Family Tree (Elsa)

[Erika Conner (Bellefonte)]

''I wish it was that simple,'' Erika replied silently, ''I mean, as much as I hate the woman, she's still our mother, you know?'' And that had a whole lot more effect than what Erika cared to admit. Her thoughts once again threatened to travel to the darker corners of her self-pitying mind, but instead of sinking back into the hole, the brunette pushed the thoughts away and sighed, ''A prince huh? Doesn't sound like my kind of thing.'' Quite frankly, it did sound a little boring. As often as girl said they wanted to meet a prince, get married and have a fairy tale life, Erika was starting to realize that all the attention of royalty wasn't all it was cracked up to be, and she wasn't even a real princess. She was just another child with her name plastered on a building.

''Maybe it's just her fucked up way of showing us she cares about it,'' Erika suggested with a half-assed smile. Sure, she claimed to hate her mother all the time and she could bad mouth her day out and day in, but when it really came down to it, Erika did care about the woman. How could she not? Just as she cared about Alexis even as much as the girl annoyed her, she would still do just about anything to ensure her sister's safety.

''I can see you marrying a prince though. You deserve nothing less.'' Even as reserved as her sister could be, Erika had always pictured there being a happy ending for the less dramatic child of the family. The fame had affected them all differently, though Elsa seemed to be the one who came out of it with the most luck. Maybe it was because Erika herself had been such a hog for the spotlight, or maybe it had happened naturally. It didn't really matter, because it didn't change what was facts. Alexis was a walking train wreck waiting to happen, Abel was too nice for his own good, and Erika... Well, she was a disaster. Elsa on the other hand had everything in her life in perfect and utmost balance.

[Elsa Bellefonte]

Elsa agreed with Erika, even nodded a little to show it, knowing that her twin would pick up on the gesture. Still their mother, which Elsa believed was why having a reason to avoid her was a blessing; otherwise they'd just keep on having all those awkward moments and pretending that they cared more than they did. Elsa did smile as Erika dismissed the idea of a prince: "I did suggest poet or fry cook first," she reminded her sister, a slight hint of "isn't that more to your taste" leaking through into her words. She did agree though: princes weren't really Erika's thing, unless they were more the modern princes you heard about in rom-coms and the like.

Did their mother care? She certainly cared about her daughters in terms of the three of them being walking baby ovens and potentials to link to more rich families. Elsa was actually surprised that their mother hadn't begun nudging Abel toward Frank Cox or Ellen Banks or somehow both at once. Come to think of it, if they were Mormon, they'd all be allowed to have several marriage partners. So the big surprise was more that they hadn't converted already. But yes, all Elsa actually did, besides think all this, was grunt in response to Erika's assertion.

The grunt made Elsa roll her eyes, turning to look up at her sister. "Really?" she said, unable to keep the word in. "Do I really look like the type to end up marrying a prince?" she barked a humorless laugh. "No, I'll probably end up in some kind of marriage of convenience." Elsa paused, then pulled a face for a moment, nonverbally admitting the irony there before rising to her feet. "So maybe I'll end up with one of those fat, rich princes from the Middle East. Don't worry, we'll send your poet some of our delicious oil money," she patted Erika on the shoulder before moving, figuring that she might as well do at least a little more exploring of the attic before they headed back to real life.

[Erika Conner (Bellefonte)]

A poet and a fry cook, how ironically accurate. At least accurate enough. And it was enough to pull out a smile on Erika's part. Though, she probably would have decorated the word further and chosen chef over cook, since a certain cook she knew had in fact studied in France. Not that it really mattered. Her mother would have dismissed the idea faster than Erika could say the word. Felix on the other hand did come from a wealthy family, so that was more plausible to happen. Not that Erika was actually considering marrying either (Okay, she had totally given the idea of marrying Everett more than one thought, and obviously he had too) so that didn't matter either.

Ah yes. Abel. Hadn't it been for the fact that their mother seemed to focus more on the walking baby generators, Erika was fairly sure Abel would have been paired with one of the finer specimen of BA. Why and how was two things Erika didn't really want to think of, since she was fairly sure Abel was gay, or at least leaning that way.

