[for Allison]
Aug. 25th, 2021 10:06 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
fifthbeatleWhen they said yay sisters all of that (non-linear) time ago, Vanya found hope for a better future. Their father put himself in the ground to bring them together, and the son of a bitch managed to do just that. It makes her angry, like so many things do, that her destiny couldn't be fought, that had Five not managed to make his way back, her anger was destined to turn the world to ash.
But their family, in their father's absence, built something better for themselves. There's no way to know how badly they messed things up before they found themselves in this pocket dimension. The Hargreeves had to blow up a whole timeline and disappear to be together. That tracks. Fortune befalls, chaos ensues: a concept that surely would be on the Hargreeves family crest, were there such a thing.
Allison and Vanya talk a lot, and there is a recurring theme to their lengthy chats: loneliness. Each of them is eternally grateful to have most of their family here in one loving, if scattered knot. Most of them have jobs, other friends, hobbies - but only one of them has the type of companionship they all crave. It's no surprise, the Hargreeves sisters estimate, that closeness is a commodity to them, though for very different reasons. Vanya lived a life invisible, Allison's dishonest. Each of them fights to be seen. For Allison, she doesn't need a rumor to command a room. Vanya's charm is much more subdued. She gathers courage, they both do, but their self-esteem still isn't great.
It is over drinks that they decide to go out for Shakespeare in the Park, Allison on stage and Vanya in the orchestra. Allison's rehearsals are scheduled and long and arduous, while Vanya's are spent alone in her room, plugging away at arpeggios and learning everything she can from books and the internet about the era, the role of the violin in Elizabethan theatre. They make time for each other, and oftentimes, the conversations wander to this project they're both involved in. Vanya is a part of something, and Allison is a part of it, too. Her heart is fit to burst. What more could she ask for?
Naturally, it is also over drinks that Vanya drags out a flyer for bisexual speed dating. It's been in her pocket for a week or so, and the event is fast approaching. She wants to go, she finally tells her sister, and before she can explain that she doesn't think she has the courage to go alone, that it's not just for bisexual people, Allison tells her she is in. Words dry up in Vanya's mouth. All she can do is raise her glass and smile quietly.
Unfortunately, the event itself is not what it was promised to be. It's largely men - kind of gross men that Vanya thinks saw the word bisexual and made a few small-minded leaps. Everyone is kind of uncomfortable. The event is disorganized. There are no drinks. Vanya's facing down two hours of awkward conversation. Many ask her about Allison. She would be furious if it all wasn't bizarrely funny. Just one more round, she thinks, and steels herself for whatever bullshit is about to come. The bell rings and she looks up at the person sitting across the table.
It's Allison.
"Oh." Vanya blinks at her for a second, then all of the tension she's built up breaks. She laughs - the first real smile of the evening. The laughter keeps coming, but she tries to hold it in behind pressed lips. There's no use.
But their family, in their father's absence, built something better for themselves. There's no way to know how badly they messed things up before they found themselves in this pocket dimension. The Hargreeves had to blow up a whole timeline and disappear to be together. That tracks. Fortune befalls, chaos ensues: a concept that surely would be on the Hargreeves family crest, were there such a thing.
Allison and Vanya talk a lot, and there is a recurring theme to their lengthy chats: loneliness. Each of them is eternally grateful to have most of their family here in one loving, if scattered knot. Most of them have jobs, other friends, hobbies - but only one of them has the type of companionship they all crave. It's no surprise, the Hargreeves sisters estimate, that closeness is a commodity to them, though for very different reasons. Vanya lived a life invisible, Allison's dishonest. Each of them fights to be seen. For Allison, she doesn't need a rumor to command a room. Vanya's charm is much more subdued. She gathers courage, they both do, but their self-esteem still isn't great.
It is over drinks that they decide to go out for Shakespeare in the Park, Allison on stage and Vanya in the orchestra. Allison's rehearsals are scheduled and long and arduous, while Vanya's are spent alone in her room, plugging away at arpeggios and learning everything she can from books and the internet about the era, the role of the violin in Elizabethan theatre. They make time for each other, and oftentimes, the conversations wander to this project they're both involved in. Vanya is a part of something, and Allison is a part of it, too. Her heart is fit to burst. What more could she ask for?
Naturally, it is also over drinks that Vanya drags out a flyer for bisexual speed dating. It's been in her pocket for a week or so, and the event is fast approaching. She wants to go, she finally tells her sister, and before she can explain that she doesn't think she has the courage to go alone, that it's not just for bisexual people, Allison tells her she is in. Words dry up in Vanya's mouth. All she can do is raise her glass and smile quietly.
Unfortunately, the event itself is not what it was promised to be. It's largely men - kind of gross men that Vanya thinks saw the word bisexual and made a few small-minded leaps. Everyone is kind of uncomfortable. The event is disorganized. There are no drinks. Vanya's facing down two hours of awkward conversation. Many ask her about Allison. She would be furious if it all wasn't bizarrely funny. Just one more round, she thinks, and steels herself for whatever bullshit is about to come. The bell rings and she looks up at the person sitting across the table.
It's Allison.
"Oh." Vanya blinks at her for a second, then all of the tension she's built up breaks. She laughs - the first real smile of the evening. The laughter keeps coming, but she tries to hold it in behind pressed lips. There's no use.
no subject
Date: 2021-08-26 08:06 pm (UTC)"Most of the guys here are disgusting!" She doesn't bother keeping her voice down, and when she catches a guy two tables down giving her the stink eye, Allison rolls her eyes. "Have you had any better luck?"
She's here to support Vanya, of course. Allison doesn't wear her wedding ring anymore, instead carrying it on a chain tucked away in her shirt. One step forward, but not totally ready - though there were a couple of people here tonight who made her feel like trying to move on might not be a terrible idea.
no subject
Date: 2021-09-20 08:12 pm (UTC)"Hell no," Vanya agrees vigorously but not as loudly. There are, if she's being truly honest, a bunch of Leonard-looking motherfuckers in this place. Each of them is somehow made more pronounced by the handful of attractive women that seem to think this is the best Darrow has to offer. Vanya hopes not. If not for her own sake, at least for Allison's. At almost 30, Vanya's been alone most of her life. She wants romance. At least now, she has a place where she belongs. That can be enough.
She lowers her voice further and says, "do you think if we sneak out, anyone will notice?" Not Vanya, certainly, but people notice Allison. It's a matter of whether or not Allison cares that they notice. Vanya's pretty sure she knows (and admires) the answer.