Step One, You Say "We Need to Talk."

[Erika Conner (Bellefonte)]

She'd texted Elsa Bellefonte earlier. A simple, to the point message. "We need to talk" and the location; the Kalispell Center Mall. Second floor, by the overlook of the fountain. 

Somewhere public. That's exactly where they needed to be right now. It had been a few days since Erika had returned from Los Angeles, and well, quite a lot had happened. Erika had dreaded the conversation with her sister - not because she was scared she'd get mad, but because Erika didn't want to disappoint her. So much had happened, and Erika had wanted to come to her sister earlier, she'd just been so busy with dealing with everything, along with being busy with her portfolio and school, and just. She had no idea.

So much had happened in such a short amount of time and Erika hadn't even managed to wrap her brain around it. At all. There was one thing she knew for certain though, but she didn't know exactly why it felt that way. She didn't know if it had anything to do with what had happened, or if it was because she'd finally taken a step forward in making a future for herself when it came to art.

With the paper cup of coffee from Starbucks in one hand, Erika leaned over the railing and sighed. "I'm sorry I didn't come sooner. I've just-- I don't know. So much has happened and I haven't really had a chance to wrap my head around it yet." She tossed Elsa a quick glance. "It might be a little jumbled and confusing, but I'm going to do my best with telling you everything." Taking a deep breath, Erika closed her eyes and counted to three, focusing entirely on her breath.

"Please let me finish before you kill me, okay?"

[Elsa Bellefonte]

The moment Elsa got a "we need to talk" message from her sister, she immediately hit the internet. It wasn't perhaps the most tactful response, but if there was damage to control, Elsa needed to be on top of it. Her first thought was that, despite current complaints, Erika actually had a child. That would be quite an interesting dilemma to face, though it was certainly one they could potentially work through, even with Erika's rocky marriage. Though just thinking about said marriage got Elsa's mind focused on that next.

"Please tell me she didn't get married by some hack," Elsa murmured to herself as she finished getting ready. Somehow she had a suspicion that was what this would be about. Her emotionally capricious sister had drifted away from yet another relationship to someone else. Again.

There was a moment when Elsa had to pause. She looked to her phone. She scrolled. Felix Nicholas. She wouldn't. He wouldn't. They wouldn't.

Elsa may have hurried a little quicker to the mall to meet.

Despite her inner turmoil, Elsa kept her face impassive, her responses in check. She approached her sister somewhat cautiously, keeping her gaze on her all the while. She silently came to the railing, leaning. Listening. Jumbled.

Elsa heard the question. She quirked a brow. She said nothing, though her mind accidentally leaked thoughts to her sister, that aspect of her power not quite in control given Elsa's emotional turmoil: Please say you didn't sleep with Felix. Please say you didn't sleep with Felix. Please say you didn't sleep with Felix.

[Erika Conner (Bellefonte)]

A nod and Erika's lips parted to speak, only to stop abruptly at her sister's thoughts. Frowning, Erika shook her head. "Ew, god no," she expressed. "That's all yours," she added with a roll to her eyes. Though, it did make her wonder why Elsa would suddenly jump to that conclusion. For a moment, Erika was caught between wanting to know more about the subject at hand - and actually telling her sister what was going on. After a bit of mentally arguing with herself, she finally opted for the latter.

"Okay, so; remember how I got married in Italy? Turns out the priest wasn't a real priest - and someone either failed to send the certificate in altogether, or it got rejected, so..." Now that she thought about it, the whole thing seemed incredibly convenient. She hadn't questioned it until now, because in a way, she had actually been kind of relieved. Pushing the thought away, she continued. "I'm not married. Never was." Leaning over the railing again, Erika pursed her lips as she tapped the tip of her tongue against the back of her teeth. "I suppose our mother can be happy about that at least. Now her oldest daughter won't be a nineteen year old divorce-y."

A hand came up to rub her temples as she tossed Elsa a sideways glance. "Why on earth would you think I'd sleep with Felix? I wouldn't do that to you." Her expression went serious for a moment as she studied her sister's face. That oh so similar face. "Neither would he." Holding her hand up, Erika shook her head. "Don't answer that. You have your reasons, and I have a feeling I don't really want to know them." She averted her gaze at that; as much as she figured she couldn't blame her sister, it still hurt. It was a low blow.

