[SCENE] Pearl and Diego in "Daughter's Disappointment"
Pearl: *The big black car pulls up outside Kurain and Pearl says her goodbyes. She's subdued, but has managed to call up some kind of cheeriness during the ice cream break. She shuts the door and trots up to the mansion, opening the large doors and then closing them. At that, she pauses and her expression changes. A distant but fundamental sort of sadness creeps in and she leans up against the door as she takes off her shoes and puts on her slippers. She steps up into the house with a weary sigh, aware her father is waiting up for her but not quite wanting to seek him out just yet*
Pearl: *She walks through the main hall and out to the Winding Way, and then into the living room. She slides the door closed audibly, looking around the empty room* Father...? *she calls out, her voice not quite strained but still sounding a bit out of the ordinary*
Diego: *Diego's seated in the kitchen, a big mug of coffee in one hand and a beat up old paperback novel in the other. He's sipping when he hears Pearl's voice and looks up at the clock. His voice is perfectly controlled* Pearl? What are you doing back early?
Pearl: *comes into the kitchen, toying with the scarf-ends of her formal sweater and looking a bit more nervous at the question* Oh... There was a... little bit of a problem. So we left early, and got ice cream.
Diego: *watches her for a moment, taking another sip of his coffee, before setting his book down on the table and rising to his feet* Why don't you take a seat and I'll get you something to drink.
Pearl: Okay. *bites her lip, sitting down on a chair and moving it to the side to be opposite his. Her voice is a bit high pitched as she continues* B-but the parts of the dance we did get to do were fun...!
Diego: So you had to leave early. *fills the teapot with water before setting it on the stove, picking through the different teas* What do you feel like having?
Pearl: ...Oolong tea, please. Yeah, I tripped and fell and knocked into someone. *rubs her thumb against her mouth* Then there was a little fight.
Diego: *he doesn't miss a beat, setting down the tea and turning back to Pearl, leaning his hands up against the side of the stove. He is conspicuously silent*
Pearl: *his silence falls like a blow, she lowers her head and murmurs* It was Randy...
Diego: Randy and...
Pearl: Wocky... *looks up to gauge his response*
Diego: *he makes a note in his head, but files it away for later* So Rey got in a fight with a kid from your class. Why?
Pearl: I tripped and fell on top of him, and then he called me and Trucy names -- "freaks" -- and then Wocky got angry and called his girlfriend a "five dime whore." Then he tried to punch Wocky, but Wocky was too fast and he got hit... *a weak half-smile oddly reminiscent of his crosses her face* He can't take a punch too well, and lost his dinner all over the floor.
Diego: *taps his finger against the side of the stove, still saying nothing*
Pearl: *she's silent for a bit too, then looks down* ...So we left. *curls her legs up onto the chair and hugs them to her chest*
Diego: Mmhmm. *when the water comes to a boil, he drops the tea into a teapot's strainer and then pours the boiling water into the pot through the leaves, retrieving Pearl's mug and setting it in front of her* Sounds like you had a pretty rough time.
Pearl: ...Yeah. It wasn't so bad, really. *she takes the cup and lets her legs down and is silent. It's pretty clear that she's not feeling any better for having gotten it off her chest, though*
Diego: It wouldn't be if that was the whole story, at any rate. *turns off the stovetop and comes back to the table, taking his seat across from Pearl and setting the tea-filled pot between them - he is aware that he has never learned how to make tea* So. *picks up his coffee and takes a sip*
Pearl: *bites her lip, having expected this* Well... Afterwards, Wocky and I were alone outside the school... *she lifts the lid of the teapot and checks it, just for something for her hands to do. She pours it into the cup, even though it's not quite steeped completely yet* T-Trucy had to go inside for something...
