A Solid Foundation

Chapters

1 - The Home Inspection
2 - Cracks in the Concrete
3 - Digging Deeper
5 - Post-Inspection Review
4 - Appraising the Foundation

1 - The Home Inspection

A Solid Foundation

Chapter One

The Home Inspection

“So, are you finished packing yet?”

Maud Pie suppressed the urge to sigh, but only barely. Instead, she took a small breath, the smell of the aging apartment building filling her lungs, unmasked even by the vanilla-scented candles that currently burned in the room.

Her eyes traced over her half-filled luggage bag, which was resting open upon her chair, surrounded by piles of clothes, organized by categories: shirts, pants, underwear, socks, and the like—sorted yet unfolded. Her eyes then turned to the shirt she was currently holding, suspended in the air, mid-fold, before finally shifting their gaze in the direction of her roommate.

“No,” she replied, testily. “I still have a little bit left to go.”

“Tsk,” Sandstone replied without looking up from her phone. “You’d better get on that then. Don’t want to miss your flight.”

Maud chose to say nothing, silently fuming instead and taking a few deep breaths to calm down, as her roommate continued to idle atop Maud’s bed without a care in the world. Afterall, she didn’t need to respond to every inane comment her roommate made, right?

Apparently, she did. “Really? Don’t know what I’d do without you,” she snarked in reflex.

“I’m just trying to be nice.”

“No, you’re bored,” Maud said, rolling her eyes. “And possibly jealous that you’re stuck here while I’m off on break. You know, it might help you to go for a walk somewhere? Get your mind off of not getting to go home? I’ll call you when I’m done.”

“No can do,” Sandstone replied, turning her head to face Maud as she did. “It’s not like I’m just lying around watching videos or anything, I’m refreshing my email. I’m supposed to be hearing back from Grounded Heat Industries today and I want to respond as soon as possible.”

Ah, so that’s what’s happening, Maud thought, as she placed the name of the geothermal plant Sandstone had applied to three weeks ago within her memories.

“Don’t you have notifications on?” Maud asked, finishing the fold on her shirt. She sniffed it before placing it in the luggage bag, the scent of the detergent causing her to smile briefly as she did so. “It’s not like you have to reply within the day either. They’ll wait to hear from you until tomorrow, probably longer.”

“Probably,” Sandstone agreed, shaking her head regardless. “I just want to know, and refreshing will help me make sure I don’t miss it. It’s the anxiety. Silly, I know. You wouldn’t understand.”

I would, actually, understand, Maud thought. She bit her tongue anyway, unwilling as she was to enter that particular conversation.

“So, you think you’ve got the job, then?” Maud asked instead.

“Yeah. I mean, more than likely. The guy said that barring someone coming in at the last minute and blowing my credentials out of the water, I’m the best interview they had and, with a doctorate geology degree from here on the way… well—that’s not going to happen.”

Maud nodded in agreement, a smile on her face. “Congratulations,” she cheered softly. “I’m sure you’ll do great.”

“What about you?”

“What about me?”

“Don’t be dense,” Sandstone said, unamused. “Same degree, whatcha thinking of doing with it? Any prospects?”

Maud took a moment before answering, choosing instead to examine a dress she was considering packing into her bag. She ran her thumb along the seam, the scratchy wool texture catching on her fingernail as she went. The fabric was warm to the touch, if plain to look at.

Perfect for winter, she thought, avoiding the issue at hand for a few more seconds. She frowned.

The truth was that she had no prospects, no leads or offers to follow, or at least none that were readily apparent. Sandstone was right, of course. Her pending degree opened plenty of doors. Too many, if one were to ask her. And now, spoiled for choices, Maud was struck with indecision.

Working in a university lab had sounded appealing, as had the geothermal lab that Sandstone would now be working in. She had also looked into excavating rock quarries and doing carbon dating for museums. Choices and choices to consider had flown by, and she had considered them, and was still considering them. Yet, she was no closer to a decision and it was hard not to feel a pang of envy at her fellow graduate.

She at least seemed to have her life together.

“I’m still weighing my options,” Maud said softly. “There’s a few things I’m looking into, but nothing definitive.”

“Maud…”

“I know ok!” Maud snapped, regretting it as soon as the words left her mouth. Her roommate only meant well after all.

Sandstone seemed unperturbed by the interruption. “I know you know,” she said, biting her thumb. “But it doesn’t change the fact that time is passing by, does it? Your degree won’t help you get a job you don’t apply for, and it’ll be pretty hard to pay it off without one. You really should try to get something lined up before graduation.”

“I know,” Maud growled.

“I just don’t want you to get stuck without a job. Things can get pretty competitive.”

Maud cleared her throat. “That won’t happen, at least. Worst case scenario, I’ll work at my dad’s coal mine. I worked there before I came here so I have a guaranteed job there, if I need it.”

She could hear as her roommate readjusted on her bed to better be able to face her, a worried frown upon her face.

“A mining job with a graduate degree?” she asked, keeping none of the disbelief from her tone. “Really?”

Maud flinched. She had a point after all. It wasn’t so much that she hated working at her family’s coal mine, but… after everything she’d learnt? After everything she’d studied? After everything she knew was out there? Going back would certainly feel like a failure on her part. No, she hadn’t hated working at her family’s coal mine, but she certainly would hate it now. She knew there was no life for her there.

No reason to let Sandstone know that though.

“It’s more of a last resort than anything else,” Maud mumbled in embarrassment. “As I said, there’s plenty of other things I could do. But if nothing else comes up, it’s still a thing that’s definitely an option, no matter what.”

“Right…” Sandstone was unsure, though Maud couldn’t really blame her for that. “Just make sure you think it through before settling, ok? And don’t take too long to make a decision either. You sound like you know what you’re talking about, but—”

“Yeah,” Maud agreed absentmindedly. “Half the reason I’m taking this trip is to get some clarity. I’m hoping going back home and getting away from things here will help me make some decisions about the future.”

“Don’t tell your family that,” Sandstone suggested. “I’m pretty sure they think you’re going because you miss them.”

“I do miss them!” Maud exclaimed, closing her bag at last and zipping it up with a satisfied grin. “Pinkie’s letters are fine and all, but it’s been almost five years since I’ve last been home. Three since I’ve seen anyone in person. I’m just really excited to see everyone again.”

“I can tell,” Sandstone droned, nonplussed. “Are they all as expressive as you?”

Maud frowned at the sarcasm for a moment before managing to shrug it off. There had been a time where such comments probably would have gotten to her for longer. She was older now though, more experienced. She had long since come to terms with the fact that most people would never pick up on her emotions at any given time. She couldn’t hold that against them. It was just the way things are.

“My parents are,” Maid responded, taking the question at face value. “Stoic is probably the best word to describe them. Next to them would probably be Marble. She and Pinkie are my younger sisters. They’re twins but could not be more different. Marble is super shy and reserved. Never leaves the house, always needs someone to speak for her, scared of people. She doesn’t let on a lot of what’s on her mind, but she can be very expressive when she’s scared or upset. My other sisters are nothing like me though.”

“...Is that a bad thing?”

Maud smiled fondly at the thought of her sisters. “Not at all. Pinkie is always smiling and nothing ever gets her down. She’s got this unbreakable joy that spreads to everyone around her, so I’m sure that Marble is happy as well just from having Pinkie around. Meanwhile, my other sister, Limestone, is always tough and direct with everyone. Makes her come off as mean, but it's her way of being honest and strong. Makes her good at caring for people. She’s basically taken over as the foundation of my family since I left, making sure everything stays together and that everyone is taken care of.”

“Yikes,” Sandstone cringed. “Seems like a lot to put on a person. Especially when this should really be your parents’ responsibility.”

“My parents aren’t the best at being ‘nurturing,’” Maud admitted. “They try, sure, but it’s not in their nature. It used to be my job to take care of everyone. It’s thanks to Limestone that I was able to leave and come here. I wouldn’t have if I didn’t think she could handle it. I know that she’s making sure Marble is ok, and she has Pinkie to help her. It’s not as bad as it sounds.”

“I guess it’s lucky that your family is so tightly knit.”

“Indeed,” Maud replied, gathering her bags and placing them by the bedroom door. “We all take care of each other. We’re all always there for each other. It’s the one thing my parents managed to drill into us above everything else, the importance of family. Now, if you’re done lounging on my bed, I could use that ride to the airport.”

Sandstone sat up from the bed and stretched dramatically. “About time. So! Excited to see what all has changed in the last five years?”

“Pinkie emails me weekly,” Maud said, shaking her head. “She writes me a letter every month. And she texts me randomly throughout the week. I’m pretty aware of everything going on back home and nothing really has changed. I’d say it’s a bad thing, but honestly, it’s probably for the best.”

“You could still pretend to be excited. It’s not like any of us would be able to tell the difference anyway.”

“My family could tell,” Maud replied. “I’m sure you could too if you paid attention.”

“Maud,” Sandstone began, stepping up to her and placing her hands on Maud’s shoulders. “No. Now let’s go.”

The airport was fairly empty as Maud grabbed her bag from the baggage claim carousel, a definite improvement from the cacophony that had surrounded her as she had waited to depart. Here, she could actually hear the soft music coming through the airport speakers, an instrumental meant to put visitors at ease, which she found she quite liked.

Definitely a perk to a middle of the night arrival, she mused.

Through the airport windows she could see the darkened sky, some slight cloud cover sifting the available moonlight. A few stars were visible overhead, as well as some planes preparing to land or on their way out from the airport. And yet, late as the night was, Maud found herself getting more and more excited as she neared the doors at the end of the hallway. As soon as she stepped through the doors, she wasted no time, looking around for her sisters, a huge grin on her face.

Which promptly shifted to a look of confusion.

Her quick scan had indeed found someone from her family, Pinkie. The exuberant girl was exactly who Maud had been looking for as she was always the easiest to spot in a crowd. However, when Maud looked around her for the rest of her siblings, she found them missing. Instead, Pinkie was accompanied by a guy who was holding her hand and checking his phone.

This was not the welcome she’d expected.

“Maud! Maud, over here!”

Pinkie’s yells in the mostly empty receiving area snapped Maud from her stupor just in time to open her arms as Pinkie barreled into her with a crushing hug.

“Maud, it’s me! I missed you so much!”

The scent of vanilla flooded Maud’s senses, causing a warmth to spread through her body as she returned the hug. “I missed you too, Pinkie. I’m very glad to see you.”

They held each other for a while before Maud noticed the guy standing awkwardly off to the side. Memories clicked from some of Pinkie’s emails.

“And you must be Caramel,” Maud said with a smirk. “You’ve been dating Pinkie for two years and you can’t even introduce yourself to her big sister. I’m not sure I approve.”

Though she had used as playful a tone as possible, Caramel’s face flushed at the comment. “Oh, I’m so sorry. I’m Caramel. But you already knew that. And you’re Maud. But you probably knew that too. I’m sorry. It’s very nice to meet you!”

Typical, Maud thought, resisting the urge to roll her eyes. Thankfully, Pinkie stepped in before the boy could become too panicked.

“Relax, Mellie,” Pinkie giggled. “She’s messing with you. She’s approved of us for two years, she’s not going to change her mind because you were letting us hug first, silly.”