Rolling her shoulder, Erika turned to look at her twin, the corner of her lips turning somewhat upwards at her words. Well, it was an amusing picture for the brunette to imagine. Though, she couldn't really-really see it happening. Sure, Elsa deserved a perfect love story, and Erika could wish for it as much as she wanted, but they both knew real life wasn't that easy. ''Well... They say the exotic dishes taste better,'' she attempted meekly, though the mere idea of it made her want to vomit. Ew, no. She didn't even want to picture it, because she'd end up having nightmares for weeks.

''Hey wait, what makes you think I'd choose the poet?'' she tossed over her shoulder, but remained seated. She flicked through another set of pictures before shoving the box away, drumming her fingers against the floorboards.

[Elsa Bellefonte]

Elsa was tempted to do some more skimming of her sister's thoughts, or just sort of perch there, like someone reading over another's shoulder, picking up everything that passed by. However, she just, well, she didn't feel like doing it, so she didn't. Sometimes decisions were just like that. Besides, she liked to be surprised, or more like "surprised" by the actual words her sister elected to say instead.

Like now, for instance. "You're not actually trying to make sleeping with a fat, old, Middle-Eastern oil baron slash dictator sound like a good thing, are you?" she asked, her voice flat, an eyebrow cocked to further convey the sheer lunacy of the idea. Now she did have to do a quick skim, just to make sure that Erika hadn't immediately started picturing that, though Elsa wasn't sure she particularly wanted to read that in case, well, her sister's imagination turned out to be more... vivid than expected. She did nonetheless, but only got the next words a few moments before they came out of her twin's mouth:

"Nothing in particular,' admitted Elsa, half surprised to find it was true, "I really just said what I thought would fit better. I suppose we could also hire your cook," she thought she read something so she amended quickly: "chef to cook for us instead. That might actually be a little more legitimate. I'm pretty sure that princes don't hire poets any more," Elsa had come to a stack of boxes and she read them in an absent matter, more looking at the words than really understanding or caring what they said. "So there's something to consider: you should go for the chef so that when I marry my fat prince you can come and live with us without people thinking it's too weird." She thought she heard Erika shifting and she looked over at her sister for a moment before turning back to a box. Christmas decorations. Wasn't that exciting?

[Erika Conner (Bellefonte)]

''I'm not,'' Erika offered, more to comfort her sister than to actually admit to anything. She was fairly sure her sister already knew that. ''Well, I'm trying not to,'' she shrugged. ''Maybe he has a cute son for you instead?'' Erika wouldn't be surprised if either of them ended up being shipped away, though she doubted the one shipped away would be Elsa. She was the favorite it seemed, and of course their mother never got rid of the favorites. Naturally, as the oldest daughter one would imagine Erika being the one shipped away first. Well, at least if this had been a Jane Austen movie, she would have. And then it would have ended up being a beautiful love story where the both of them ended up finding happiness.

Or something.

Erika remained quiet throughout her sister's speech, or speeches. She simply sat there with a deadpan expression, unable to gather any sensible words and hardly any sensible thoughts. Again, the topic of who to choose was brought up and Erika wasn't any closer to figuring it out. She knew she loved Everett and when picturing herself years from now, that was who she saw. But then there was Felix who had been her best friends for years, and that was basically where her reasoning for picking him ended. Why was she so reluctant on giving up the idea of her and Felix? Was she afraid it would end their friendship? Did she doubt his feelings towards her? Did she make any sense at all? Probably not. ''Mmm, yeah,'' was all the brunette managed to press through her lips.

Standing up, the telekinetic brushed off the dust off of her pants and stretched her arms. She ventured deeper into the aisles and never ending boxes and furniture. She didn't particularly find anything of interest, but it was still better than sitting still, doing nothing but letting her mind wander.

''Did you know that bats perform a vital, ecological role when it comes to pollinating flowers and dispersing fruit seeds?'' she asked, smiling at her own words. It was an inside joke she was sure Elsa didn't pick up on unless she decided to read her mind.

