Family Reunion

"Hey don't even start comparing me to Ulv, yeah? Just because we both get a little pissy doesn't mean it's for the same reasons, and I'm definitely nothin' like her. I'm not takin' over jack shit, especially not after all this. I'm just tryin to live a quiet little life at this point, feel me? If my girl wouldn't hate it I'd kick the shit out of you just for asking."

Sticking his hands into his pockets, Alex gave Hvit a look that could really only be described as mundane disgust. His only attachment here was to Ulv directly, and the intricacies of one's inner beings were so alien to him as to be a complete non-factor in all of this. So far as he was concerned, she was just some bitch.

"Whether or not I can do something that'll make me not like her's not the point. I'm real fuckin' sick of all this wild melodrama going on with everyone. Running away from home, fuckin' inner demons out the ass, outer demons out the ass, Ulv's out here having kids with Hitler Part 2 and Elyss is half a second from snapping like a twig. I know you apes don't use your brains much but c'mon, I'm fuckin retarded and even I know this shit isn't right."

"Right's all just about who you are and where you're at, who you care about and who you don't. But that's probably, if I had to guess, what pisses Elyss off so much. She's out here still holding onto brighter ideas. Me, I don't really give as much of a shit, call me jaded."

Shrugging off the question as if it weren't an especially weighty one, Alex rolled a shoulder almost idly before succumbing to a habit he hadn't quite felt the need to indulge in a while, and lighting a cigarette. Not that it really even did much, he was pretty sure a cigarette couldn't do a damn thing to his body anymore. What a fucking waste.

"If you want my two cents on Ulv's shit in specific, we'll call it a bold choice to start bangin' a chick who dropped acid rain, yeah? Far as I'm recalling, she's something of a real public enemy number one down here on Earth. Now, far be it from me to be the guy accusing other people of being shitty, I'm sure she's got cousins or whatever the fuck who love her and think she's totally swell. When you're selfish and stupid, like I am, you can just think about the immediate people you love and not really give a shit about the bigger questions of right and wrong, because so far as I care, I'm doin' the right thing keeping my girl and my daughter happy."

Another pull from the cigarette, and Alex cracked his neck, honestly still absolutely ready to throw hands at the first indication that it was time.

"Long as I've known Ulv, she's always been a bit too much of a big picture chick for her own good, and that doesn't quite jive with the whole situation. Don't really know what she sees in someone like that, don't really care either. Not my business. I'm sure most people would say it's wrong though, if you're thinking about things from the perspective of helping anyone.

"As for Elyss, pretty sure she doesn't need to keep going through all these fuckin' mentally taxing mental gymnastics like this is an action movie or whatever. We don't get big breaks that change us or make us stronger or whatever, we just learn shit as we go. People keep fuckin' with her like it's gonna help, it's clearly not doin' that."

He jerked a thumb at her unconscious form as if to punctuate the point, though really, it was probably self-evident.

"Everyone acts like all their feelings are fuckin wild, some unknowable shit that nobody else could ever get. I mean yeah, sure, I'm not you, I'm not her, I don't get what you're feelin'. But it's all the same shit, just bigger or smaller. I know what being angry or in love or sad or whatever is, most people do. Reality's that almost all this fucking insane shit people are getting up to could probably be solved if we just stopped pretending there was this crazy depth to real simple problems and talked it out like we know what language is."

"Not to be a jackass, but I'd wager that most of the time, people with nobody've probably given people a reason not to be around 'em. Ya know, call it a hunch."

Alex raised an eyebrow at the metaphor he was being given here, then rolled his eyes at the full explanation.

"This is what I mean. We're not talking complicated issues, we're talking big issues again. That's not wild, it's not like they're the only people around who're fucked in the head. You can't just go 'they're crazy, it's just how they are' like that makes it cool."

He began idly cracking his knuckles then, one at a time, before he continued to speak.

"How many real strong fuckers do you think have problems in the head? My bet's at least over half. It doesn't mean shit. You're not special for being sad, you don't get a medal for being the angriest boy in town. You fuckin' deal with it, because otherwise, you start causing problems for other people. And then, all of a sudden, it's not just your problem anymore, is it? Now you're dragging other people into your issues, and sure, most people will probably just go along with it, either because they're too weak, or too sad, or too stupid. Then they get all sad and traumatized, and they think 'well I'm fuckin sad so it's fine if I act like a retard,' and now look where we are. It's like the water cycle, but for morons."

"Man, whatever."

Alex didn't really enjoy all this disappearing shenaniganry, it was usually nicer when people, you know, said bye and then walked out. But he was asking a lot, expecting that in these troubled times.

"Aight, idiot, come on. Let's get home."

Hefting Elyss into his arms, Alex made his way on out of the manor, figuring it'd probably be a long walk home. Man, fuck that. He rifled through his pockets for a second, honestly not having any trouble holding up his younger sister with just one arm, and dialed home real quick.

"Hey, babe, it's me. Not really in danger or anything but you mind coming to get me? Don't quite wanna carry Elyss all the way across Asia."