“Pinkie is right,” Maud concurred, a soft smile on her face. “Everything I’ve heard about you leads me to think that you’ve been nothing but nice to my sister. I’m actually looking forward to getting to know you a bit while I’m here, but you have nothing to be afraid of. I already approve.”

“Okay…” Caramel said, eyeing her warily. “Um… In any case, we should probably get you two home. It’s super late and, after all that flying, I bet you can’t wait to get back to a comfortable bed. My car’s this way.”

Maud and Pinkie followed behind him as he led them out of the airport. As they walked, the couple politely asked Maud how the flight went, the small talk carrying them to a copper SUV. Caramel got in the driver’s seat and Pinkie took the passenger seat, leaving Maud the backseat along with her luggage. While she was very curious about a lot of things, Maud decided to spend the first bit of the trip just watching Caramel and Pinkie interact.

The couple was admittedly cute. Caramel exuded a cool calm that seemed to redirect all of Pinkie’s zaniness, which did a lot to explain the duo's dynamic. Plus Caramel was making Pinkie laugh, which was always a plus. Overall, Maud was glad he had come to pick her up with Pinkie, though it did bring to mind the obvious absentees.

“Hey, Pinkie. Were Limestone and Marble busy or...”

“Oh, they’re just sleeping,” Pinkie answered with her usual cheer. “Your plane did come in at like three in the morning. Most people are asleep by now, Maud. You can’t really hold it against them.”

“Oh right,” Maud mumbled, feeling foolish. I guess that makes sense.

“But I thought—” Caramel started to say, before stopping rapidly, snapping Maud from her thoughts.

“What was that?”

Maud looked up front where Caramel and Pinkie stared at each other for a second, before Caramel had to look back at the road. When he spoke again, his voice was strained and stilted. “Nothing, I was just wrong about something, apparently.”

And bitter about it, Maud noted with surprise. Sure, no one liked being corrected, but this was not at all like the person she had thought Caramel to be. Then again, it’s late. And I don’t know all his pet peeves. I probably shouldn’t read too much into that.

The rest of the car ride continued with a strange tension that Maud couldn’t quite place. Thankfully, it wasn’t long at all until they arrived in front of a familiar homestead. Stepping out, Maud couldn’t help but smile at the nostalgia evoked by the front lawn, unchanged as it was in her memory. Well… except for maybe one thing.

“Where is Limestone’s car?” It was an innocuous question. At least Maud thought so. She just didn’t see it parked out front of the house, nor did she see it in the driveway, which was weird due to the late hour. The silence that answered her, however, hinted at it being a more complicated question than she first gave it credit for.

Pinkie bit her lower lip before speaking. “Well... You, see—”

“You’re going to have to tell her,” Caramel interjected, placing a hand on Pinkie’s shoulder. When Pinkie turned to face him, he continued. “You should probably tell her everything.”

Maud couldn’t see Pinkie’s face from where she was standing, but there was no missing the whine that followed. Still, Caramel did not seem dissuaded by the display. If anything, he tightened his grip on her shoulder. Pinkie sighed. “...Fine. You’re right.”

“He’s right about what?”

“Hold on a second,” Pinkie told Maud, before hugging Caramel. “You should go home. Thank you so much for driving us. Are we still on for the show?”

“Wouldn’t miss it. And Trixie wouldn’t let me live it down if I did.”

“Really? I don’t think she’d mind that much.”

“I’m sure she’d prefer it,” Caramel chuckled. “Doesn’t mean she wouldn’t still hold it over my head. Don’t worry, I’ll be there.”

It was nice, Maud noted, to see the two have a normal conversation—free from the tension that had plagued them since early on in the car ride. It almost distracted her from the dread she felt at the thought of whatever conversation she was about to have with Pinkie. There was something she didn’t know. Something involving Limestone. And it had been kept from her deliberately.

She was unsure how to feel about that.

Still, she’d have to deal with that later. Caramel was walking up to her.

“It was nice to meet you,” he said. “I’m sure I’ll see you again before you head back, so this isn’t goodbye. I guess, see you later?”

Though she tried to keep her feelings from her voice, Maud had never been good at controlling her emotions. “...Yeah. You too. It’s nice to meet you after all Pinkie has, you know, told me.”

Maud cringed. She hadn’t meant to sound so bitter or accusatory towards Pinkie just then. Caramel, though, smiled and shook her hand, seemingly unaware of any of it. Right, he can’t tell. He can’t read my emotions.

As Caramel stepped away and made his way into his car, Maud turned to look at Pinkie, who was avoiding eye contact. It seemed she hadn’t missed her slip.

Once the car drove off, the two made their way inside in silence, Maud thinking of how to best address the issue. It seemed now clear that Limestone wasn’t in any type of danger, so whatever had happened wasn’t extremely serious. It probably wasn’t even that big. But with how often Pinkie messaged, there was no chance for it to have just slipped her mind. She would have just told her on the car ride here then, Maud figured.

And so, she lied to me on purpose.

Maud closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

This is important, Maud thought. Even if whatever is going on with Limestone isn’t, necessarily. Pinkie needs to know that keeping me out of the loop isn’t ok. Once that’s clear, everything else can be dealt with, then everything can go back to normal.

“Well, here you are.”

Maud looked up. They had arrived at the doorway to her old bedroom. It looked like it had been recently cleaned, which she definitely appreciated. Stepping through brought forth another wave of nostalgia as she looked at each piece of furniture, eventually fixing her gaze upon a photograph of her and her family which was placed on top of her night stand.

Her whole family.

“Well, it’s pretty late, so I think I’ll just—”

“Pinkie… Where is Limestone’s car?”

Maud could hear the creak of wood as Pinkie rocked back and forth on her heels. A moment later, there were footsteps as she stepped closer and into the room. “Probably at her house? She lives with her girlfriend now.”

“She what?”

“And she’s gay. And she doesn’t really work at the mine anymore. And mom and dad don’t talk to her anymore. They’re kind of fighting? It’s… It’s been a lot.”

Maud felt her breath leave her lungs, taking a seat on her bed as her mind raced to make sense of everything Pinkie had just told her—of all the implications. “What…?”

“Look. I know it’s a lot. I didn’t want you to worry about it while you weren’t here. We’ll talk about it tomorrow, ok? During breakfast. I promise. You’ve had a long day, though, so just rest? Please?”

Rest. Maud repeated in her mind. Yes, that makes sense.

She nodded numbly.

Pinkie gave her a smile, but it wasn’t her usual one. Not the one from her memories. Not the one from the picture. It was smaller. Softer. Frail.

Maud wanted to ask about it, but Pinkie had already walked away, closing the door behind her and leaving her older sister to her thoughts.

Limestone’s gone?

That couldn’t be right. The idea of Limestone moving away, leaving her family behind seemed so ridiculous, so impossible, that Maud was having a hard time processing it. The Pies put family before everything. Limestone would never leave.

You did.

Maud looked back at the picture on the nightstand. A happy family, all together, posing in the front yard of the house on a hot summer day. Smiling. Happy. Together.

Pinkie’s smile flashed in her mind. Then the empty space where Limestone’s car had been. And Pinkie had said they’re fighting?

They certainly didn’t seem happy, smiling, and together anymore.

Maud laid back on her bed and closed her eyes, not bothering to change into something more comfortable, a final thought crossing her mind before drifting off to sleep.

Breakfast tomorrow is definitely going to be something.

Author's Note

And so a new story begins.

Thank you for joining me. I look forward to hearing what you all think of this one.
-thedarkprep

2 - Cracks in the Concrete

Chapter Two

Cracks in the Concrete

“Maud. Good Morning. We were wondering if you would be joining us for breakfast.”

Maud nodded at her father, Igneous Rock, as she made her way down the last few steps. She was the last one to arrive at the dining room, where the rest of the family was already digging into their morning meal, though it really should have been no surprise. Maud had never been one for mornings and now, having lived away from home and having had the ability to sleep in for years, the family’s early routine was just not a thing that she saw herself re-acclimating to. The food was another matter.

While her parents weren’t much for cooking, Pinkie always made it a point to prepare lavish breakfasts whenever possible, that day not being an exception. Stacks of pancakes, omelets, even bacon and sausages for her family despite Pinkie’s mostly vegetarian diet, crowded the table—the delectable smells helping to make up for Maud’s foul mood. A little.

Maud looked up to where Pinkie was sitting and couldn’t hold back a glare as memories of her confession resurfaced, the hurt of being lied to settling into her skin overnight. Pinkie dropped her head in response.

Their mother, Cloudy Quartz, clicked her tongue at the display. “You do not always have to be so dramatic, Maud. Pinkamena already told us you would have some questions about Limestone’s living arrangements after she failed to pass that information onto you, and we are prepared to discuss the topic with you. But please, take a seat and let us eat while we talk, so as to not let such a plentiful bounty go to waste.”

“I am not dramatic,” Maud replied, keeping herself from rolling her eyes at her mother and making sure to speak in as even a tone as possible, which she always struggled to do when around her parents. The way they talked always felt condescending to her and she had, historically, never handled that particularly well. Still, she complied, walking up to the table and sitting down. And yet, when she did sit, it was deliberately not at her usual seat, but at Limestone’s.

Maybe she was a little dramatic.

“So, what are we starting with?” Maud asked, piling some food onto her plate. “Why Limestone is missing? Or why Pinkie felt it was okay to lie to me about it?”

“I believe we should begin with your manners,” Igneous said, chewing on a waffle. “It seems that years away from home have eroded them. Is this really how we taught you to greet people you have not seen in years? Family?”

“No, sir.” Maud replied, stifling a growl with a deep breath. “Good morning, Father. Good morning, Mother. Pinkie. Marble. It has been a long time. It is very nice to see you all.”

Her parents each gave a nod in reply. Meanwhile, Marble and Pinkie exchanged an awkward glance with each other. Marble ended up being the first to speak. “Um... Good morning, Maud. It’s good to see you again.”

“Yeah.” Pinkie slouched in her seat. “Good morning. I hope you enjoy your breakfast!”

“I’m sure I will,” Maud said, taking a bite from some toast. “So, Limestone?”

Her father sighed. “Limestone.”

“Your sister moved out about a couple of years ago,” Cloudy began. “She’s living with her girlfriend now. Still in town, closer to the outskirts. Suburbs. Not a bad area. We can give you the address if you want to visit her.”

“Okay, I guess that would be nice. But, I heard from Pinkie that there had been a fight? You all didn’t have a problem when I left. And you didn’t have a problem when I came out. So if it’s not that, and it’s not about where she’s living, I’m not sure I get what the problem is?”

“You know your sister is fond of exaggerations,” Igneous said, turning to look at Pinkie who in turn seemed further cowed by the comment. “While it is true that things got heated, as they always do when Limestone gets going, there was no fight. We merely expressed our disapproval with our daughter’s chosen life partner. Limestone was, of course, all too willing to hold on to a bad decision out of spite rather than admit she was wrong—her pride being what it is.”

“And you know how your sister can get,” Cloudy added. “Once we started pointing out the negatives in her partner she took it as a personal attack and responded in kind, quitting your father’s company on the spot with the language and decorum I’m sure you can imagine without me having to repeat.”

Maud nodded. She could imagine it vividly.

“This all happened the night she was moving out,” Igneous continued. “We haven’t seen her since.”