[Elsa Bellefonte]

The near disgust that Erika used to mention Felix almost had Elsa offended, though she knew full well what her sister meant by it. It brought relief, and she dismissed the idea, again blaming her own paranoia, knowing full well that she should have known better, should have just kept expecting that they wouldn't do it.

"Divorcée," was the first word that finally left Elsa's lips, after Erika went through mentioning that she hadn't technically gotten married. Elsa had wondered about that, figured, was even nodding now, taking a slow breath and letting it out just as slowly. "I half expected that might be what---" she began, only to stop as she realized that Erika had more to say.

Why would she... Elsa only just seemed to realize that Erika had been responding to her thoughts. Elsa had just gotten so used to responding to other people's thoughts, to using them as part of the conversation, that she hadn't noticed at first. As Erika continued, Elsa had to turn to her. Elsa's eyes narrowed as Erika kept going.

"It has more to do with my own paranoia and doubt than either of you, if that's any consolation," Elsa said, her own voice a bit sad. She could tell that she'd upset Erika, and part of her could agree with that assessment. She looked away, down. "You're not the one who's dating someone I rejected," she let that hang for a moment, then turned back to Erika. "I take it this means you're single now? I imagine several people will be thrilled," Frank and Ellen likely at the top of the list, the former wanting another single friend, the latter not being a huge fan of Everett.

[Erika Conner (Bellefonte)]

"It's not; not really," Erika sighed, shaking her head. "You shouldn't have anything to be afraid of, but I do guess I see where you're coming from, although that wasn't quite how things happened." She shot her sister a glance and left it at that. After all, all she and Felix had ever shared was one kiss in a situation where they had both been incredibly afraid and emotional. She always saw it as more them confusing their friendship with something else, something romantic and clinging onto that, rather than facing the facts.

A small smile spread over Erika's lips as she leaned further over the railing, eyeing the various people down below in silence for a moment. "Not quite," she replied after a moment. Although, she could care less about Ellen's feelings in this, and well, Frank would manage. She couldn't hold back on what she wanted to please other people, and she didn't doubt that Frank would understand. Without diving into any of the details - because honestly, Drew deserved better than that, Erika tossed her sister another glance before adding;

"After Los Angeles, Drew visited me at the family home, and we talked. We put everything out on the table and we decided that neither of us wanted to move on without really giving this - whatever it is or was - another go." She didn't know what Elsa would think of it all, as she knew she wasn't all that found of the boy, but it was apparent both on the way Erika spoke, and in the smile that she carried that she was both happy and sure of her decision - for whatever that was worth.

[Elsa Bellefonte]

How many times was Elsa going to have to hear that reassurance before it stuck? She just supposed that it would always bother her, niggle at the back of her mind. She just knew that Felix had gone for Erika first. Yes, he'd ended up with her, loved her, and insisted that his emotions for Erika were something... else. Still, Elsa knew that doubt was just hovering at the back of her mind.

Thankfully, the conversation had moved on from there. Elsa tried to look surprised at Erika's revelation. Not Felix, and she was apparently pulling away from Everett. So who did that leave... Someone new, perhaps? Or had someone else returned lately...

Well, Elsa did seem to recall Erika mentioning...

Yes, there it was. Elsa nodded. She waited for a few moments, before looking out at the mall. "I like Drew," she said, her eyes flicking to her sister. "He thinks like me," she had to smile a little at that, figuring that Erika was likely to flip it and point out that part of the reason she got on with Felix was the similarity there. Elsa looked back at the ground. "And you know I'm always going to support whatever makes you happy..."

[Erika Conner (Bellefonte)]

Elsa's admission had Erika pausing. With her brows furrowed, she simply stared at her sister for a few moments, before mimicking her smile. That was... "Not at all what I expected," she admitted with a laugh. She was right though; In a way, Drew did think somewhat similar to Elsa. Even though the was so many differences, differences she could see in the both of them, and differences only reserved for Erika, she could still see it. She figured, the same could go for Erika and Felix - in a way. "I hadn't expected you to take it this well," she added.

Looking out over the mall again, Erika sighed. "But yeah, I am really happy. It's not like last time either. I mean, it is, but still not the same. It's as if... This time, we appreciate it more, you know? We don't take each other for granted and like..." she trailed off, shaking her head. "I don't know. It's just better. More us, in a way."

She smiled at that; no, she couldn't explain it. Not really. Maybe Drew was right; maybe they had needed this to understand what exactly it was that they shared. Maybe they had taken it for granted before.

