get voiced.]

It's... odd, though. A few years prior, I would have given anything to have her by my side once more, but now...

[But now what? He's okay with it? Not completely. At the same time, though, the idea of her never coming back isn't nearly as painful. Karl trails off unintentionally while figuring out what exactly his thoughts on the matter are presently.]

I think I've finally accepted that she won't come back and that no one can ever replace her.

[Ah, even a dope like him realizes how bad saying that last part to his girlfriend sounds. Great job talking without thinking. A teeny, if hopefully comforting smile comes Melissa's way.]

No one will ever be Anna nor would I ever desire them to be. She was who she was just as you are who you are.

[This is so weird.

Melissa looks up at Karl when he speaks, and... yeah it's a really good thing he tacked something on to the end of that, because that alone would sort of make her wonder if she was being broken up with or something. It only marginally makes her feel better, but this is not about her.

She reaches up to slip a hand behind his back, gently rubbing it in what's hopefully a comforting motion. This, and a smile that tries to assure him that it's fine and he totally didn't freak her out.]

I... think that's a good way to look at this. No one's ever going to be exactly like her.

[The touch has the intended effect, it carries the message to Karl loud and clear. Even so, some part of him feels the need to just drill this home a little more. His expression is sincere with a matching tone of voice. It’s clear that everything said is fully meant.]

Even were they similar in any way, I would never think to compare them.

[Never. You are who you are, Melissa, and he loves that. The smile on his falters a little at the thought. Loves. Hah, poor choice wording. He couldn’t possibly be. …Could he?]

[...That's a bit of a strange way to put it, but Melissa doesn't think on it too much. In fact, since the movie needs changing, she'll just give a little peck to his cheek before bending down and rifling through for another one.]

How about this?

[It's a good thing Melissa looks away because Karl's face suddenly takes on a deer in the headlights expression. He snaps his head away to look AWAY from Melissa's direction because the face isn't getting explained. Nope. NOPE. Telling her that he may... possibly... actually... LOVE her...

Oh god. He does, doesn't he?

Bad bad BAD, Karl. She deserves better than him. Far better. Burdening her with this knowledge will not happen. By some miracle, even though distracted by yelling at himself, the guy still manages a nod and mumbling absent-mindedly.]

That's fine.

[Melissa doesn't ask if he's ok- he's probably not, not really. So instead once the next one is in she'll return to her spot cuddled up next to him. She's totally unaware of the thoughts going on in his mind, which is good because if she knew how self-degrading he was being right now she would probably hit him. Hard. And not apologize.

But she doesn't, so instead her head winds up resting on his shoulder with a soft smile on her face.]

[Karl says nothing else, letting her lean against him without protect. The next movie might be playing but his mind is no longer there. It's far away and wondering what the hell to do now. After a bit of deliberation, the course of action becomes clearly say nothing, act normal and everything will be fine.]

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[closed] spring cleaning time!

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