“Because you told her ‘not to step foot in this home again,’” Pinkie interrupted, an uncharacteristic frown on her face.

Cloudy issued a stern look towards her daughter. “We did no such thing.”

“Um.. You did say not to come back without an apology,” Marble offered.

“Which we all know is not going to happen,” Pinkie said. “And it’s not like she’s the only one that should apologize. You kind of provoked her.”

“We did not,” their father replied.

“You told her she could do better than some ‘lust driven drug user’ and to get with someone who would ‘actually have a future,” Pinkie continued, using air quotes for effect.

Maud, who had been chewing on some bacon, nearly choked. “She’s dating a what now?”

“A musician,” Marble avoided her parent’s gaze as she spoke. “She’s in the same punk band that Pinkie’s friends are in.”

“And they’re all really nice, so there was no reason to insult Gilda like that!”

Igneous took a slow sip of his orange juice before addressing his daughter. “I didn’t insult anyone. I merely pointed out that such a profession, and especially that genre of music, has a certain lifestyle attached to it. Certain choices. This girl spends more time on tour than she will ever spend at home, surrounded by alcohol, drugs, parties, and other willing women. Your sister could definitely do better than having to stay here, always wondering.”

“But we know Gilda,” Pinkie exclaimed, standing up from her chair. “She’s not just some random bassist. We know her. She’s a good person and she would never cheat on Limestone. And she doesn’t do any of that other stuff either. I mean, she drinks but she's an adult, so she’s allowed to, and she knows when it’s time to stop. I promise you—” and here she looked at Maud “—she is an amazing person. I can vouch for her. For all of them.”

Maud looked down at her plate and prodded a few items on there with her fork. She recognized that Pinkie was really asking her for help. Their parents didn’t take Pinkie seriously, and Marble was easy to talk over, Limestone was too impulsive and didn’t think things through… but Maud? If Maud sided with Pinkie, that would be something.

But did she?

She took a bite of the omelet as she thought over what she knew. It tasted bland. She reached for the salt.

Her father wasn’t wrong in his assessment of what dating a musician could be like in general. Maud knew that. A lot of people went into becoming musicians because of the lifestyle attached to it. It was basically a cliche, but one that was very much grounded in reality. Being that long on the road, with that much temptation, especially in a punk band? Her father was definitely not pulling concerns out of thin air.

Pinkie was vouching for this girl though, Gilda. She was vouching for the whole band. And there was a point to be made that Pinkie had actually talked to the band members in fairly regular intervals, had met Gilda and the rest of the band, had been school friends with the singer and the manager. If Limestone was making a mistake, surely she would say something.

Not like she keeps secrets from you right? Maud thought, closing her eyes. That certainly hasn’t been an issue recently. And not to mention the more serious issue.

Even if Pinkie hadn’t lied to her recently, Maud would have had reason to be skeptical, simply due to this girl belonging to her friend’s band. Pinkie said they didn’t drink too much, but Maud remembered differently.

The scent of grease and dough faded, and Maud could smell the apartment again. She remembered the frenzied phone calls as she tried desperately to calm down her sister, but what words does one say to someone who fears they’ve lost a friend? She could see the dull glow of her laptop as she bought the tickets that would bring Pinkie to her, where she could take care of her, even after they found out her friend had made it through. She could still hear the sobs that rocked her sister for the weeks that followed—could still feel the warm metal from her laptop against her thighs as she spent nights researching the people that mattered so much to her sister.

She had found videos, interviews, articles, clips, both official and unofficial, of performances and parties. She found the article about their manager’s attempt, as well as the official release, but she also found people writing posts about her promiscuous nature. The fan footage from afterparties was most revealing as well, in regards to how much the band could drink. At the time none of that mattered; she was not one to judge. They had seemed nice when they met at that one show, after all.

But now.

“Maud?” Pinkie’s voice cut through her thoughts. It was small. Questioning. Pleading. Maud opened her eyes.

Maud knew her dad was probably in the wrong as well. He was certainly generalizing. But she knew what she knew, and Pinkie had not given her enough trust to go out against her instincts.

She gave a slight shake of her head. “I don’t know, Pinkie. I do get why dad is worried. I’m sure he didn’t say it in the best way, but I’m also sure Limestone wasn’t the best in her response and that it got worse from there. Honestly, I’m a little worried myself. I definitely want to meet her before making up my mind but, as it stands? It does sound risky.”

“But I’m telling you Gilda is fine!”

“And I’m telling you I want to meet her, in more than passing.”

Pinkie looked at Maud as if struck, eyes wide and shiny. She then blinked a few times, rubbing at her face before looking back up with that same smile from the previous night that Maud found so unnerving. “Right, that makes sense. No problem. I can arrange that. There’s a show actually, you can probably tag along and… actually, here, let me send a few texts and I’ll see if I can set that up.”

Grabbing her plate, Pinkie stood up from her seat and began making her way towards the kitchen. The rest of the family returned to their meal, all but Maud who looked at the scene with discomfort.

“You don’t have to do that right now, Pinkie.”

“It’s ok, Maud,” she responded from the kitchen threshold. “I need to hop in the shower anyway. Enjoy your breakfast, ok? And I’m sorry about hiding stuff from you. Won’t happen again.”

Then, without giving Maud a chance to respond, Pinkie was gone.

Maud sat there for a while, staring after her, a pit growing in her stomach. Taking a deep breath, she decided to go follow after her, but was dissuaded by her father’s voice.

“Maud. You should finish eating,” he said. “She’ll be there when you’re done.”

Maud gave a glance around the table, from her father’s stern look, to her mother’s stoic gaze, to Marble’s downcast eyes. They were all still sitting. Eating. Unmoved by what had just happened.

Maud took another bite from her plate. There was so much she wanted to say at that moment. To her mom. To her dad. To Pinkie, even though she wasn’t there at the moment. And yet, things were complicated. She needed more information. She needed patience or she risked making things worse.

And so she swallowed those words instead, along with her food.

Maud was the last one finished with her meal, but as soon as she was done, she made her way up the stairway and towards Pinkie’s room. Or she would have at least, if not for the open door directly at the top of the stairs.

Through it, she could see Marble sitting on her bed, listening to music with eyes closed, a familiar sight as any in the old house. It was starting to sink in, however, that Maud could no longer take nostalgia for granted. She gave a gentle knock on the door.

Marble opened her eyes, a soft smile forming at the sight of her visitor.

“You can come in, Maud,” she said, sitting up on her bed and extending her arms open. Maud took the invitation and made her way across the room, sitting next to Marble and enveloping her sister in a comforting hug. The hug was soft, gentle, delicate, but it did not want in warmth. Maud’s ear tickled as Marble took a soft breath, burrowing into her hair. She smiled.

“It really is good to see you,” Maud said. “I’ve been worried about you.”

“You’re always worried,” Marble mumbled into Maud’s shoulder. She made no move to extract herself from the embrace, and thus Maud made no move either.

“Maybe I would worry less if you wrote more often,” Maud said, with a grin. “Once every three months. I’m starting to think you didn’t miss me.”

At that Marble did pull away from the hug, if only to face Maud properly, a pout on her face. “I did miss you! I’m just not good at thinking of what to say. My life isn’t that exciting, and nothing really happens around here, and it’s pretty cringy to say the same things over and over again. I don’t even know what Pinkie finds to talk to you about every week without it being repetitive.”

“You’d be surprised,” Maud said, with a dry chuckle. “Enough that she’s able to leave stuff out for years, apparently, without me knowing. I didn’t even know Limestone was dating. Which makes me wonder why you never told me.”

“I thought Pinkie told you.”

“Of course.”

Maud almost regretted bringing it up, but it had been bothering her. Limestone never contacted her and her parents would only reply to messages, but she had been in fairly regular contact with both Pinkie and Marble for long enough that she should have known what was happening. The awkwardness, she figured, would be worth the answers.

“So that’s it then,” Maud continued. “No Pinkie Promises? No sworn to secrecy stuff? It just never came up when you and I emailed each other and you thought I already knew so you didn’t bring it up yourself?”

“Yeah.” Marble nodded. “I wasn’t trying to keep a secret. I thought Pinkie told you and that you– well, that you agreed with mom and dad. I thought you didn’t want to talk about it, because you never asked about it. I thought you were avoiding it. So I just… didn’t bring it up, no matter how bad they were fighting.”

“So they were fighting?”

“It got so bad, Maud,” Marble said, picking at her thumb. Maud placed her hand on top of Marble’s, who in turn took a deep breath before continuing. “I’ve never seen Limestone that mad. What she said to Mom? And then Dad said all those things about Gilda. And it wasn’t just one day like they said downstairs. That was just when Limestone left, but they’d been fighting for months. It’s the worst it’s ever been. But you weren’t saying anything, and I thought you knew, so… I thought, well…”

“That I wanted no part of it,” Maud finished, prompting Marble to nod. “Or at least that I thought that what was happening had to happen.”

“I’m sorry.”

Maud took a deep breath. She could hear the sound of the heater working to keep the house warm, making her all too aware of the stifling heat inside the room. It was too warm. Too uncomfortable for a winter day. When she opened her eyes again, Marble was watching her, waiting for the next question.

“So what’s she like?”

“Who? Gilda?” Marble paused. “I actually haven’t met her. I’ve seen her a few times since that one show we went to together with Limestone and Pinkie, but I’ve never talked to her or been introduced, so I have no idea. She’s in a punk band, and she looks it. But that’s not a good reason to judge someone.”

“No, it’s not,” Maud agreed. “I did look up that band once though, in detail, and they do tend to drink a lot. At least at their after parties. I don’t know about that girl in particular, but she was definitely drunk in the video I saw.”

“A lot of people drink,” Marble said. “Not just bands, but music fans. Doesn’t make them bad people. It’s about the when and where, right? If you’re just having a good time, it’s not a bad thing, right?”

Maud examined Marble for a minute in silence, during which time Marble grew more and more uncomfortable. When it seemed like she was going to ask what was wrong, Maud finally asked “Marble… do you drink now?”

“No!” Marble replied with a giggle. “I mean, I have tried it, but no. Not my thing. Still, doesn’t mean I’m wrong, does it?”

“I suppose not,” Maud relented. “Though, if you don’t know anything about the girl, then I guess I still have to meet her to be sure. Not that it will change anything either way. Limestone’s going to do what she does, no matter what anyone in the family thinks about it.”

“You say that like it’s a bad thing.”

Maud lay down on Marble’s bed, feet still touching the floor. “I suppose it’s not. But I don’t really like how she just abandoned everything here. She still has a responsibility to this family, you know. We all do. It feels like she's shirking it, and that’s very much not like her.”

Marble lay down next to her, but didn’t reply. Maud was content to just listen for a while, to the creak of wood, to Marble’s breathing, to the voices drifting from downstairs. Closing her eyes she could picture any time period, any point in her youth and the sounds would feel congruent. Safe. Calming.

But things have changed haven’t they?

Maud savored the silence for a few more seconds, before forcing herself to speak again. “So, Marble. Since you’re not keeping secrets, I need you to tell me, what else might Pinkie be hiding from me?”

“Um…”

“Please,” Maud pressed on, feeling Marble tense up beside her. “I can’t be blindsided again. If there’s something else going on I need to know what it is.”