Diego: *sips, the lights on his visor briefly flickering but no other outward sign visible*
Pearl: *she sips the tea, putting it off* And um... um... *her voice rises anxiously* Well, we were just talking and then all of a sudden-! I... Well, I... *now she's agitated, speaking loudly* I didn't mean to lead him on...! And now I'm not...! I was saving it, father! And it was... just that easy for him to take it away...! *clenches her fists and gives him a very piercing and sad look*
Diego: *takes another long sip, holds it*
Diego: *turns his head and spits it toward the wall in a fine mist before turning his face back to Pearl, steam coming off of his head* ....Little mystic, you have to learn to be more specific about this sort of thing.
Pearl: *blinks* Huh...? What do you mean? *pauses for thought and then seems to understand, and flushes* Oh-! No! I didn't mean that! He kissed me, father! He stole my first kiss! *pauses and gazes down into her tea* I'm not mad at him, really. I should have been more clear, but... *looks desperately back up at him* What happens when I meet somebody and fall in love!? You can only have one first kiss and that's the one I'll remember forever!!
Diego: *listens to this very carefully, and takes a few long moments to measure out his next words* So you don't want me to kill him.
Pearl: No! *frowns* I don't want you to kill anyone because then you'd go back to jail. *gives him a gentle, loving shove in the shin with her foot, then buries her face in her hands* What am I going to do though? I wanted it to be a great memory and now it's not, not at all.
Diego: *sits back, watching her and thinking for a minute* Pearl, do you remember the first time I let you try real coffee?
Pearl: Of course I do, how could I forget that?
Diego: What did you think of it?
Pearl: I didn't like it very much, it was really strong and bitter. Even when I put sugar and milk in, it still tasted bad. *she's eying him warily as she speaks*
Diego: *nods, tilting back his mug and gulping down the rest of his coffee before slamming the mug down* That is every first cup of coffee! There has never been a person whose first sip was enjoyable! *crosses his arms over his chest, staring off into nothing* So too with every first kiss; each is awful in its own way. You are lucky that yours was his fault, or the memory would be worse.
Pearl: *frowns thoughtfully and then takes a deep breath* Well, maybe that's true for most people, but it can't be true for everyone. So even you didn't like coffee when you first tried it?
Diego: *stares back at her* I thought it tasted like dirt.
Pearl: *seems mollified by that, and takes a drink of her tea, looking out into the kitchen* So your first kiss was awful too?
Diego: *flinches as if struck by the physical weight of memory, but the steam pouring from his head has finally stopped* It makes yours look like a fairy tale wedding, little mystic. The girl was three years my senior, and after we were done I had to get a tetanus shot.
Pearl: *tilts her head* What do you mean?
Diego: *points to his earrings* I didn't get these piercings done professionally, Pearl. That is what I mean.
Pearl: *gasps, throwing her hand up to her mouth and setting her teacup aside. She gets up and inspects his ear briefly before pausing, stepping back, and giving him a wary look* You're pulling my leg, father.
Diego: *mutters under his breath, getting up to pour himself another cup of coffee* Probably better if you think I am, but the point is the same.
Pearl: I guess... *sits back down and picks up her teacup again* It's just another thing, though. Doesn't anything happen like it does in the storybooks? *it is not the first time she's asked a question like this, and probably not the last, either*
Diego: *doesn't look up as he pours himself another cup, sipping from it and finding it acceptable* The storybooks fail to capture the best moments of our lives. Few books are able to replicate those feelings. You have a lot to look forward to, but preparing for it with storybooks would be like preparing for coffee with your tea.
Pearl: *she listens, and the sense of the words make it through, but she's either unready or unwilling to take it to heart, so she just changes topics* I just hope Wocky's not too upset. He seemed mad for a little bit.
Diego: *turns back to her, his tone so fine it could be used for surgery* What would he have to be mad about, exactly?
Pearl: *her eyes widen as she stares up into his familiar mask, she's long since learned where to look so that the both of them feel she's looking him in the eyes* He said I was leading him on. *her gaze flickers but stays locked with his* And maybe I slapped him.
Diego: *sip* Good.