[Elsa Bellefonte]

"I would make such a wonderful mother," deadpanned Elsa again. She actually wasn't certain whether she would or not; it simply wasn't something that she gave much thought one way or the other. To be a mother, you generally had to commit to another relationship first. Maybe at some point Elsa would consider it, since someone would have to pass the genetics along. It certainly wasn't anything she wanted to think about in the near future.

So instead, Elsa let her sister's thoughts distract her. She kept on skimming, reading through Erika's mind, though she hardly needed to. Elsa liked to think that she didn't even need her ability to really read Erika: their years of being together had left them experts on one another. Her reluctance was easy to explain as well, but this time Elsa didn't want to prod. sometimes Erika just needed to stew; it was a need too, going beyond a mere want into the realm of necessity.

Elsa kept skimming thoughts as Erika sorted through, all while sifting through boxes in that same absent manner. She felt something teetering though, so she stopped, waiting for it balance. As she did, Elsa heard the bit about bats, which made her turn. An inside joke of some kind, and one that Elsa could have discovered if she'd done a little more in depth reading. "It's their fecal matter," she said, speaking matter-of-factly, though with just a hint of confusion. "Isn't Felix's ability vocal manipulation? Or is this something to do with another friend of yours... it didn't sound like something Everett would come up with... his thing was the whales, right...?" yes, Elsa did get these details confused. You'd need some kind of directory to keep track of Erika's relationships.

[Erika Conner (Bellefonte)]

Turning to look at her sister, Erika's expression grew serious for a few seconds as she pondered about what her twin had just said. Would she be a good mother? Maybe, maybe not. She did handle Erika's rebelliousness fairly well, but they were also sisters, so she was probably going to be more laid back about her than what she would with her own children. Though, Elsa had never struck Erika as the type to have children; Not only because of her lack of commitment or experience, but simply because Erika couldn't picture it. ''Only one way to find out,'' Erika shrugged.

Chuckling, Erika sighed. She didn't answer; Other than letting her thoughts drift to the conversation she had had with Everett over the phone, when he had told her he managed to light himself on fire, and somehow the topic had turned into bats, he had pointed out that he didn't understand why they were even alive and Erika had notified him. That had been where the bat comment came into play. Shrugging again, Erika offered Elsa a faint smile before turning back to another pile of old boxes. ''And yes, Felix is the sound manipulation, and again, yes Everett is stupid enough to swim with ocras.'' That had been a horrible day, and to think Erika had to actually dive from a freaking boat to save his stupid ass.

Well, what could you do; Misery loves company, the same way idiots enjoyed being with idiots.

Opening a box, Erika skimmed through it absentmindedly. Pulling out something that seemed like Abel's old baby clothes, Erika quickly lost interest and pushed it away. Not that her own, or any of the other sibling's baby clothes would have been more interesting either.

[Elsa Bellefonte]

At least Elsa kept on top of Erika's closest relationships, or at least, she liked to think she did, or that she at least tried to. Something along those lines. She kept skimming Erika's thoughts, picking up the sadness that just seemed to consistently thread throughout. Elsa wasn't an empath; she couldn't directly feel what Erika was feeling or get an absolutely perfect read on Erika, even though the other was her twin. But even Elsa could read sadness in words. Probably helped that Erika either thought or danced around the idea of misery loves company.

"Okay, that's enough," said Elsa, tapping the box and walking over to her twin. She extended a hand. "You clearly need ice cream and/or alcohol, and the sooner we can get it, the better. We both know that Mother has some stashed away down in the fridge, and stolen ice cream tastes sweeter," there was an offer to be the one to eat the ice cream with her twin as well, which Elsa would do, had done in the past and, well, would certainly engage with in the near future. She certainly wasn't taking a no now, giving Erika's hand a little tug.

"Unless you fancy looking through more of Abel's baby clothes? You're not ovulating, are you? Because that might explain a lot," Elsa's lips only twitched slightly, more than a little sincerity leaking into those absolutely ludicrous words.