"But yeah; I am happy."

[Elsa Bellefonte]

Elsa quirked a brow. "Were you expecting me to throw a fit? Perhaps remind me of our name or something? You didn't confuse me for our mother, did you?" Elsa let out a laugh, shaking her head. "Like I said, Erika, I care most about your happiness. That's always been what I've looked for when you picked someone. If this is what makes you happy..."

Elsa trailed off, gesturing toward her twin as she did so. Yes, some part of her did wonder about her sister's flighty nature regarding relationships. Yes, she did fully expect this one to end up failing, with Erika thinking that Drew was more of a friend or something. Most relationships ended that way; Elsa fully expected the same to happen to her and Felix. In fact, she didn't even give her relationship near the lifespan she gave her sister's.

"You do realize that the rumor mills are going to rejoice over this," she said, leaning over slightly to look back at the crowd. "I know we're going to say we don't mind, but it's still going to happen. And that it's so close to my getting with Felix isn't going to help either of us..." she really hoped that didn't sound like she was making it her problem. It was both of their decisions, separate decisions made at awkward times, that were going to count against them. Elsa sighed, running a hand through her hair, feeling the curls move around her fingers. Why couldn't things just be simple for them? At least in this, if in nothing else.

[Erika Conner (Bellefonte)]

"I don't know, if I'm going to be perfectly honest," Erika sighed. She tossed her sister another glance, followed by a small smile. "I'm glad it turned out this way regardless," she added. She nodded though. She knew what Elsa meant, because at the end of the day, the same thing counted for her. As long as her sister was happy, few things mattered besides it.

Laughing at her sister's next words, Erika rolled her eyes, but nodded nonetheless. "At this rate, I honestly don't care anymore. I doubt there's very little Dirty Laundry - or anyone else can do to harm me. I mean, it has already sent so many of us to hell and back, and here we are, still standing strong." Erika didn't care anymore. Heck, she didn't even care enough to actually read the blog. Whatever it had to say about her, or hers, was insignificant. Erika had come to realize that the only thing that mattered was what the people she actually cared about thought; and time and again, they had proved to stand by her side through and through.

"As long as neither you nor Felix heed the gossip any mind, it have no power over either of you," Erika said as she furrowed her brows; she didn't doubt at all that the rumor mills would have a field trip with her sister's relationship to Erika's best friend. It all came down to whether or not Elsa and Felix was bothered by it.

[Elsa Bellefonte]

Elsa nodded, agreeing with Erika's assessment. It was best that they were together on this, to some degree. Did Elsa wholly agree with her sister's lovelife decisions? No, not especially. But agreeing and supporting were totally different, and Elsa didn't see any reason not to keep on supporting her sister no matter what happened.

Though she did have to laugh a little at the mention of the blog, and Erika's reassertion that she didn't care what people thought, that if you didn't give it any mind, it had no power. She shook her head, looking down at the crowd. "It's so easy for you to say that. I've heard it from a few people, really, but..." she took a deep breath, "but it's rumors that had us hunted, Eri. It's rumors that gather people against us and it's the perception of who we are and what we do that often matters."

She tapped her fingers along the railing, then smiled. "I suppose it's good that we think differently on that. It would be awfully boring if we both had the same strengths, wouldn't it?" She looked to her sister, smiling again. Yes, Elsa's mood was lighter, had been, would continue to be for at least the incoming duration.

[Erika Conner (Bellefonte)]

Frowning at her sister's words, Erika averted her gaze. She understood the serious state of it all, but even so, wasn't it simply better to take it all in stride and worry about the issues if they did rise? "Well, I don't think there's much point in worrying now," she began, chewing on her bottom lip. "I mean, yeah, it can all go to tell, but there's also a chance that it won't, and I'd rather worry when we're facing the dangers, than wasting my entire life thinking about 'what if's' and let those stop me from living my life."

Yeah, she had to agree with that; Elsa was a lot more pessimistic than what Erika was. Erika wouldn't necessarily use the word realistic, because at the end of the day, both their opinions were just as likely to happen. "I agree," Erika smiled. She offered Elsa a pat on the back then as she pushed herself away from the railing.