Pearl: *A bit of relief in her features, but she just takes a sip herself* I guess next time I just have to be sure to say that I'm not interested instead of just thinking it's understood, huh.
Diego: Oh, not at all. *sips again* I mean it is good that you hit him. If you hadn't, I would have. *considers that* Or asked his mother to. She would have hit him a lot harder, I'm sure. *sips* If Rey thought that you, were leading him on, you, then it's because the boy's head is lighter than a tub of whipped cream.
Pearl: *she chooses her words carefully* I guess you would know, being his teacher. *she sips her tea* Anyway, the hitting was an accident. I guess nothing all that bad came out of the whole thing, except that we had to leave so fast. *considers* Actually, that's not all that bad, too, because I have a test to study for this weekend and also Mystic Maya took all the scrolls out of the library looking for something and then put them back out of order. So now I have time to study and put the library back together.
Diego: *nods, but it's not a full-hearted gesture. After a few moments,* I'm sorry it went badly, baby girl. I know you were looking forward to it.
Pearl: *sadly* Yeah... But it's all right. *smiles* I have a few more chances to go to a dance, anyway. I guess even Wocky has at least one more! It'll be kind of a good story someday. *finishes out her tea and sets the cup aside* I should change out of this dress and get to work on the library.
Diego: Will you need any help?
Pearl: *sighs through her nose, thinking* Not sure. It depends on how hard Mystic Maya was looking. I might need some extra hands for holding, and maybe you can quiz me while I do it? That way I can get an early start on my English paper this weekend, too, and I won't have to worry about having a meet the weekend before it's due. *she's brightened already at the thought*
Diego: *sets down his mug and puts his hands in his pockets* Lead the way.
Pearl: *stands up* I just need a minute or two to get the textbook and change out of these clothes. I'll come back as soon as I'm done. *she walks up and gives him a hug* Thanks, father. *she pats him on the back and picks up her skirt as she rushes off to her room*
Diego: *watches her go, left standing there with his hands in his pockets. He taps one foot for a moment, as if he means to wait, before sighing and turning back to the table, picking up his book and flipping through it, no longer interested in what it has to say. He has to remind himself in a low voice:* They'll always leave you, Armando. Better to be prepared when it starts.
Pearl: *She walks through the main hall and out to the Winding Way, and then into the living room. She slides the door closed audibly, looking around the empty room* Father...? *she calls out, her voice not quite strained but still sounding a bit out of the ordinary*
Diego: *Diego's seated in the kitchen, a big mug of coffee in one hand and a beat up old paperback novel in the other. He's sipping when he hears Pearl's voice and looks up at the clock. His voice is perfectly controlled* Pearl? What are you doing back early?
Pearl: *comes into the kitchen, toying with the scarf-ends of her formal sweater and looking a bit more nervous at the question* Oh... There was a... little bit of a problem. So we left early, and got ice cream.
Diego: *watches her for a moment, taking another sip of his coffee, before setting his book down on the table and rising to his feet* Why don't you take a seat and I'll get you something to drink.
Pearl: Okay. *bites her lip, sitting down on a chair and moving it to the side to be opposite his. Her voice is a bit high pitched as she continues* B-but the parts of the dance we did get to do were fun...!
Diego: So you had to leave early. *fills the teapot with water before setting it on the stove, picking through the different teas* What do you feel like having?
Pearl: ...Oolong tea, please. Yeah, I tripped and fell and knocked into someone. *rubs her thumb against her mouth* Then there was a little fight.
Diego: *he doesn't miss a beat, setting down the tea and turning back to Pearl, leaning his hands up against the side of the stove. He is conspicuously silent*
Pearl: *his silence falls like a blow, she lowers her head and murmurs* It was Randy...
Diego: Randy and...
Pearl: Wocky... *looks up to gauge his response*
Diego: *he makes a note in his head, but files it away for later* So Rey got in a fight with a kid from your class. Why?
