video | un: Da Silva

[rosae]

( The feed opens to a woman sitting in a bright cottage kitchen, with a cup of something warm and a soft smile. )

Hello. Some of you may know me already, but to those who don't — I'm Rose Da Silva. Sharon's mom.

( Her smile warms, and she gently sets her mug down so she can turn her full focus on the video she's making. )

I've been here for... a while. Half a year now. I have to admit, this place isn't like where I come from at all, and I'm still... trying to adjust.

I know a lot of you are from worlds that may be similar to this one. You've probably been able to settle in a lot easier than me. But... I wanted to offer something. Because I know there are a lot of young people here, people... on their own.

( Her smile wavers, brow knitting slightly. A lot of people without parents, without help. And maybe they've been doing quite well on their own; Rose has certainly witnessed almost disconcerting levels of independence from the Sleeper youth. Often, it suggests that... many of them might not have had a strong parental presence back home, either. Several of them have directly told her as much, or she's seen... memories, shared by accident. )

I can't make things, but I can show you how to buy and use them, if you like. Like... well, if anyone might need some more clothes and could use a hand, I'd be very happy to show you the shops I've discovered around here.

( She's.... offering to help take you shopping, yes. This month, there's a growing compulsion to teach, and maybe Rose is....... filled with the need to do some Mom Teaching Things for others! )

There are some really nice shops in certain parts of the city. I'm sure we could find something to fit your personal style.

( Her smile brightens again; she seems excited. Back home, before she was venturing into the depths of Silent Hill to rescue her daughter, she was one fancy suburban mom. Shopping was her thing. And maybe it seems a little silly, considering so many young people around here are... warriors, fighters, have some sort of strong power.... do they really need something as simple as a shopping trip while she's Mom For A Day?

....The offer is there. She wants it to be there, just in case someone does need it. Because maybe she doesn't have a lot of Trench-appropriate skills to put out here, in comparison to others. But being a mother... that's what she wanted to be for her whole life. She's not explicitly framing it that way, but that's what she feels the most comfortable offering, guidance that might fall under the "maternal" or "guardian" category of teaching. )

I'd be happy to treat you to lunch or dinner too, or show you around other places in the city, if you like. The weather's so nice lately.

Comments

[fogsong]

You came into her post where she's offering to help others and your response was to be a fucking pig. You are one of the last men in Trench I'd ever want to touch my mother. You're incapable of reading a room, never consider how your words might cause harm, and couldn't be a gentleman if your life depended on it.

So, no, I don't want you to 'bang' my mom.

Grow the fuck up. No woman wants to see hear they've been 'scratched off your bang list' because it's fucking demeaning. [ For a teenager who is often pretty easy-going with Johnny's roughness, her words are venomous. ]

[strikefirster]

[Okay.

Johnny wasn't quite expecting that and there is moment he looks visibly dumbfounded. But he catches the hostility in her tone and there is a strong moment where he realizes that he's fucked up.

A variety of emotions cross over his face before he settles on anger. It was his default response and it was easy to fall back on.]

Well fuck you too.

[He's got nothing but bluster at this point.]

[fogsong]

A real man would apologize but, sure, fuck you, too, Johnny. [ the only thing in her voice now is venom. ]

[strikefirster]

[Oh. That hits him hard in his pride. He teeth clench and he digs his foot in harder.]

Look- Even if I did fuck up here I wouldn't apologize.

[It may be why so many of his relationships with people end up going up in flames.]

[fogsong]

Is your pride really so much more important than your friends? Do you really wanna burn every bridge you've built so you can continue to pretend to be some badass that we all know you're not?

[ Her tone shifts just a little. Softer and older and somewhat resigned. ] I believed in you, Johnny, despite all your fucking antics but the way you keep going, you're going to wind up alone here with no one to turn to, with no one to help you.

And you need help, Johnny.

[strikefirster]

It-

[The change in tone catches him off balance. The anger over everyone dog piling him over this is still there and it's hard to fight against it. But his heartstrings are pulled are as he realized just how betrayed she sounds.

He goes to slam a fist against the table he's sitting at but it fizzles out before it makes contact and he let's out a breath. He's used to having no one believe in him, he could go back to that. He was sure he could-

But then he thinks of how much better it felt having Miguel in his corner and everyone he's met here. ...And he doesn't want to go back to that. ]

Look kid.

I really came into this thinking I was in your corner. The last thing I wanted to do was betray your trust or hurt you.

It looks like I fucked that up pretty good though and I can admit to that.

[fogsong]

Everyone makes mistakes, Johnny. We all say the wrong things at the wrong times or we let our emotions get the best of us. But I've seen you grow here.

Sure, you fuck up every now and then, but each one of those mistakes should be a lesson. If you ignore those lessons, you choose not to grow and become a better person. And you can be better than the person you think you are—the person others think you are. You don't have to be stuck in your ways but that means you have to listen to the people that give a fuck about you.

[strikefirster]

[For once. Johnny doesn't open his mouth to shoot right back the second he can. He actually lets those words sink in for a little and- Honestly he's feeling pretty stupid at the moment. Which tends to happen the moment he gets his head out of his ass in any given situation.]

I don't know about that.

I'm a pretty big fuck up and have been for a long time. I'm not sure I'm just going to get better someday. And I've been putting a lot of work into that too.

But- I'm all ears now kid, it would be pretty shitty if I didn't at least try to listen now.

[fogsong]

You don't just get better overnight. Like karate, it takes both time and effort and you're gonna fuck up a lot before you see any growth or change in yourself. But if you want to be better, you'll get there.

And if you're really all ears, consider apologizing to my mom. You can do it privately if you have to but... She really didn't deserve that, especially when all she was trying to do was help kids here. I get you might not see how rude what you said was but... imagine if it was your mom someone said that to?