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

text | un: Da Silva

[rosae]

( It's already some kind of strange red flag that Falco chooses to respond in text rather than video. There could be a variety of reasons for it, but none of them good. One thought is that he might've been physically hurt somehow, and is trying to hide it.

....But she'd seen memory leaked from him by accident, the same way things had been leaked from Sharon. Those memories were..... aching. It confirmed for Rose what perhaps she'd always known, on some level: that this child was made to be some sort of warrior. That he'd suffered greatly. )

He said something a little bit rude. But it's all right, darling. You don't need to worry about something like that.

( ...She is downplaying it, sugarcoating it, of course she is. This child doesn't need to know the extent of how some asshole came on here harassing her, and saying disgusting things to others. That's something she'll shield him from. )

Are you feeling all right?

[grice]

Maybe I’d feel alright if everyone stopped treating me like a baby.

[ 🫢 ]

[rosae]

( RED ALERT...... RED ALERT.

Rose is very concerned — but this could genuinely be his hurt feelings on the matter. It's true that Falco often gets treated with an extra sensitivity, not only by her but by others. He's one of Trench's youngest residents, of course, but.... maybe he's feeling a bit sour about it.

....And of course there's the horror that he's been exposed to things that most adults haven't even had to be— )

I'm sorry that you've been made to feel that way.
Is it something you've been feeling for awhile?

[grice]

[ why does she ask the harder questions—! the things he can't exactly pinpoint. the things that doesn't make the sourness as authentic. ]

I don't know.

[rosae]

Would you let me treat you to lunch, too? We don't have to do anything else if you're not feeling up to it. But I'd like to see you.

[grice]

[ —FOOD. anger and disgust on a platter! ]

Yes

[rosae]

All right, darling. What would you most like to eat?

[grice]

S̵̙͙̟͋̕͠S̸̡͖̝̀͐͝S̸̘̺̞̿́̈́S̴̫̼̪͐̓͒S̵̢͇̫̿͆͌S̴̺̘̓͊̾͜

[ yes that’s. yes that’s spooky. ]

[rosae]

( That state of alarm within Rose hasn't abated, but it's... shifting forms a bit. She still doesn't know everything about what's haunting Falco, but she's certainly learned a couple of things. And he'd told her himself, once. It makes him.. strange. Angry.

Maybe this isn't that. But the response is.... worrisome, for several reasons. )

Am I speaking to Falco right now?

[grice]

[ we're going to have a wild time checking back on message history! but the reply is clear in its answers: ]

THAT DOESN'T MATTER
BRING THYSELF