Marble took a deep breath and, despite being side by side, Maud could picture her closing her eyes in consternation, could picture her struggling to decide what best to do. In the end, it seemed she decided to trust in her.

“...has she told you about Trixie?”

“Who is that?” Maud asked. “A friend of hers?”

“Of course she hasn’t,” Marble sighed. “Okay, so there’s this girl, Trixie, who she’s been spending a lot of time with. And who she’s really close to. She’s been sleeping over at her place a lot too. And bringing her overnight. And…”

“Woah, woah, woah. Hold on.” Maud interrupted. “It sounds like you’re saying Pinkie and this girl are sleeping together.”

“Um…”

“Like… Sleeping together.”

“Umm…”

Maud sat up on the bed. “I thought she was dating Caramel? No. I know she’s dating Caramel. I met him. He’s nice. Is she dating both of them? Is she cheating on him?”

“I don’t think she’s cheating on Caramel,” Marble said, shaking her head. “I’ve heard them talk before and he seems to know about Trixie. He knows how much time Pinkie and Trixie spend together at least, and that they’re close.”

“Come to think of it, he made a joke about it, I think, when he dropped her off.”

“Yeah, he’s good at making jokes,” Marble noted, sitting up on the bed as well. “And Pinkie says she’s not dating Trixie. She’s very clear that they’re just friends whenever someone says something about it. But… Well, I share a wall with her...”

“Right…” Maud droned, noting Marble’s blush. “Great, so Limestone’s fighting with the family. Pinkie’s sleeping around. Just fantastic.”

“I think it’s just her. Well, and Caramel. And sometimes she goes on some trips somewhere for a weekend she won’t tell anyone about, so I guess there’s a chance there too… but it could be worse? I’m not helping am I?”

“I don’t know,” Maud groaned. “Is Trixie good at least? Or is she also a ‘bad influence’ like Gilda?”

“I haven’t talked to her,” Marble answered, receding into her hair. “I’ve seen her during breakfast sometimes, and that’s been awkward, but she seems nice enough. I don’t really know her though.”

Maud nodded, at once frustrated and comforted that someone in her family hadn’t become a stranger in her absence. Guess expecting Marble to talk to strangers was a bit much.

“Can you do me a favor though?” Marble said unexpectedly, breaking Maud from her reverie. “When you talk to Pinkie, and especially when you talk to Trixie later like I know you’re going to… please be careful?”

“What?”

“It’s just—” Marble continued, stuttering as she gathered her thoughts, “It’s just– you haven’t been here. You haven’t seen Pinkie. You probably noticed she’s off but you haven’t seen what she’s been like. She’s really been scaring us. And— And Trixie makes her happy.”

Marble took Maud’s hands into her own.

“I don’t know what they are to each other,” she said, squeezing Maud’s fingers. “I don’t know how they work, or if this is going to be bad for Pinkie long term. But it’s working right now. So please, be careful. And if you find out it is bad for Pinkie, please find something to help her before you take this away from her. Please?”

Maud blinked once, then twice. Was this really Marble? Her sister released her hand and it was only then that Maud noticed how much force she had been using. She flexed her fingers, testing the joints and relieving a bit of the tension. Marble had always been this caring but…

“Okay. I’ll tread carefully.”

“Thank you,” Marble said softly. Maud looked at her, really looked at her, for the first time since she’d arrived. She was older, certainly. Her hair was longer. She still looked just as frail and in need of protection. But…

She’s changed too, hasn’t she? Maud thought, looking at the dark circles around her eyes and the sag of her shoulders. She had to. You weren’t here. Limestone wasn’t here. She’s not the same girl you left behind.

Maud stood from the bed.

“I’ll fix things,” Maud promised. “I’m sorry I wasn’t here before, but I promise things will be better now. I’ll fix things. You don’t have to worry about Pinkie or Limestone anymore.”

“I’m not sure it works like that,” Marble said, a soft smile growing on her face. Maud vowed at that moment to do whatever it took to keep it from fading again.

“Doesn’t matter. It’s happening,” Maud said, making her way to the doorway. “By the way, you should rest more, maybe take a nap.”

“I’m not tired.”

“You have dark circles around your eyes.”

“It’s probably leftover eyeliner.”

“Since when do you wear make-up?” Maud asked. “Not sure I approve.”

“Ugh. Get out of my room!”

Marble threw a pillow at Maud which she blocked by closing the door behind her. She could, however, hear Marble’s muted laughter, her heart lightening at the sound. At least, until six steps later when she found herself outside of Pinkie’s empty bedroom. She could still hear the shower going back down the hallway, so she decided to head to her room instead, her head heavy with thoughts.

Limestone’s gone. Pinkie is suffering from something. Marble’s had to deal with it alone. Gilda and Trixie are somehow parts in this. And I have to somehow fix this over a winter break.

Maud collapsed onto her bed with a dissatisfied groan.

Can it even be done?

It was a lot, she had to admit. She had missed so much. And while she didn’t believe in giving up, maybe this was beyond fixing.

And what if I do fix it? she pondered. I find the right things to say. Talk to everyone. Make things right again. Then what? I leave and let things fall apart again? Come back in five more years to see what’s left for me in the rubble?

Maud looked at the picture on her nightstand. Her family. Happy. Smiling. Together.

But then she had left.

A house without a strong foundation crumbled, and it seemed a family did too. She had trusted Limestone to be that foundation but…

That was a mistake, Maud growled. It had to be me. It should have been me. It has to be me.

But even now, she was planning on how to leave again, on what job she would take that would keep her from her family—her responsibilities. That had been the point of the trip, right? To clear her mind and decide between the countless opportunities calling her away?

But there was one.

Maud swallowed hard.

There was a job she could take that would keep her close to home. A job that would let her be the foundation her family needed. It would give her the time she needed to fix things, to rebuild what had been broken in her absence.

Her family would be whole again.

Maud picked up the photograph in her hand. Strangely enough, it was shaking.

I guess this trip did clear things up after all.

She wasn’t sure how long she sat there staring at the photograph before Maud noticed that the sounds of the shower had stopped, replaced by a muffled stereo playing behind closed doors.

With a weary sigh, Maud stood from her bed, steadying herself for the conversation to come.

Author's Note

Just a gentle reminder that this is part of the WWB Universe, in case you're confused by the events referenced in this regarding the band. Honestly, you should definitely read Thicker than Water, but read Playing House first, and probably read Looking Glass before that—you know, the whole thing.

But that can wait now, I guess. New chapter tomorrow and two more on Sunday.

As always, thank you for your time,
-thedarkprep

3 - Digging Deeper

Chapter 3

Digging Deeper

“Okay, Maud, just wait here for a bit while I go take care of business, kayses?”

Maud nodded in reply as her sister made her way towards the bathrooms, not even ten minutes after arriving at the mall. She’d be annoyed if Pinkie wasn’t so predictable.

The least she could do was not leave me stranded with so many people.

And there were indeed so many people. Everywhere she looked, Maud saw throngs of teenagers and parents alike shopping, laughing, and yelling as far as the eye could see, the noise mixing with the music blaring through the loudspeakers to assault her ears with an ever surrounding oppressing dissonance

And yet, just as she was about to resign herself to stand there and endure the horde, Maud managed to spot a lone ledge not too far from the bathrooms where she could pass the time, hidden from view by a freestanding trash can. The stone edge felt cold against her legs as she sat down, grounding her from the noise, and she felt almost thankful that Pinkie had convinced her to wear the shorter dress to meet her friend.

Almost.

“Come on! It’s super cute,” Pinkie had said earlier that day, while digging through Maud’s luggage. “You want to make a good impression right? And the mall is heated. Besides, what if you meet a cute girl while you’re there? You have to wear this one.”

The dress was cute and the mall was indeed warm despite the winter cold outside. Maud could not argue those points.

And she did want to make a good impression on this Trixie girl, insofar that she was important to Pinkie and she wanted to be on good terms with her when the day was over.

But I can do that in a dress I’m more comfortable in, Maud thought bitterly. Besides, I’m not the one that needs to impress the other person here. She does. She’s the stranger.

Which was yet another annoyance Maud focused on as she scrolled through her phone. When she had gone into Pinkie’s room to talk the day before, she had expected to learn who Trixie was, who she was to Pinkie, and a bit about her personality.

And yet, Maud had learnt next to nothing.

“Oh. She’s a friend of mine,” Pinkie had said. “Yeah, she comes over sometimes. We’re kind of really close friends. What? Oh she’s the bestest.”

And maybe it was because of how frail Pinkie’s smile seemed or because of how things had gone during breakfast but, for some reason or another, Maud had struggled to probe deeper, keeping the conversation light and friendly instead—Marble’s warning in her ears. It wasn’t until she returned to her room that she noticed she’d even forgotten to see a picture of what the girl looked like.

She had, however, asked to meet her. Pinkie had nervously agreed and set up an outing at the mall for the next day.

I’m not here to meet girls. I’m here to make sure Pinkie is safe and to learn about what kinds of people Pinkie has been hiding from me.

“Hey, do you mind if I sit here?”

Maud looked up from her phone and started to respond but stopped, taking in the girl standing in front of her. She then shook her head and gestured to the seat. But I mean, while I’m here…

“Thank you,” said the girl, taking a seat beside Muad before pulling out her phone and beginning to text at furious speeds. Maud stared at her for a second longer before she caught herself, swiftly turning her attention back to her own phone.

Well, most of her attention.

Maud kept the girl and her cute silver hair in her periphery vision, willing herself not to blush or turn as the girl giggled at something on her phone screen. A message perhaps?

Get it together, Maud. She looked at her own screen, a text to Pinkie telling her to take her time typed out before her. She chanced a glance at the girl again and this time she found plum eyes discreetly looking back at her for a second.

Then they quickly looked away. And then back again. And then down to the ground. And is she blushing?

And why am I still staring? The girl suddenly turned to look at her directly and it was all that Maud could do to not turn away from her gaze.

“I’m sorry,” the girl began, “I’m sorry if I was bothering you. I’m just waiting for someone but I can wait somewhere else. I don’t mind at all.”

Her voice is quite lovely. Strong. I bet she’d be a good singer.

“I swear I wasn’t staring at you,” the girl continued, “I mean, I obviously was. You caught me staring, after all. But it wasn’t like that. You were just next to me and I glanced at you a couple of times, but I swear I’m just easily distracted. I didn’t sit next to a cute girl so I could ogle at her up close, you know?”

Wait, did she say she was bothering me? Because of sitting next to me? Maud blinked, focusing back in on the conversation. “Oh, I don’t mind.”

A hitched breath.

Why is she blushing harder? Maud thought, beginning to panic. And as the second half of that conversation became apparent, her face flushed in realization. No no no no, she thinks I meant…

“Maud! Trixie!” Pinkie yelled, running up to them. “Oh good, you found each other. That saves us time!”

Pinkie ran up to the girl and gave her a huge hug, one that was rather intimate considering the public setting. And maybe that would explain why the girl’s‒Trixie’s blush only seemed to deepen.

But then why are her eyes still locked on me, Maud asked, knowing full well why—her own face hot with shame.

“So… What were you two talking about?”

Trixie’s eyes practically begged her not to answer and Maud could not help but agree.

I’d rather die than admit to that.

“Just saying hello. Now why don’t we get moving?”

