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THE BOUQUET ESTATE - EVENING
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Teis has been absent for most of the night, having spent it over at The Thirsty Minnow trying various alcoholic beverages. At least she didn't take anything important out with her. It's late by the time she returns to the Estate, the stench of alcohol clear on her breath. Teis stumbles through the main doors, into her home, a happy smile on her face, complete with a jolly yet incoherent song.
Rondelethia was awake. She'd know that Teis had gone out, and had been conflicted about leaving her be an adult and well, being overly protective. She had taken the middle route of staying up, and fretting. So it wasn't long until Teis was intercepted with a rather worried rabbit "Teis! What happened?"
Teis: "Della! Della della Ron-de-el-le-thia." Teis happily greets, stumbling forward into Della and embracing her in a big hug. "Iii've been out, socializing! At that Minnow place!"
Rondelethia pulls herself off Teis "..You're drunk" She says, dissapprovingly
Teis allows herself to be removed from Della. "Yes!" She announces, totally okay with it, it seems. "It's a wonderful, new state of being. . .!"
Rondelethia: "Well...you're probably going to feel worse in the morning" She looks at Teis, seeming to struggle a bit, before she deflates, whatever she was thinking unsaid, and..with a slightly resigned tone "Come on, lets get you to bed"
Teis: "People keep telling me that." Teis shrugs. "Bed? Why would I sleep this off? I feel great!" Teis stumbles forward into Della again, attempting to hug once more.
Rondelethia steps away, not accepting the hug "Yeah. Okay, but you should get to bed, really" She bites her lip again "Come on. Please Teis. For me?"
Teis' happy smile disappears into a slight frown. ". . .But why?"
Rondelethia: "Because its late, and you're drunk and..." She sighs "I'm trying to look after you"
Teis remains quiet for a moment, swaying back and forth idly. After some thought, she responds. "I don't know how to respond to that without upsetting you further." Teis sighs. "And I don't. . .I don't want to seem like I don't appreciate you. I do, okay?"
Rondelethia: "I know..I know..look, this really isn't the time for this. So please, try to get to bed, and get some sleep" She's stressed, but with that deliberate poise of 'I'm giving nothing away about my feelings right now' "I'll be around, if you need any help, later on, or in the morning"
Teis: "Why isn't it the time?" Teis questions. "Tell me, Sis."
Rondelethia: "Because you're drunk, and the priority is to get you safe. It wouldn't be fair to you if I said anything, when you're drunk, and I'm tired. So..not now. Please?"
Teis: "Why wouldn't it be fair? What's wrong with being drunk?" Teis questions. "C'mon. You've been acting like Papa more and more since we arrived. . ."
Rondelethia: "I don't want to, but we're meant to be doing a business, and just starting out here. I'm doing my best to get everything working. Hiring staff, making sure that we get all the deliveries needed, organizing everything for your lab. I'm doing my best to give you all the space we need, but..look.." Her expression cracked just a little "We need to show that we're able to run a business together, and Papa is relying on us"
Rondelethia: She bites her lip again, leaving it at that.
Narrator: Something clicks in Teis' head, a wave of realization mixed with hurt. "Do. . .I embarrass you?" Teis questions, quietly, that same hurt in her tone.
Rondelethia: "No! No, that's not it!" She sighs "But..I..I'm tired of always having to be the stuffy, 'think of the business' person. This needs to work Teis. I've worked so hard on it"
Teis sours, seeming not to have taken Della's no to heart. Her thoughts begin to swell, the negativity within feeding into itself to grow. Teis sits down on the ground, staring into her feet, head hung low.
Rondelethia: "Here..come on..just..don't worry about all that" She goes to pick up Teis, and carry her, towards that bed. She hates to see Teis like this..but..she can't both be comforter, and taskmaster at the same time. It's tearing her up inside.
Teis' eyes begin to water. She doesn't allow Della to pick her up, instead reversing the situation on Della and trying to hug Della again. "I just. . .Tonight was fun. . .I didn't want to hurt you. . ."
Rondelethia: "But..you didn't tell me where you were going..or ask me to come" She can't push her away this time, just letting her hug in there "Can we just for a little bit, focus on getting things set here, and then we can relax, and do what we want"
Teis embraces Della, claws slightly kneading into Della's back. Teis begins to purr slightly, despite her sorrow. At least she isn't crying. She simply holds this hug in silence.
Rondelethia: "But..still. I did mean it about getting to bed" her main motivation, which she won't say out loud in case it gives Teis ideas... is 'Drunk Science'
Rondelethia attempts again to start pointing her towards her bed.
Narrator: Admittedly, Teis was planning on it. Then she got all sad. "I know. . .Just. . .A few more moments?" Teis requests quietly. She continues to knead at Della, her purring slowly increasing in volume. Eventually, she feels satisfied enough to pull away. "I. . .I um. . ." Teis stumbles over her words briefly. "Well. . .You know. . ." Teis mumbles, growing quiet again. "I love you." She whispers.
Rondelethia: "You too, Teis" She replies, putting as much emphasis as she can, before continuing to guide her towards her bedroom. "Come on now.."
Teis: "Yeah. . .Yeah okay. . ." Teis reluctantly agrees, if only because she is now a melancholy kitty instead of a happy go lucky one. She allows Della to guide her to her room.
Rondelethia would lay her to her bed, and tuck her in, before stepping outside, pausing, and going to her own room..she considers having her own little breakdown, but instead, she considers the requisition orders she needs to fill out for tomorrow, and sits down to those instead. She's not going to be getting any sleep anyway....
Teis settles down in her bed. She doesn't manage to get to sleep for a bit, her mind swirling with the negativity only exacerbated by her state.