Pearl: I tripped and fell on top of him, and then he called me and Trucy names -- "freaks" -- and then Wocky got angry and called his girlfriend a "five dime whore." Then he tried to punch Wocky, but Wocky was too fast and he got hit... *a weak half-smile oddly reminiscent of his crosses her face* He can't take a punch too well, and lost his dinner all over the floor.
Diego: *taps his finger against the side of the stove, still saying nothing*
Pearl: *she's silent for a bit too, then looks down* ...So we left. *curls her legs up onto the chair and hugs them to her chest*
Diego: Mmhmm. *when the water comes to a boil, he drops the tea into a teapot's strainer and then pours the boiling water into the pot through the leaves, retrieving Pearl's mug and setting it in front of her* Sounds like you had a pretty rough time.
Pearl: ...Yeah. It wasn't so bad, really. *she takes the cup and lets her legs down and is silent. It's pretty clear that she's not feeling any better for having gotten it off her chest, though*
Diego: It wouldn't be if that was the whole story, at any rate. *turns off the stovetop and comes back to the table, taking his seat across from Pearl and setting the tea-filled pot between them - he is aware that he has never learned how to make tea* So. *picks up his coffee and takes a sip*
Pearl: *bites her lip, having expected this* Well... Afterwards, Wocky and I were alone outside the school... *she lifts the lid of the teapot and checks it, just for something for her hands to do. She pours it into the cup, even though it's not quite steeped completely yet* T-Trucy had to go inside for something...
Diego: *sips, the lights on his visor briefly flickering but no other outward sign visible*
Pearl: *she sips the tea, putting it off* And um... um... *her voice rises anxiously* Well, we were just talking and then all of a sudden-! I... Well, I... *now she's agitated, speaking loudly* I didn't mean to lead him on...! And now I'm not...! I was saving it, father! And it was... just that easy for him to take it away...! *clenches her fists and gives him a very piercing and sad look*
Diego: *takes another long sip, holds it*
Diego: *turns his head and spits it toward the wall in a fine mist before turning his face back to Pearl, steam coming off of his head* ....Little mystic, you have to learn to be more specific about this sort of thing.
Pearl: *blinks* Huh...? What do you mean? *pauses for thought and then seems to understand, and flushes* Oh-! No! I didn't mean that! He kissed me, father! He stole my first kiss! *pauses and gazes down into her tea* I'm not mad at him, really. I should have been more clear, but... *looks desperately back up at him* What happens when I meet somebody and fall in love!? You can only have one first kiss and that's the one I'll remember forever!!
Diego: *listens to this very carefully, and takes a few long moments to measure out his next words* So you don't want me to kill him.
Pearl: No! *frowns* I don't want you to kill anyone because then you'd go back to jail. *gives him a gentle, loving shove in the shin with her foot, then buries her face in her hands* What am I going to do though? I wanted it to be a great memory and now it's not, not at all.
Diego: *sits back, watching her and thinking for a minute* Pearl, do you remember the first time I let you try real coffee?
Pearl: Of course I do, how could I forget that?
Diego: What did you think of it?
Pearl: I didn't like it very much, it was really strong and bitter. Even when I put sugar and milk in, it still tasted bad. *she's eying him warily as she speaks*
Diego: *nods, tilting back his mug and gulping down the rest of his coffee before slamming the mug down* That is every first cup of coffee! There has never been a person whose first sip was enjoyable! *crosses his arms over his chest, staring off into nothing* So too with every first kiss; each is awful in its own way. You are lucky that yours was his fault, or the memory would be worse.
Pearl: *frowns thoughtfully and then takes a deep breath* Well, maybe that's true for most people, but it can't be true for everyone. So even you didn't like coffee when you first tried it?
Diego: *stares back at her* I thought it tasted like dirt.
Pearl: *seems mollified by that, and takes a drink of her tea, looking out into the kitchen* So your first kiss was awful too?