Maud had never been one for puzzles. That had always been more of the younger siblings’ thing. Maud and Limestone though, they had always preferred problems with simple solutions. It was in their nature: Limestone, reaching an answer through brute force and stubbornness, and Maud, chipping away slowly at a problem, diligently until the whole thing went down. The younger siblings were different though. Marble was the clever one, able to see things in ways others often couldn’t. Pinkie was…something—likely to wonder why a problem needed to be solved to begin with instead of adapted to.

Each sibling worked in their own way to overcome challenges, and each way of dealing with problems had its strengths and weaknesses. As Maud had been finding out recently, for example, there were things that needed to be done that only she could handle.

And yet, as she had watched the two girls walk beside her, listening in on their conversation, Maud wondered to herself if perhaps Marble wouldn’t be better suited to figure out the puzzle that was Pinkie’s current life and relationships, wouldn’t be better suited to decipher the patterns in body language and tone of voice that had always eluded her.

What did it mean that Pinkie’s smile seemed as strong as it ever had been? What did it mean that the two, for the most part, kept their distance from each other? What did it mean when they showed affection and acted like a shy and blushy brand new couple compared to when they spoke like a couple that had been together for years?

No, Maud was certainly not the right instrument to use for this task.

But when all you’ve got’s a chisel, you chisel, she grumbled to herself. Do not bemoan the missing tool, right Father?

Suddenly the conversion grew quieter and Maud looked up from her thoughts to find she had once again lost sight of the couple‒the friends, this time finding them looking at some popcorn vendor.

“You’ll spoil your appetite,” Trixie said as Maud stepped closer, “Besides, most of these stores will not let you in with food.”

“Nu huh, nu huh! There’s no rules against going in with food. I see people in there with food all the time.”

“Right, that’s them. They won’t let you in with food anymore.”

“They will if you hold it for me!” Pinkie begged.

Maud couldn’t help but smile at the way Trixie looked away from Pinkie’s pleading eyes in a last ditch effort at denying the girl from getting her way. In a few seconds she would crack, even Maud was sure of that, and she found the whole thing rather cute.

But Pinkie is dating Caramel, the thought cut through the good cheer like a dropped plate. And Trixie was definitely checking me out earlier, I can see that now. If Pinkie gets close to her and she gets hurt…

“...please be careful?”

Maud’s nose tickled, the smell of popcorn muting, fading, and for a second she was in Marble’s room again—just for a second.

“How about a compromise,” Maud interjected, just as Trixie opened her mouth to give in. “I only ate a small breakfast and Pinkie can always eat. If it’s ok with you, we can have an early lunch and sit down somewhere. Get it out of the way, and not bring food into stores since I don’t feel like getting kicked out.”

Pinkie seemed about to protest, but Trixie interjected, taking the offer handed to her. “Yeah, I could eat. Sounds good.”

“I can’t believe you two are teaming up against me,” Pinkie said, glaring from one girl to the other. “This is not why I introduced you, and I want it noted that this is completely unfair.” At which point she turned around and began heading towards the food court.

“She’s so cute when she pouts,” Trixie whispered as she began to follow Pinkie.

“Adorable,” Maud replied, walking alongside her.

“So…” Trixie began after a few steps, glancing at Maud from the corner of her eye. “Has Pinkie converted you into a vegetarian yet?”

“Did she convert you?”

“Her cooking did more than anything,” Trixie answered, miming wiping drool off her lip. “It all looked so good. I’m not really a vegetarian consciously, but most of what I eat now is non-meats because of her. And you’re avoiding the question. Did she get to you too?”

Maud replied in what she hoped was a teasing tone. “Assuming I wasn’t one already, you mean?”

“Well, I knew you weren’t originally unless you changed recently.”

Huh. Maud paused for a step before continuing. “And you know this, how?”

“Well, I’ve heard a lot about you, you know.”

“Oh?”

“Yeah, Pinkie talks a lot about you. The smart one. Went to grad school. Super kind. A lot of the smaller details come up as well.”

“Wish I could say the same.”

This time it was Trixie who stopped for a step.

“Yeah, I guess that’s fair. Not much to know though. Kind of unfair to expect her to update you on all her friends you know?”

“I guess,” Maud continued staring ahead, “But I do wish she would let me in on what’s going on in her life. What important things are happening? When she needs help? Stuff like that.”

“And this has to do with me, how?”

Maud sucked in a breath.

“I know you’re—”

“We’re here!” Pinkie interrupted, gesturing to the food court. “Whatcha wanna eat?”

Maud expected that to be the end of the conversation, for things to go back to the surface level pleasantries of the day, but Trixie seemed to have other plans as she said, “How about you get us our usual Pinks. And also, do you mind giving us a few minutes alone as well before you do? I think your sister wants to talk to me in private for a bit. You’ll know when we’re good. You always do.”

“Oooh some private time with my sister? Scandalous!” Trixie groaned, causing Pinkie to burst out laughing but she did leave anyway. Trixie led Maud to a table that offered some privacy from the rest of the crowds. “You were saying.”

“I know you’re sleeping with my sister.”

“Obviously,” Trixie said, her blush not reaching her voice. “But I seriously doubt that’s what you want to talk about unless you and Pinkie have a similar sense of humor. So what do you actually want to ask me about?”

“You can’t say you’re not someone important when you’re obviously that intimate with my sister.”

“You’ve never heard of one-night stands, huh?” Trixie grinned, “But I guess that’s fair, that’s not what this is. Pinkie and I are close, but not because of that. Though I still think you have the wrong idea.”

“Then explain,” Maud said, tapping on the table.

“I’ve seen the way you were staring at us today while we were shopping. Looking at every time I held her hand or leaned in close like I was something encroaching on your precious sister’s life and you were trying to decide if that was a good or a bad thing. But the thing is, she is the one encroaching in my life. Not the other way around.”

Trixie leaned back in her chair.

“Pinkie heals people. She finds people who need help and she will help them, against their will if necessary. She’s the type who’s first step in solving a problem is asking the problem if it’s ok.”

Maud closed her eyes to the smell of vanilla on warm summers. “You don’t have to tell me that.”

Trixie chuckled under her breath. “Yeah, I guess I don’t.”

“So you were having problems? Or are still having problems?”

“No offense, Maud, but I just met you.”

“That’s reasonable. Still want to know, though.”

Trixie scoffed. “I guess I can say that it’d be weird if I wasn’t still having problems. Everyone is having problems. My deal is that they tend to be the same ones over and over. What makes us or breaks us is how we handle them and who we have to support us.”

“I’ve been seeing a lot of that lately,” Maud said, glancing at Pinkie who was standing in a line. “Having a strong foundation, a strong support system, is such an important part of weathering a storm. That’s the reason why I wish that Pinkie would stop hiding so much from me.”

“So you could do what?”

“Help her!” Maud yelled, quickly looking around, embarrassed at her outburst. No one seemed to be paying them any mind, however, and Trixie continued unabated.

“Pinkie has had her ups and downs, sure,” she said. “But so does everyone. Even if you had known. Even if you hadn’t left. There’s nothing you could have done to fix that or change that in any meaningful way.”

“You don’t know that.”

“Yeah, I do.”

“Oh yeah? How?”

“Because AJ couldn’t do anything,” Trixie said calmly. “And Sunset before she left. Even Caramel and I sometimes can’t do much for her other than hold her.”

“But I’m her family,” Maud said leaning over the table.

“And she’s her own person,” Trixie replied, looking away. For a moment she said nothing, fidgeting with her bracelet, before resuming, “What you have to understand is that people are going to feel what they’re going to feel. Sometimes they’re going to suffer and they’re going to go through things you don’t want them to. And most of the time you can’t solve things for them. The most we can do is trust that they’ll reach out when they need us and to be ready to comfort them in whatever ways we can. The difference between being there for someone and forcing your help on someone.”

“And Pinkie is there for you?”

“Yeah,” Trixie took a deep breath. “She is. And I’m there for her, in whatever ways I can be.”

Maud looked at Trixie, really looked at her. Not judging or analyzing, but truly took her in and it was at that moment that she decided that she did indeed like her. She smiled at her.

Trixie smiled back. Maud blushed and looked away.

“Still sucks though,” she groused.

“It does,” Trixie agreed, “But it doesn’t have to. Here, I think I know what your problem is. Mind if I do a quick Tarot reading?”

A what? Maud thought, but was unable to ask as Trixie was already pulling out her cards. Are those just regular playing cards?

“Here draw three cards, and place them in any order in front of you,” Trixie said, fanning her cards out before Maud.

“Okay…” Maud replied, placing her three cards atop the table.

Trixie flipped the first card.

“This first card is the card of self, and for this you’ve drawn an ace of diamonds. You are the strong one, the one that can withstand things, the one that handles the things that others can’t. You don’t dent. You don’t get scratched. You don’t crack under pressure. Depending on your self-esteem, this is either how you see yourself, or how you are seen by others, though based on the little talk we’ve had and what I’ve heard from Pinkie, I’m going out on a limb and saying both.”

Maud nodded silently.

“Right,” Trixe said, flipping the next card, “Your second card is the card of desire, what you want most, and you see that you’ve drawn the three of hearts. Now, I believe you have three sisters, so I believe this represents that what you want most is their happiness and wellbeing, as represented by a healthy heart.”

Woah.

“Your last card is the problem card. The thing in your way,” Trixie almost whispered, causing Maud to lean forward in her seat. “And this one is the Joker card. Huh, well that’s interesting.”

“What does it mean?”

“Hmm..” Trixie thought for a second. “Well, you see, the Joker plays tricks right? Sleight of hand, illusions, trickery, that’s his thing. Which means the thing in your way is that you are being deceived. Not by anything in particular, but by imperfect perception. See..”

Maud watched as Trixie picked up the three of hearts off the table.

“It is not uncommon that sometimes the biggest thing in our way is our own actions. You see it in literature all the time, people trying to avoid a prophecy cause it. People trying to be cautious make mistakes. Or in real life, overprotective parents drive kids to misbehave. In your case I think it’s this.”

Trixie spun the card in her fingers.

“You see three hearts in need of protection, but what you saw as three hearts are actually—” with a flick of the wrist the one card turned to three before Maud’s eyes—three cards identical to the one already on the table “—three ace of diamonds, all of their own.”

Maud stared in disbelief. Okay, I really like her.

“Oh wow, you’re good.”

“I know right? Trixie does have her moments,” Trixie said, putting the cards down.

Maud took a moment to reflect on what she had just been told.

“So what?” she asked, “Just give them space and hope for the best?”

Trixie thought hard for a second before answering, “More like, trust that they’re tough enough on their own to figure things out and that they’ll reach out to others if they need help, yourself included.”

Maud picked up the four ace of diamond cards from the table, running her fingers across the rough plastic.

“I guess I can do that,” Maud said, unconvinced.

“But also…” Trixie began, causing Maud to look up. “There’s nothing stopping you from being the one to reach out first. Ask about her life, and pester her for information. Be the nosey one. If you’re that worried, that is. I doubt she’d mind.”

I guess I could, Maud considered. It wasn’t that she never messaged first, but with Pinkie always taking initiative she almost always was on the responding side of the conversation. Nothing wrong with changing that.

“You know, you’re surprisingly forward for someone ‘I just met,’ to borrow a phrase,” Maud teased.