[Erika Conner (Bellefonte)]

Turning her head, Erika shifted her gaze towards her twin sister. Pursing her lips, she offered the identical brunette a quizzical look. She was a little bit surprised, though she also knew that Elsa wasn't one to drink much. And truth be told, for once, getting drunk didn't seem all that... Well, she didn't think it would solve anything. Of course, this would most likely end up changing after, well a few hours to a day, but for now, alcohol didn't exactly tempt the older girl.

Sighing, Erika dropped the clothes in her hand and shut the box, ''Okay,'' she nodded as she turned to face her sister properly. ''Thank you.''

Brushing her hands off of on her pants, the telekinetic started moving towards the door; Now that they had another plan, which in this case meant stealing ice cream, Erika's attention for the loft had been pushed at the back of her mind. Which was normal, or so it seemed anyways. Having the attention span of a horny rabbit mating with a battery could be handy if people wanted to distract you - which in this case it seemed like her sister wanted. Erika didn't mind though. It was nice having something else to think of that didn't involve looking at pictures or baby clothes.

''Have you even been drunk before?''

[Elsa Bellefonte]

Elsa waved away her sister's thanks. They both knew by now how their relationship worked, and it certainly wasn't one wherein they had to use manners toward one another, not unless they had some pressing urge to do so. She waited while Erika brushed off her pants, her patience as long as it ever was. Erika seemed willing enough to go get ice cream, at least based on the direction her thoughts kept drifting, as Elsa couldn't help but sort of skim.

And then Erika had to go and prove why sometimes you could read a person's complete train of thought and still be confused about where it would pull into station. Elsa rolled her eyes, sighing. "Of course not, for I'm obviously just your android duplicate that they made to replace you when you inevitably decide to forsake the family name," she drawled. She smirked and turned, starting to walk out of the attic. She fully intended to raid as much of their mother's ice cream as they could eat. In point of fact, Elsa was almost excited about the prospect; she could certainly use more time with her sister, that much was certain.

"Why are you so curious about my drinking habits anyway?" she asked, looking over her shoulder. "Afraid that I won't be able to hold my own? We're still the same weight, more or less," there were environmental factors and the like; they were twins, after all, not clones.

[Erika Conner (Bellefonte)]

   She knew that she shouldn't have been, and that what Elsa said wasn't true, but it still made her sad to hear. She didn't want either of them to think of themselves as a copy of the other. Despite their similar appearance, they were still two completely different people. Elsa was stronger, smarter and more calculating. She was a perfect Bellefonte by every means possible, and to think that she even considered the idea of being a duplicate of Erika was sad. Not that she really thought she had meant it of course, but the mere possibility of it ever happening... No, Erika wasn't even going to let her mind wander into the conversation about that. So, instead, the brunette remained silent and kept her words to herself.

   ''I don't know,'' Erika shrugged, ''Maybe because I'm the doomed alcoholic of the family and misery loves company?'' Erika threw back with a grin, ''Hey, when I'm fifty and have to sleep in my own puke, it'd be nice to have someone to talk to.'' No, Erika had no plans on ever getting that far. She already drank more than enough, and drinking more... Well, no. Her liver would hopefully give up on her before she ever got the chance of becoming an alcoholic. ''And despite said similarities, how much you've been drinking and how used you are to it also plays an important factor,'' Erika pointed out.

[Elsa Bellefonte]

Elsa snorted at the thought of Erika becoming an alcoholic. They both knew that to be flatly untrue. Erika might drown her sorrows in alcohol from time to time, but even her self-worth wasn't quite that low. Elsa also didn't feel the need to remind her sister that she would, if need be, pull Erika out of such a condition, if for no other reason than to make sure that Erika didn't besmirch the Bellefonte name with her drunkard tendencies.

"True," was her response, primarily addressing the last, "but I also possess a strong mind and all. I suppose we'll never truly know, will we?" She favored Erika with a tight smile before ducking into their kitchen. It looked clean, overly clean, like most of the rest of the house. Elsa did have to pause and look around though. While she had lived here once upon a time, she hadn't exactly been one to venture into the kitchens all that often. Wasn't difficult to locate the top of the line refrigerator and open the freezer section. Elsa soon extracted a few tubs of Ben and Jerry, locating Half-baked and Cherry Garcia.