Diego: *flinches as if struck by the physical weight of memory, but the steam pouring from his head has finally stopped* It makes yours look like a fairy tale wedding, little mystic. The girl was three years my senior, and after we were done I had to get a tetanus shot.
Pearl: *tilts her head* What do you mean?
Diego: *points to his earrings* I didn't get these piercings done professionally, Pearl. That is what I mean.
Pearl: *gasps, throwing her hand up to her mouth and setting her teacup aside. She gets up and inspects his ear briefly before pausing, stepping back, and giving him a wary look* You're pulling my leg, father.
Diego: *mutters under his breath, getting up to pour himself another cup of coffee* Probably better if you think I am, but the point is the same.
Pearl: I guess... *sits back down and picks up her teacup again* It's just another thing, though. Doesn't anything happen like it does in the storybooks? *it is not the first time she's asked a question like this, and probably not the last, either*
Diego: *doesn't look up as he pours himself another cup, sipping from it and finding it acceptable* The storybooks fail to capture the best moments of our lives. Few books are able to replicate those feelings. You have a lot to look forward to, but preparing for it with storybooks would be like preparing for coffee with your tea.
Pearl: *she listens, and the sense of the words make it through, but she's either unready or unwilling to take it to heart, so she just changes topics* I just hope Wocky's not too upset. He seemed mad for a little bit.
Diego: *turns back to her, his tone so fine it could be used for surgery* What would he have to be mad about, exactly?
Pearl: *her eyes widen as she stares up into his familiar mask, she's long since learned where to look so that the both of them feel she's looking him in the eyes* He said I was leading him on. *her gaze flickers but stays locked with his* And maybe I slapped him.
Diego: *sip* Good.
Pearl: *A bit of relief in her features, but she just takes a sip herself* I guess next time I just have to be sure to say that I'm not interested instead of just thinking it's understood, huh.
Diego: Oh, not at all. *sips again* I mean it is good that you hit him. If you hadn't, I would have. *considers that* Or asked his mother to. She would have hit him a lot harder, I'm sure. *sips* If Rey thought that you, were leading him on, you, then it's because the boy's head is lighter than a tub of whipped cream.
Pearl: *she chooses her words carefully* I guess you would know, being his teacher. *she sips her tea* Anyway, the hitting was an accident. I guess nothing all that bad came out of the whole thing, except that we had to leave so fast. *considers* Actually, that's not all that bad, too, because I have a test to study for this weekend and also Mystic Maya took all the scrolls out of the library looking for something and then put them back out of order. So now I have time to study and put the library back together.
Diego: *nods, but it's not a full-hearted gesture. After a few moments,* I'm sorry it went badly, baby girl. I know you were looking forward to it.
Pearl: *sadly* Yeah... But it's all right. *smiles* I have a few more chances to go to a dance, anyway. I guess even Wocky has at least one more! It'll be kind of a good story someday. *finishes out her tea and sets the cup aside* I should change out of this dress and get to work on the library.
Diego: Will you need any help?
Pearl: *sighs through her nose, thinking* Not sure. It depends on how hard Mystic Maya was looking. I might need some extra hands for holding, and maybe you can quiz me while I do it? That way I can get an early start on my English paper this weekend, too, and I won't have to worry about having a meet the weekend before it's due. *she's brightened already at the thought*
Diego: *sets down his mug and puts his hands in his pockets* Lead the way.
Pearl: *stands up* I just need a minute or two to get the textbook and change out of these clothes. I'll come back as soon as I'm done. *she walks up and gives him a hug* Thanks, father. *she pats him on the back and picks up her skirt as she rushes off to her room*
Diego: *watches her go, left standing there with his hands in his pockets. He taps one foot for a moment, as if he means to wait, before sighing and turning back to the table, picking up his book and flipping through it, no longer interested in what it has to say. He has to remind himself in a low voice:* They'll always leave you, Armando. Better to be prepared when it starts.