Life in Lunarvale"You sure you're going to be all right?" Mark Hawthorne asked the blond Persona User. "I mean... you're going through a trying time right now..."
"I'll be fine, Mark..." Ellen said quietly. "Alex is going to stay with me tonight..."
"Seriously???" Mark turned to the red haired teenager that was standing behind him. "Yo, you staying with Ellie? Is Mary coming over to help you out?"
"Um... Mark..." Alex Meyers said while keeping his usual neutral look. "I'm not the Alex she's talking about..." The red haired Persona User just motioned with his head to where Alex Brandshire had taken his girlfriend up in a tight, comforting hug. "He's the Alex that she was referring to."
"Uh... yeah. I knew that." The African American teenager said as he removed his yellow baseball cap and wiped his brow. "Yo, Ellie... if you need anyone, I'll be at home today..."
"I'll be at Mary's house, so you can reach me there, or on my cell phone. And my mom offers her condolences, Ellie." Alex added in, before offering the blond teenager a rather comforting smile, which kind of surprised Ellen. It isn't often that Alex Meyers offers a smile to anyone, because he himself rarely smiles unless he means it.
"All right... Alex... Mark... Thanks..." Ellen said as she waved to her friends before closing the front door of her house. The Persona User just remained silent as she sat down in a recliner, and buried her face in her hands, sobbing lightly.
"Love?" Alex Brandshire said as he approached the Persona User quietly. ... "Ellie, hon... I'm sorry..."
"This... was dad's favorite chair, Alex..." Ellen said quietly. "Mom also took care of the plants in the room..." The woren looked around the living room, noting the now dead plants. It was apparent that no one had lived in the house since the SEBEC scandal, since a thin layer of dust covered just about everything in the room. "... Hon... I can't believe they're gone..."
"Ellie..." Alex said as he sat on the armrest of the recliner, and looked the Persona User over while his ears twitched back and forth. "... Your father died doing what he does best... And that was protecting your mom, and other people as well..."
"...Alex... Mom died, trying to help Dad... ... There were kids in danger... in the museum... ... They must have helped them out of there... before..." Ellen just couldn't continue. She leaned into Alex's shoulder and started crying, soaking his golden fur.
"Ellen..." Alex said quietly as he tried to soothe the Persona User. "Hon... they may be gone physically... but they'll always be with you..." The woren's tail flicked about as he tried to figure out just what to say next. The words formed in his head, and he turned back to his distraught girlfriend. "Ellie... he was a great man... he died honorably, as did your mother..." The Older Brandshire sibling pulled the Persona User into a tight embrace and just stroked her ponytail softly. If one looked into the room at the moment, you could see his tail flicking from side to side just off to the side of the armchair.
Ellen just couldn't say anything though. The teenage Persona User continued to sob against her boyfriend's chest. Alex just gave his girlfriend a concerned look as he held her tighter. The woren's ears drooped rather considerably, since he was extremely worried about his girlfriend's condition. Both teenagers stayed in that position for quite awhile, until Ellen finally broke the silence.
"... Love?" Ellen asked quietly. The older Brandshire just tilted his head down to look into the Persona User's blue eyes. Ellen Johnson just found herself lost in Alex's brown eyes for a few moments. The Persona User just offered a slight smile, before speaking up again. "You... would have loved my parents. Heck..." Ellen let out a soft chuckle before looking back at her woren boyfriend. The Persona User reached out and caressed the side of Alex's furry face with the back of her hand before speaking again. "Love... I'm sure my mom and dad would have loved you... Even though we're both from different dimensions... They still would have been accepting of you... I mean..." The Persona User let out another chuckle before continuing. "With everything I have put you through, love... You have taken care of me." Before the older Brandshire could say anything, Ellen leaned up and gave him a kiss.
"Ellie..." Alex said as his tail flicked back and forth idly, occasionally thumping against the leather recliner that he and his girlfriend were currently sharing. "If they could tell you right now... ... They'd be proud of you." Ellen looked up to say something, but was quickly silenced by a furred finger resting on her lips. "Seriously love... You've done a lot... you helped save this town... no, this dimension... You've even had a hand in saving Torana... Ellie..." Alex said while looking the Persona User straight in the eyes. "Your mom and dad would be happy with all you've done... And they did what they could to make sure that others would have a chance at living..."
"Alex..." Ellen Johnson said quietly. "... Thank you..." The Persona User snuggled closer to the woren and just closed her eyes.
"You're welcome love..." Alex replied. The woren looked down, and noticed that Ellen had fallen asleep. Instead of moving the Persona User to her room, he decided to stay on the recliner, keeping her in his embrace.
If one could see spirits at that moment, they would have seen the spirit of a museum curator, and the spirit of a STARS member watching the couple with smiles on their faces.
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