“Blame Pinkie,” Trixie shrugged. “She told me she wanted me to be completely open with you today, since she hadn’t been fully open with you up to now. You know, to make up for it. So if there’s anything else you want to know, for today and today only, I’m an open book.”

“Hm...” Maud considered loudly, “Are you and my sister actually dating?”

“Nope, but we might as well be. We do have a few boundaries still, and our reasons for them. Mostly me, if I have to be honest about it.”

Maud nodded. “How does Caramel feel about it?”

“You’d have to ask him, but the guy is really hard to annoy at the worst of times and I’ve been on my best behavior with him, mostly,” Trixie winked.

Maud smiled.

“How about this? You know about my desires,” Maud said, gesturing to the cards, “But what about you? What do you desire most?”

Trixie closed her eyes for a second and leaned back in her chair, taking a deep breath and fiddling with her bracelet again before giving a soft snort of laughter.

“To go to a magical land of ponies and live in a world where every problem is solved with magic, friendship, and cotton candy.”

Maud snorted as well. “If only, right?”

“Yeah…” Trixie sighed, “If only.”

“Hey, girls! I hope you’re hungry!” Both girls looked up as Pinkie arrived balancing three trays of food, drinks, and various desserts.

Maud looked from Pinkie’s guilt-free smile to Trixie’s nonplussed expression and somewhere in the back of her mind she remembered Trixie telling Pinkie to order “the usual.”

How is this much food “the usual?”

“Good job, hun, but we’re going to need way more napkins than this,” Trixie said, collecting her cards and getting up from her seat. “Making a good impression on your sister, right?”

“Right. Right. You’re right,” Pinkie said, sitting at the table, and placing the trays down.

“It’s cool. I’ve got them. Be right back,” Trixe said. As she left however, she leaned over and kissed Pinkie on the forehead, causing the girl to melt into her seat.

Maud couldn’t help but giggle at the sight. “You okay, Pinkie?”

“Uh huh.”

“You know, thank you for setting this up. I’m glad I met her.”

“I told you she’s the bestest.”

“Yeah, I guess you did.”

Both of them stared as Trixie pulled what looked like half of the napkin stack out of the dispenser and began making her way back.

“I do have to ask. Did she cheat on those Tarot pulls?”

“Oh, totally!” Pinkie waved a hand dismissively as she rolled her eyes. “She has no idea how to do Tarot and she refuses to learn.”

“Ah okay. I kind of figured. Still was cool though.”

“Always is,” Pinkie said grinning from ear to ear. “But there’s something else that was much cooler that you totally missed.”

“And what might that be?” Maud asked.

“I was watching you two talk from way over there the whole time,” she gestured with a nod. “I couldn’t hear what you were saying, but I could see you just fine. And when you smiled at her, she smiled back.”

She did?

“Here we are,” Trixie sat down next to Pinkie, placing a stack of napkins on the table. “So, I was thinking, how about after lunch we head over to the Guitar Emporium?”

“Why? So you can show off for Maud?” Pinkie asked with a grin.

“No, so Trixie can show off for everyone,” Trixie huffed indignantly. “What do you think, Maud?”

“Yeah, sounds good,” Maud heard herself say, though she was unsure what she was agreeing to, distracted as she was. She’d heard her name, and she’d responded, she knew that much, but her mind was elsewhere. She was vaguely aware of Pinkie’s eyes on her.

“So it’s agreed,” Trixie said in between mouthfuls of food. “You wouldn’t happen to play any instruments would you? Maybe we can jam sometime while you’re here.”

This time Maud didn’t answer whatever Trixie had just asked. She could hear Pinkie answering on her behalf, some explanation or other just beyond her hearing. In fact, all her ears could hear right now was Sandstone telling her no one outside her family would ever be able to read her—a hint of shame as her emotions were once again misunderstood.

Maud closed her eyes and played back that moment when she had let her guard down, when she had decided that this stranger was someone she could trust around her sister. She had smiled at her.

And in her mind’s eye she could clearly see Trixie smiling back.

Oh, Sandstone has got to hear about this.

Author's Note

So like...I love writing these characters so much?

Anyway, the opening scene of this chapter is literally the reason this whole story exists. Just an fyi. I can't wait to hear what you all think.

As always, thank you for your time,
-thedarkprep

5 - Post-Inspection Review

Chapter 5

Post-Inspection Review

“I’m going to miss you soooo much, Maud!”

The airport’s grand hall was never particularly quiet on the best of days. It was the main concourse of the airport, housing various shops and eateries and ending at the security checkpoint, essentially serving as the last point of contact before friends and families had to separate from their outbound travelers.

Between the rolling of bags on polished floors, people talking to each other or on their phones, and the beeping of security scanners, the noise threshold was pretty high to begin with. And it was perhaps for this reason that Pinkie’s wailing did not cause a stir amongst the surrounding crowd of people getting on with their day.

Well, for the most part, Trixie thought, glaring at some guy in a suit that was side-eyeing the sisters as he passed by. Yeah, say something. I dare you. I don’t care how fancy—

“Oh, and I’m sure Trixie is going to miss you too!”

Trixie’s gaze shifted back to the sisters, now standing side-by-side and staring in her direction. “Um… Yes. It’s been fun having you around, Maud. It’s a shame that you can’t stay longer.”

“I wish I could,” Maud said, her monotone whisper of a voice somehow managing to cut through the noise. “Still too much to do before graduation. I procrastinated too long.”

“Did you at least figure out what you wanna do after school?” Pinkie asked.

“Not really. But I did rule out one option.”

Pinkie nodded, a proud smile on her face. Trixie waited for a moment, then another, for Maud to elaborate but the girl seemed to have said all she’d meant to on the subject.

“Well, Trixie is glad you were able to come by when you did. I’ve really enjoyed getting to know you these past few days.”

“The pleasure was all mine,” Maud replied, her rasp a shiver in Trixie’s ears.

“If you’re not too busy,” Trixie began, placing jittery hands in her pockets, “maybe we can visit you next time? Show us around?”

“I would love for you to visit.” Maud’s eyes shifted away from her and to the side, where Pinkie was standing. “Both of you. I would love for both of you to visit.”

Trixie noticed a slight tremble in Maud’s posture, the slightest hint of a blush. She noticed her looking away. And she might’ve noticed more had she not herself looked away, trying to control her own blush and reaction.

“Aaaaah! You’re both so cute!” Pinkie yelled. “Of course we’ll come visit you, Maud!”

“Yeah!” Trixie mustered, looking back in Maud’s direction. “Just name the time and place.”

“Okay,” Maud nodded, and in doing so she showed a hint of something. Something so small most would not have noticed it.

Trixie was good at being observant, however; her performances depended on it, in a way. And so, when Maud replied to her and her lips showed that slight uptick, that brief flash of a smile, Trixie was proud to say that she did not miss its appearance—did not miss its warmth.

And that smile only grew when Trixie smiled back.

“—And then she called Limestone on speakerphone to wish her a happy New Year in front of my parents because of course she did.”

“Because of course she did,” Trixie parroted back before taking a sip of her milkshake.

After seeing Maud off, Pinkie and Trixie had made their way over to the food court, stopping by to get some milkshakes, at Trixie’s suggestion, before driving back home. The frozen treats and the opportunity to relax and reminisce on the good times from the winter break had done wonders for Pinkie’s sullen mood, and Trixie allowed herself a brief moment of congratulations as she let the sweet taste of vanilla chill her tongue. “Your sister is a bit of a drama queen.”

“Yeah, she is.” Pinkie chortled. “I think it’s part of having a good sense of humor, you know? Like you can’t be really funny without being sort of dramatic?”

“And she is really funny,” Trixie nodded.

“She is literally the bestest.”

“I just hope I didn’t bore her,” Trixie closed her eyes, thinking back over the weekend. “She kept asking me about my magic tricks and stuff, and I kept explaining but…I don’t know? At some point I got the feeling like she’s too smart or refined for my kind of stuff? Like I might have been boring her and she was humoring me for you?”

Pinkie’s laughter got her attention. “No way! Maud was eating that stuff up. She was trying to play it cool, sure. But she can be a total nerd sometimes and she was totally geeking out about the magic tricks.”

“But I was so awkward around her?”

“Oh. Please,” Pinkie said, over enunciating the syllables. “She was totally into you.”

“No. She wasn’t.”

“Yeah, she was,” Pinkie winked. “She was so timid around you. Hung on every word you said. Wasn’t sarcastic at you. She obviously thought you were cute.”

“So what?” Trixie said, fighting her blush. “A lot of people think I’m cute.”

Pinkie gave her a knowing look. “I’m just saying…”

“Pinkie…” Trixie groaned.

“I’m just saying,” Pinkie said louder. “It’s ok if you’re into her, you know?

Trixie sipped defiantly in response, the milkshake clogging in the straw. She slouched in her chair. “Right, because that wouldn’t be awkward. Me and your sister?”

“Well, why would it be?” Pinkie clapped her hands for emphasis, just a bit too loudly—a bit too harshly. The noise drew the attention of a few nearby tables and she turned to wave in apology, Trixie noticing that she hadn’t so much as touched her own milkshake.

“Pinkie?” Trixie tried and failed to make eye contact.

“I was saying, it wouldn’t even be weird since…”

“—Pinkie?”

“since we’re not…”

“—Pinks.”

“...since we’re not together or anything.”

Pinkie… Trixie sighed as the girl in front of her slunk back into her chair.

The table fell silent, the noise of the food court oppressive in its ubiquitousness. Neither girl made eye contact for a while, Trixie instead watching the forgotten milkshakes on the table, cups sweating and dripping onto the surface.

She tried to find the words to say; she really did. And yet, they would not come. This was not the first time, after all, that Pinkie had voiced such thoughts—such frustrations. Trixie was growing familiar with the hurt in Pinkie’s voice and there was a disquiet in that, in knowing that she was treating the same wound with worn out bandages—the salve providing diminishing relief.

Pinkie gave so much and asked for so little, Trixie knew, asked for it in whispers between covers in unsteady embraces. Her wishes tasted, not of sweets and decadence, as one would expect, but of tears and solace.

And yet, for as little as she asked, it was more than Trixie was able to give.

“You know how I feel about you, Pinkie,” Trixie began, her voice shaky, wavering. She began to fidget with her bracelet. “You know I would love to make things official but… But I can’t promise—”

“You can’t promise you’ll stay.”

Trixie flinched at the interruption, before looking up to meet Pinkie’s eyes.

Pinkie wasn’t looking at her, however. Pinkie’s eyes were locked on Trixie’s bracelet, the words “Do Not Resuscitate” clearly readable in white letters against the black metal. She pulled her sleeve up.

“I want to. You don’t know how much I wish I could promise that. Most days with you I even think I could. But then I have a bad night.”

“Or a bad couple of nights.” Pinkie’s gaze was still on Trixie’s sleeve, but her eyes were distant and Trixie knew that whatever she was looking at was somewhere in the past, some memory she had helped shape.

“Yeah, and all it takes is—all it takes is one,” Trixie’s voice caught in her throat, along with her shame. “You deserve someone you can build a life with—build a future with. You know that right?”

