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

[rosae]

( She does understand how all of this might seem silly at best, or suspicious at worst. It comes with the territory, and she certainly doesn't mind trying to alleviate any concerns, if she can. ...Though his words give her a pause.

The normal response she would give would be something like 'because shopping's fun'. She'd say it with a smile, a little playful, but mostly serious. She lived in an upscale neighbourhood, in an upscale house: one with glass walls and bowls of fruit set out on little tables. Her husband made enough money that Rose never had to worry about it. She shopped with her girlfriends on weekends and it was always for fun.

She wouldn't claim to know this young man's life, but she did see where he came from, what happened to him when he was.... so very young. It's safe to say that despite the fact she knows they were both orphaned, he had a very different upbringing from her own. )

No, I suppose you're right. It doesn't require it.

But I've realised how many young people around here weren't able to just be.... kids. Even here, what's required of them to survive is a certain... huge responsibility.

( They're making their own food, getting jobs, living in houses alone. Learning how to manage powers and battle the horrors this place throws at them every month. )

I think it'd be nice to let them have some help every once in awhile, the way a kid might need help.

[retsuden]

[ Sasuke listens to her words quietly and he's quiet for a moment afterward as he clearly gives them some sort of consideration. Kids. None of the people he'd seen here would have been anywhere near an age where they'd still be considered kids back home. Maybe that's why his views always seem to clash so hard when he meets people like this.

He frowns a little in thought, before letting out a sigh. ]

You sound like Shiro.

[ It's hard to tell what that's supposed to mean with how flatly he says it. But he's at least learned that Shiro's dedication to people is genuine, and her saying things so similar to him makes him lean towards believing she's being genuine too. Not that he'll... admit that, of course, but it's something. ]

I suppose that depends on what you think it means to be a child. It's not a universal idea. The things required of them here don't seem that huge to me.

[rosae]

Shiro — I've spoken with him, before. He was very kind... I'm guessing he's taken a lot of kids around here under his wing?

( She gives a softer smile, some sort of quiet relief blossoming through her, a warmth. It's nice to know there are other older people around here to watch over the younger ones. )

That's a good point. ( She nods, reaching to take another sip of her drink, conversationally. ) Where and when I come from, kids are generally taken care of by their parents until they turn eighteen. Often after that, too, but... that's considered the age of adulthood.

Eighteen seems so young, to me. I can't help still seeing it as baby status. ( She gives a little laugh. ) I suppose I remember being eighteen and still being so... unsure. The world was a scary place. I could have used a mom, or a dad. Maybe I am babying the kids a little, but.... the thought of them being lonely, or scared at all.... it hurts my heart too much.

[retsuden]

Mm. He said something similar to you when I asked him why he volunteered at the orphanage. It wouldn't surprise me if he was trying to adopt all the younger Sleepers too.

[ The sort who don't know how to limit caring about people. He's pretty sure that that probably constitutes some kind of problem. Because of course Sasuke would think caring about people was problematic. ]

Baby, huh? [ As a nineteen year old, he is clearly NOT APPROVING of this status!! Thank you very much!! ] In my world, we're expected to be adults once we're finished learning our trade. Most of us are ninja by the time we're twelve.

[ There's a beat where he thinks he should just leave it at that. But that would probably be the smarter and easier thing to do. ]

Being lonely and scared is a part of life. Trying to shield children from that just makes them ill prepared for it. Babying kids here won't make the expectations here less gruesome. It will just make them less prepared to face it if they haven't learned how to already.

[rosae]

I'll have to reach out to him again, sometime. Maybe we can team up and take all the kids on a group fieldtrip or something.

( She's giving a little laugh as she says it, but she's totally serious. Finding a good place to bring a group of children might be a feat in this place (no aquariums or zoos for a nice educational trip around here....) but Rose is, as always, up to the challenge.

She's listening to the young man's words with focus again, taking soft sips against her cup every so often. Ninja — so he's yet another one who learned how to fight from a very young age. And she's not resistant to anything he says; no, she's listening, taking a moment to think about it. How he's worded it, the very valid points he's making. )

Everything you're saying is true. It is. No matter what, there are things that they'll go through, horrible things—

( Something pinches in her features, steals away the soft glow of warmth for a moment. Makes her wince, like something physically hurts. A memory, still too fresh within her. What happened to Alessa, and to Sharon as a result. She can't.... she still hasn't fully processed that, maybe. )

—Maybe it isn't about trying to completely shield them through all the horrors, since... those are a part of this world. It would be stupid to think I could protect them from the way this entire world works. You're right. But...

...as they're going through those gruesome things, learning how to protect themselves and exist more safely here... maybe I could protect some of their softness, too. And offer something safe for them to turn to if they need it along the way.

[retsuden]

[ There's something about what she says that makes him pause. I could protect some of their softness, too. It sounds like the things Sakura's talked about when it comes to her clinic back home, the same clinic she's trying to build here. A place where kids who have been hurt and forced to grow up too quickly like he did can have a chance to just... still be kids sometimes.

His forehead creases and he looks off feed for a moment. Was that really enough to take his aggression down a notch? Sasuke has to think about her words, to think about how Sansa insisted that Rose was truly a good person and not just trying to trick someone. She and Shiro really would be two peas in a pod.

When he looks back, there's at least slightly less bitterness in his features. ]

You should just say that then. Shopping sounds frivolous. Offering to be a safe haven, or to take them somewhere they feel peaceful, would be more straight forward with your intentions.

[rosae]

( Rose is still listening just as seriously, and she offers another thoughtful tilt of the head. Learning how to communicate with the people in this place is still something she's adjusting to. Everyone comes from so many different worlds — times, norms, experiences... She'd like to reach people in the best way that she can, and admittedly it's been a bit of a daunting task to know how to begin. So she is taking what he says seriously. )

I'll keep that in mind. Shopping was just one way to try and reach out, but there are others. It seems like I might be taking some of the kids on an ice cream excursion, or maybe to the beach...

( She smiles again; it's really turning into little personalised requests, and she's quite happy about that. )

I think I could find what different kids might be wanting, and try to give that to them. Do you think that might help?

( It all comes back to the same place — helping them, providing something soft for them among the horrors here. It'd be nice to let them choose the shape of that. )

[retsuden]

[ Ice cream, beaches... Sasuke remembers the small things mattering when he was a child, before his family tragedy, and he can't help but wonder if those things would have still meant the same when he was older and alone. Wasn't it the little indulgences that stuck out from his time with Team 7? Being treated to ramen, sneaking into a movie, getting to just feel... normal for a minute.

So he supposes that that is on the right track. And maybe he was wrong. Maybe shopping was what some of those kids needed. Not that he'll say it out loud, because that would be a look Sasuke doesn't do, but he doesn't need to to agree with her tactics now. ]

Mm. My... [ Girlfriend??? Does he have one of those?????? ] Sakura says that it's helpful to shape help to the person who needs it. Finding out what they need definitely seems like it would help more children than a blanket offer for something they might otherwise ignore.