"There," she said, sitting them aside and nodding, "now we just need to wait for them to thaw. Unless you were feeling more like beginning your destined purpose as the family drunk a little earlier?" Elsa looked over at her twin with an arched brow and a slightly quirked lip, obviously finding the suggestion ludicrously amusing.

[Erika Conner (Bellefonte)]

''Let's hope not,'' Erika nodded. No, Erika didn't want to see either of them hit the bottle. At least not in that manner. As much as Erika tended to drink too much for her own good, she wasn't dumb enough to end up in situations that affected anyone but herself. She tended to be a little too gloomy to seek out larger crowds anyways, as she was her most cynical under the influence of alcohol. Leaning against the counter, Erika watched Elsa rummage through the freezer.

''Ice cream is more than enough,'' Erika said with a firm nod. As much as alcohol tempted, the ice cream tempted even more. There was nothing like drowning certain sorrows in a huge bowl of ice cream. Besides, ice cream didn't give you a nasty hangover in the morning.

''Guess this is the moment we should have been born into a family of pyrokinetics, huh?'' Erika said silently before turning her attention towards the boxes of ice cream. ''Just a quick movement and it'd be ready.''

[Elsa Bellefonte]

"I don't know; a drunk in the family could be interesting. Maybe I'll try it for a year, see if it works," drawled Elsa, of course not meaning a word of it. She could no more fall into the bottle than she could suddenly decide to become a voracious party animal. The ice cream would be fine; on that they certainly agreed. Elsa moved to lean against a counter.

The suggestion had her chuckling. "Yes, instead our family has to be filled with mental abilities that make us just sound like the children of that one X-man or whatever," Elsa waved a hand. Erika would know who she meant; it wasn't like Elsa really kept up with that sort of thing. She leaned back a moment, looking over at the ice cream. "Though I think even some of them need fire to work. Isn't that how it is with Liz Edison?" Elsa wouldn't know. Liz was, like so many people, one of Erika's friends, not one of hers. She sighed again, looking at the ice cream, wondering.

"Every last one of us has a mental power, Erika. It almost feels like some strange destiny or Fate binding us like that," Elsa reached out to tap the ice cream, chuckling dryly. "This is probably why you're the one who has all the friends: I sound like a forty year old soothsayer," she rolled her eyes, tapped the ice cream again, and then sighed, ending the whole course of actions by looking away, feeling slightly embarrassed, less by what she'd said, and more by the fact that she'd actually said that, aloud, to her sister. They normally chose not to talk about things like that. "I should be talking about something else. Boys or something. I don't suppose you know any cute ones that would like girls that look exactly like you but talk like forty year old soothsayers?" Elsa quirked a brow and smiled as she looked over at her sister, hoping that the horrible joke would help sooth things over.

[Erika Conner (Bellefonte)]

Arching her eyebrow, Erika shook her head, ''Please don't,'' she said, almost pleading, even if she knew her sister wouldn't. ''Someone needs to stay sane and watch the rest of us.'' That seemed to be more or less Elsa's job these days. Covering up for Erika and her ability to make such poor judgement calls and decisions.

''Xavier?'' Erika asked with her head tilted. It seemed like a cliche. It was actually a little funny, and even as much as Erika complained about her power, she had grown attached to it. Her telekinesis and herself had become two sides of the same person, and everything she suppressed and hid, her power acted out on. It was a vicious circle, and not something Erika particularly enjoyed thinking about. ''I don't know,'' Erika admitted; ''We don't really discuss those kinds of things. It had never been a priority.''

A faint smiled caressed the telekinetic's lips as she sighed. ''Fair enough,'' she said silently, ''But I wouldn't consider that a bad thing.'' If anything, Erika envied Elsa's ability to stay cool and collected. She might have been acting like an adult, but Erika didn't consider that a bad thing, at all. ''I don't think you would want the either of the guys I tend to pick,'' Erika sighed. Leaning forward, Erika rested her chin against the top of her arm. ''Take your pick; I think I'm done with feelings.'' The conversation was once more drifting into the gloomy mind of Erika Bellefonte, and it wasn't something she wanted to deal with.

''We should just put the ice cream in the microwave.''