Trixie waited for a moment, but Pinkie did not answer, her gaze still fixed on where the bracelet was, tears beginning to pool beneath her eyelids, and so Trixie continued. “Besides, we can’t have Caramel thinking of me as a proper rival for your affection, can we? He’d get all jealous and pouty. You know how he is.”

Pinkie shook her head and finally met Trixie’s gaze with a wilting longing stare. “He wouldn’t be jealous. He’d be happy… for me. And for you.”

The noise receded to the background, and all Trixie could focus on was that stare and the tension it caused in her chest.

It all sounded so easy, the way Pinkie explained it. And when Pinkie held her, in some ways, it was. Flashes of nights gone by flickered past Trixie’s eyelids, as she blinked back tears, steadying breaths tinged with hints of vanilla. She could almost hear the storm still, from that night two months ago, could still feel Pinkie’s warmth beside her.

She opened her mouth unsure of what she’d say, wanting to say exactly what Pinkie wanted to hear.

But she could feel the metal bracelet under her sleeve as well—could hear the silence that waited for her at home.

“...we’ve got a working thing here, don’t we?” Trixie asked, taking a deep breath. “We’re happy right now with things as they are. Why risk it by changing things?”

Pinkie opened her mouth to respond, but then closed it. Her eyes began looking over Trixie, studying her and noticing her as if for the first time. She took a breath as well and wiped at her eyes.

I wonder what she sees.

“Yeah, I guess you’re right. If it ain’t broke, why fix it?” Pinkie smiled, pretending to agree.

Trixie nodded, pretending to believe her.

With an unspoken agreement, the moment of tension seemed to pass, at least for the moment. At least to any who would happen glance in their direction.

Both went back to their milkshakes. Pinkie went back to talking about what antics happened at her household over the break. And Trixie… Trixie thought of Pinkie’s eyes and did her best to ignore that pang of worry she felt at the memory.

No, this is for the best, she thought, with a slight shiver. Pinkie will be ok; she has Caramel after all—someone she can truly be happy with. Someone better.

Memories of Pinkie sleeping by her side, of Pinkie dancing with her, of breakfasts and dinners alike came to the forefront of Trixie’s mind.

And I'll be there as well, a temporary addition for as long as I can be. Everyone wins.

When Pinkie’s eyes flashed in her mind again Trixie was able to shake off the guilt, easier this time than before. She focused in on Pinkie as she talked excitedly about some story Marble had told her over breakfast some morning that past week.

Yeah, this way you get to have a future, she thought, feeling the bracelet under her sleeve. As for me? Not much of a future, is there?

After all, it was hard to build something on a broken foundation.

Author's Note

And so the story comes to an end. I will summarize my thoughts in a blog post, for those who care about that kind of thing. For everyone else, I just want to thank you for joining me in this quaint little story about coming back home.

I hope you enjoyed it.
-thedarkprep

4 - Appraising the Foundation

Chapter 4

Appraising the Foundation

“Aaaah make it stop.”

From the passenger seat, Trixie groaned loudly, yet not loud enough to drown out the music blaring from the car speakers.

“Now, Trixie,” Caramel chided from the driver seat, “we listened to your eight-minute black metal song without complaining. It’s only fair for you to respect our choices as well.”

“This is not the same and you know it!”

For her part, Maud was enjoying the music—a seventies R&B style song featuring a trio of very talented girls on back-up vocals. Maybe it’s a genre thing?

“You two know what you want your picks to be?” Caramel called to the back of the car.

“Pinkie can have my pick” Maud answered, while Pinkie, who had been looking through her phone suddenly began laughing.

“Oh, I think I know my picks then,” she said. “I’m pretty sure I remember these from Trixie’s collection. And from the 80’s too. Way more recent.”

“Strong female vocalist?” Caramel asked.

“Three of them!”

“Love it,” he smirked.

“I hate you,” Trixie whined. “I hate you both so much.”

Maud tuned them out and stared out the window, focusing on the lights as they passed by.

It would only be a few minutes more before they arrived at the venue where the Washouts and Fallen Hive were performing and, while not her first metal or punk show to be sure, she still felt apprehensive. Limestone and Gilda would be there, after all, and she was no closer to figuring out what she wanted to say to either of them.

And not from a lack of effort either, she grumbled. Maud turned to look at Trixie, her reflection visible off the side view mirror, as she continued to shift in her seat to the amusement of the others.

That girl had certainly given her much to think about, hadn’t she?

Late into the night, after coming back from the mall, Maud had lain awake in her bed, turning Trixie’s words over and over in her mind.

“There’s nothing you could have done.”

She’d certainly brought up some interesting points and there was some arrogance in thinking that she could come in five years later and fix everything on her own. Maud could own up to that.

But… The sight of Pinkie’s smile fading as she re-entered their home—the smile she held while Trixie was around becoming that fragile thing Maud was still unaccustomed to seeing.

She had received another text from Sandstone as well, asking her if she’d made any progress in her soul searching. She had yet to respond to that.

Yes, Trixie had certainly given her a lot to think about. But things seemed as cloudy as they ever had and, with Marble already asleep when she’d arrived, she’d had no one to bounce her thoughts off of. Therefore, Maud was going into the concert today with no plan to speak of.

Well, except for one.

A pothole jarred Maud from her thoughts.

It seemed it was Trixie’s pick again, as a metal song was playing through the car stereo. Pinkie and Trixie were singing along to the vocals as loud as possible while a bemused Caramel did his best to keep his eyes on the road.

Maud focused on Pinkie first, taking in the smile she had on her face, the glow in her eyes, and then looked back up front at the two people who she currently knew had a hand in making those things happen.

As she met Trixie’s eyes through the rearview mirror, a flicker of guilt flashed through Maud at having mistrusted her from the get-go. I will not make that mistake again.

She may not know what to say to Gilda or how to feel about her, but she would give her the benefit of the doubt she had denied Trixie, and listen to what she had to say.

No preconceptions. No baggage.

Let her make her own first impression.

“Heads up everyone, we’re here!”

“Finally!” Trixie cried out, unbuckling her seatbelt.

As they all got out and gathered in front of the car, Trixie quickly made her way next to Pinkie.

“Trixie will be taking that,” she exclaimed, grabbing Pinkie’s right hand. She then waited until Caramel made to grab Pinkie’s other hand, and grabbed it as well. “And that one too. Trixie just realized that she has two hands. You understand, Trixie is sure.”

“Oh certainly!” Caramel exclaimed. “I wouldn’t dream of taking something that is rightfully claimed. Thankfully, this seems like completely unclaimed territory.”

He then proceeded to wrap his arms around Pinkie’s middle, all the while keeping his eyes locked on Trixie with a simple smile on his face.

“Hey! That’s not fair. I was using that!” Trixie yelled.

“No you weren’t.”

“I was gonna.”

“Can’t hear you; Pinkie’s purring.”

And Pinkie did indeed seem like the happiest person in the world right then, content to let the other two continue to perpetually fight over her.

Maud rolled her eyes. “Children, you are not about to try walking like that. Now either share her hands or let go.”

“Aww” all three of them said, and Maud had to fight to maintain her glower. Still, the pair did let go and moved to where it looked like they would have complied with her demands, had the music not began playing.

Pinkie and Trixie’s heads turned towards the venue.

“They’re starting! They’re starting!” Pinkie yelled.

“And the bag check line is so long!” Trixie groaned. “Caramel, I know you don’t actually care about Fallen Hive… Do you think you could…”

Caramel chuckled. “Hand over the purses.”

“Thank you!” Pinkie and Trixie wasted no time in giving him their bags, Trixie giving him a quick hug and Pinkie giving him a kiss, before the two rushed off to the much shorter entry for guests without bags.

When the dust cleared, it revealed a boy holding two purses and wearing the most satisfied of grins.

“You know, I could hold those and you could go in after them,” Maud offered.

“No. No. It’s fine.”

“Even though Pinkie left you behind to run off with some woman?”

“It’s just Trixie,” Caramel said as they lined up.

Maud grabbed Trixie’s purse; attached to which was a teacup and saucer in a leather holster. “Are you sure you’re allowed to say ‘it’s just Trixie.’ You know, legally?”

“Fair,” Caramel chuckled, taking the purse back. “She’s pretty harmless, though. Even when she tries not to be.”

“When she tries not to be? Do you mind if I ask, or?”

“I mean the stuff she pulls to ‘make me jealous’ and stuff,” Caramel shook his head. “Like the stuff by the van. She’ll play around a lot and make comments. She’ll push the line and insinuate things, call herself my rival.”

“But you know she doesn’t mean it?” Maud asked. “Or it doesn’t bother you if she does?”

“A little of both?” Caramel shrugged. “She tries so hard to not be ‘in the way,’ you know? Like when Pinkie and I have a date night, she practically drops off the radar so Pinkie won’t be distracted. It’s a bit much, but she’s always a bit much. It’s part of her charm.”

Maud nodded, “so you know she doesn’t mean it.”

“So I know she doesn’t mean it,” he repeated. “And if she and Pinkie wanted to actually start dating I…well, I can’t say it wouldn’t be a bit of an adjustment, but I wouldn’t rule it out. She makes Pinkie happy. How could I be against that?”

“So no secret resentments?”

“No secret resentments. But, if you’re after secrets then, how about this one?” Caramel said, leaning closer. “When Pinkie and Trixie first started…getting involved, Trixie cornered me after work one day and asked if I knew, which I did. Pinkie and I had talked about her feelings beforehand.”

“Good to know my sister wasn’t cheating on you.”

“I thought so too. So then, Trixie made a vow that if I ever felt uncomfortable with anything, everything would stop right then and there. No questions asked.”

“Oh wow,” Maud gasped. “What did you say?”

“That I could not accept such a binding vow without a lawyer present?”

Maud snorted in laughter. “You didn’t.”

“I did. Literally. ‘I need my lawyer for this,’ and just kept walking to my car.”

“That’s really clever.”

“You’d think so, huh?” Caramel shrugged, readjusting the purses as one of them nearly fell off. “Really, I just panicked. I don’t want that kind of decision being up to me. Having power over Pinkie’s relationships makes me uncomfortable. I don’t want to feel controlling and I don’t want her forcing that on me. Also, if they ever cross a line, I’d like for them to be able to work it out and learn from it. For it to be a conversation, not an ultimatum.”

“That’s a good way to look at it.”

“Thanks. Took me a while to figure out why that made me uncomfortable though. It wasn’t as simple as it probably should be.”

“Things with Pinkie rarely are.”

“Yeah, but I love her.”

“I know,” Maud said. “I can tell. So why are you waiting in line with me, instead of just giving me the purses and heading inside?”

“And deny myself the pleasure of your company?” Caramel gawked, as if offended. “The nerve!”

“You’re right. Don’t know what I was thinking.”

As soon as they got inside, they managed to spot Pinkie by the front row, with the way she was cheering into the mosh pit next to her giving hints as to Trixie’s location. Caramel wasted no time in cutting a path towards them but Maud chose to hang back and scout the area. After all, she wasn’t here for the bands, really. She had other people to meet.

Maud found an elevated area in the middle of the venue, and stood next to a ledge, leaning over the railing. From this vantage point she could watch people come and go from the pit area and, looking around, had a pretty good view of the surrounding tables as well. She still had no visual on her sister and, after a while, she briefly considered checking out the actual bar area. Before she could, however, a familiar figure caught her attention, making her way up the ramp towards her on her left side.