"Well, at least we have the news updating out of the way." Her gaze moved, looking around for a moment before finally settling upon her sister; whatever happened, whether or not the rumors and gossip would come back to bite them in the ass, Erika had already made up her mind. She wasn't going to waste her time worrying about things that was out of her control. She had far more important things to do in her life.

[Elsa Bellefonte]

Was there any point in worrying about it? Elsa couldn't stop, but at the same time, she almost couldn't help but find Erika's comments to be true. If they spent all their time chasing "what ifs" they just end up going down so many rabbit holes that they wouldn't know which way was up any more. Far better to just deal with what they had now. Yes, on that, Elsa could certainly agree.

She also laughed at Erika's last comment, turning back to her sister. "Yes, I believe that catches us both up to date," she admitted. She paused for a moment, then smiled coyly. "Unless you're planning on sharing any juicy details. I always did wonder about Drew. he strikes me as the sort to be well... equipped, and I'd hope that his tongue proves useful too," Elsa's eyes danced with that. She always found it so amusing that her sister got uptight about all things sexual while she was the one who was willing to just throw it out there.

Again: if they didn't have their differences, then things would just be dull, wouldn't they?

[Erika Conner (Bellefonte)]

It was hardly a matter of being uptight as much as respecting her partner's privacy. She knew she wouldn't have liked it too much if Drew ran around telling everything about every intimate and personal detail. Quirking her brow, Elsa's words were met with an almost stoic expression. There was an almost snarky remark dancing around on her tongue, but Erika quickly swallowed it. "What, Felix not doing it for you, so you have the need to know how everyone else fares with their sex lives?" The corner of Erika's lips tugged upwards into a sly smirk. "Ah well, there's no shame in that I suppose."

That didn't mean Erika was about to tell every detail of her sex life, or about her partner. Just as she knew Drew wouldn't have. Telling her sister about her lack of sex life with Everett was one thing - but the size of certain... parts, was a whole different level of personal.

Tossing her hair over her shoulder then, Erika shifted as she started moving. Only turning to make sure that her sister followed, Erika chuckled. It was a good thing that they were as different as they were. It wouldn't have been nearly as much fun, and Erika was certain that the both of them would have had a lot more issues about being twins if they acted exactly the same too.

And if it was one thing they didn't need, it was more problems.

"So, how are you? I mean, how are you really?"

[Elsa Bellefonte]

Elsa had to let out a slight laugh at Erika's retort. Well, she had always been able to handle herself: that had never been an issue with Eri. Elsa ended up smirking. "I'm doing quite fine with Felix, thank you very much. It turns out that he's remarkably thorough and considerate."

Which was all Elsa was going to share with Erika. Were it someone else, then maybe Elsa would delve a little deeper, share a little more detail. But she didn't want Erika to think that she was rubbing it in, stating that she'd "won" or anything along those lines. That wasn't what she wanted out of this; for that matter, part of her just wanted to keep Erika at arm's length from Elsa and Felix's relationship.

The question had her laughing and straightening up. "I'm improving," she replied honestly, adding a slight nod. "Being with Felix is definitely helping. I've been busy getting things around for school too. Normal things," she smiled and looked to her sister, "like putting things together for prom. Apparently they're including college students this year, so I'd expect a crown, since country Barbie and Ken have been quiet."

Elsa nodded. "But I'm doing good, mostly. I'm a little worried about Roxana, but everything else seems to be working out."

[Erika Conner (Bellefonte)]

Rolling her eyes at her sister's comments, Erika saw no further need in commenting. Her sex life with Felix was none of her business, nor concern. It wasn't something she wanted to know, and she was glad that she wasn't the mind reader here. In fact, Erika was quite comfortable with her own power. She had no idea how Elsa managed with an ability to read other people's minds. She didn't think she would have been able to do it.

Nodding at Elsa's words, Erika offered her a smile. "I'm happy for you," she said genuinely. It was nice to see her sister get things sorted for once, and actually have some fun without having to force herself into being someone their mother wanted her to be. The prom comment had Erika grimacing; "God, don't remind me," she said, shaking her head. "I'm considering asking Drew to do something else instead of prom, because it's hardly our scene." She had a feeling Drew was as little interested in going to prom as she was.

"What's up with Roxana?" Erika asked, turning her head to look at her sister. Erika's brows furrowed somewhat, but she continued walking nonetheless. She didn't know Roxana nearly as well as Elsa did; Erika found the blonde girl strange and detached. Though, she was hardly surprised that Elsa would stay around her.