And while Maud could have met her halfway, she decided to wait at her perch instead until Gilda stepped up next to her, dressed in unripped black jeans and a leather jacket that was far too nice for the type of venue and show they were currently attending.

She's taller than I remember.

“Good afternoon–um, evening, Dr. Pie,” Gilda said, extending her hand.

Maud raised an eyebrow and in a teasing tone replied, “Evening, Ms. Gilda. Nice to see you again.”

The tone was obviously missed, as Gilda showed a flash of excitement, akin to someone scoring a point in a game, before continuing. “Um. Same. You can just call me Gilda, though, that’s fine.”

“And you can just call me Maud.”

“Just Maud? Ok. I can do that,” she replied, taking a deep breath. “So, Limestone said that Pinkie said that you wanted to talk to me, which I get. Like, if my sister ran away to live with some rando after fighting with my parents I certainly would have some questions.”

“You have siblings then?”

“No‒No I don’t, but I wasn’t lying just now!” Gilda all but shrieked, “I was trying to empathize, yeah. Like I can imagine what it would be like. Because like, the girls in the band are like my family, so they’re like my sisters. So I, sort of, get it. And even if I didn’t have them, you always, sort of, imagine what-ifs and how’d you react, right?”

“...Right,” Maud replied, eyeing the girl, who was obviously very tense. I mean, I was nervous for this meeting too, but this is a bit much.

“Tell me about my sister, please. How is she living nowadays? What does she do? Is she being taken care of? Is she able to take care of herself?”

“...Okay, but don’t be mad.”

“Not a great start.”

“No, it’s just–It’s not going to sound great. I know that, but like… You haven’t been to the house, so you don’t know,” Gilda pushed her hair back in frustration. “Okay, so we’re living in the basement—”

“She’s living in the basement?”

“I said, hold on! Okay?” she exclaimed. “Look, the house is like. Really big. And I planned it out. My parents have the top floor, the ground floor is a shared space, and the garden and stuff. And the basement is ours. And like! It’s a huge basement. It has a bedroom, a bathroom, an office, its own kitchen? A small one, sure, but it’s got its own kitchen down there!”

Maud watched as Gilda leaned over the railing.

“She works odd jobs to help pay for the mortgage payments, and she does rock carving on the side, statues and stuff, as a hobby. And look, eventually we’ll have our own place. And I really want her to not have to pay any bills and just focus on her rock carving.”

“Masonry.”

“Right, Masonry,” Gilda nodded. “But the music thing is a slow build, so this is the best that I can do right now. Like, one house at a time and all that, right? But I’m working really hard. And I swear I make her happy. And I know what your parents think about me but I promise that I don’t do drugs or smoke, and I would never cheat on Limestone. She’d kick my ass. I mean, my butt. Not that that’s the only reason. I just… just…”

Gilda seemed to be gathering her thoughts. And in that moment of silence, Maud gathered her thoughts as well.

This is the rockstar? This dork is the dangerous rockstar that my parents are so afraid of? She mused. She’s harmless. If anything, I’m worried about her with Limestone around.

Limestone.

She was about to ask Gilda where Limestone was, when the girl suddenly reached out and grabbed Maud by the arm.

“Um…” Maud began, before staring into Gilda’s fear-stricken eyes.

“Just…I know it’s a lot to ask, but please don’t make her break up with me?”

“What?”

“She told me that I needed to get your approval or she’d break up with me, but… I know I’m not good with words and I know that rockstars get a bad rep, and Flutters and the girls agreed to come with me to back me up but I wasn’t going to have them drive five hours just for this, so I said ‘no, I have to do this on my own,’ like a moron, and—”

“Gilda! Gilda,” Maud interjected, holding unto the arm that was grasping unto hers to get the girl’s attention. “Listen to me. Okay? Limestone has never listened to a single word I’ve said on anything. Ever. Okay?”

“What?”

“If I told her to break up with you, she would marry you on the spot, just to spite me. So I’m not going to do that. I wasn’t going to anyway, but especially because of that. Okay?”

“Right. Okay,” Gilda said, taking a deep breath. “So… she was messing with me?”

“Don’t take it personally. She probably thought it was funny.”

“I’m going to kill her.”

“Please do.”

Once the topic at hand was dealt with, Maud had expected Gilda to make herself scarce, but she’d actually hung around for the rest of the set. She even stayed during the band change, sharing stories both about her band experience and the apparently hiding family member.

In fact, it wasn’t until the Washouts finally started their set that Gilda finally excused herself to go support them from the front row.

Maud thought back over the conversation and found Gilda quite pleasant to talk to once she wasn’t nervous. She was strong willed, opinionated, and with more to say than the vocabulary to say it, but also unwilling to let that stop her.

Definitely reminds me of someone else I know.

The smell of alcohol hit her slightly before the voice did, Limestone whispering in her ear, taking advantage of her momentary distraction, “Maudie, glad you could make it.”

“Eww!” Maud exclaimed, backing away. “Five years and this is how you greet me? Whispering like a creep and blowing your alcohol breath in my face?”

“I’ve only had the one drink,” Limestone argued. “Besides, how about you? Five years and this is how you react to seeing me? Backing away from me in disgust? How about a hug for your favorite sister?”

“You’re right,” Maud replied, “Let me go find Pinkie real quick.”

“Marble’s gonna be devastated.”

…

The two girls began laughing at the same time, with Maud stepping forward to give Limestone a hug. “I’m so glad to see you, Lime.”

“Same here, Maudie,” Limestone said, returning the hug. “And I see you even met my girlfriend. What do you think?”

“She’s too good for you.”

“I know! Right? I keep expecting her to figure it out but every morning I wake up and, somehow, I’m still in her bed.”

“Yes. Yes,” Maud indulged her. “We’re all very impressed. Just remember that getting with a girl doesn’t make you special. At this rate, I’m just hoping I can act shocked when, I mean if Marble comes out.”

“Well, you know, you were just so inspiring, Maud. Pinkie and I had to be just like you.”

“Is that it? I still think we’re all just rebelling against Mother and Father and how they raised us,” Maud said, “This is definitely just a phase.”

“Oh jeez, mom and dad didn’t use that line on you, did they?”

“No,” Maud lied. “But while on the subject of Mom and Dad. I heard things got pretty heated when you left. Wanna talk about it?”

Limestone, for the first time since her appearance, stopped smiling, a groan crossing her lips as she placed her cup on a nearby table.

“Not really?” she admitted. “There’s not much to say is there? They disapproved of Gilda. I didn’t budge. Pretty simple math from where I’m standing.”

“I guess it is,” Maud said carefully. “Do you want to talk about you moving out instead or—”

“I don’t know, Maud! But I think you want to talk about it, so let’s talk.”

“I don’t wanna fight, Lime, but I want to understand,” Maud replied, lifting her wrists up in surrender. “When I left it was a very hard decision for me. I almost didn’t do it but, when I did, I left knowing you would be here to keep things together. You were supposed to be the one to look after them when I couldn’t, so where were you?”

Limestone took a sip from her drink before replying, “...and you’re sure you don’t want to fight?”

“I don’t. But I need to know. Where were you with everything that’s been going on with Pinkie?”

Limestone gave a solemn nod, smacked her lips, and pointed to the pit area of the show. Maud traced her finger and saw that a circle pit had formed in the middle of the pit area, in the middle of which, Pinkie and Trixie seemed to be ballroom dancing as the other concert goers ran around them. A rather flustered Caramel could be seen looking on from the edge of the crowd and the band’s singer seemed to be filming this event with her cellphone.

Yeah, that tracks.

Limestone seemed to read her mind. “Looks like she’s doing fine to me.”

“Ok, but what about Marble? She’s always needed looking after. With Pinkie in her ups and downs and you out of the picture, who is going to look out for her? Mom and Dad?”

Maud wasn’t sure what response she expected from her sister, but it certainly was not laughter.

“Maud, you need to relax,” she said, in between giggles, her hand reaching out to grab Maud’s shoulder. “Honestly, I think you could use a drink.”

“Don’t change the subject,” Maud replied, even as she allowed herself to be guided by Limestone towards the back of the venue. “Besides, you know I don’t drink.”

“Trust me on this.” Limestone said, gesturing towards the bar.

“Is that…”

“It is.”

Though the two still kept their distance from it, they had gotten close enough to where the sounds of the bar could be parsed out over the music and vocals, a small concerto of laughter, of clinking glass against wood, and of screeching chairs.

About seven or so patrons were crowding around the lone bartender, a young woman dressed in black with very heavy eyeliner and mascara to match, who effortlessly passed out drinks, took down orders, rebuffed advances, and, by all appearances, seemed to be having the time of her life.

“Come on, Marble, just one date!” some patron yelled over the sound of a guitar solo. “You and me. After work. I won’t stop asking until you say yes!”

“Just as long as you remember that I’m charging you an extra dollar per drink every time you ask, Axel!”

The patrons burst out in laughter, Axel included, as Marble poured him his drink, “Well, shoot. Someone’s gotta pay for all that eyeliner and mascara. Might as well be me.”

“At the rate you’re going, you’re going to pay for her college, Axel!”

“Yeah! So stop before she learns there’s other jobs out there where she doesn’t have to deal with you.”

“Does this have to do with those book things I’ve been hearing about?” Marble winked, “Maybe I should get some of those.”

A chorus of boos rang out, followed by more laughter, Marble’s loudest amongst them.

Maud was sure she was hallucinating, she had to be, and was only convinced this scene was real by the smug look on Limestone’s face.

“I can’t believe this.”

“I know.”

“No,” Maud insisted, “I cannot believe this.”

“I know,” Limestone repeated. “You were gone. You didn’t get to see it happening.”

Maud’s mind was racing, trying to put together the sights in front of her with what she knew about her family. The pieces would not fit, however, no matter how hard she tried.

Limestone cleared her throat, and Maud looked up to find she had been led back to the perch where the conversation had begun. She turned to look at Limestone and saw that her sister seemed to understand, or at least sympathize, with her confusion.

“Here’s the thing, Maud,” she began. “Things weren’t going to stay the way you left them. You left. But that doesn’t mean that things are shit now just because they’re not the way they used to be.”

Limestone looked out into the audience, for Pinkie, or Gilda, or maybe just to gather her thoughts. It was hard to tell, but Maud continued to stare at her, unblinking.

“I’ll admit things don’t always look great. Pinkie’s been worrying us a lot, and Marble working at a bar is something we never could have predicted. I don’t like fighting with Mom and Dad either. Not really sure I’d be welcome home even if I did go back, honestly. But… things won’t be like that forever. Right now things are just…”

“Rough? Developing?”

“Rocky.”

They both groaned.

And then, they both smiled.

“Yeah, that makes sense. I guess I’ve been worrying too much,” Maud slouched, the weight of the trip an unkind boulder on her shoulders.

“You always do, and normally it’s a great look for you. It suits you. Makes you look all responsible. But there’s plenty to worry about, you know? Other things. Maybe yourself? We’ve got this.”

“Yeah. I guess you do.”

The two stood in silence for a bit, watching the show while Limestone finished her drink. Once she did, she began to head towards the pit, giving Maud a nod as she left, which she returned. Maud briefly considered joining her but decided to stay where she was and just watch things for a bit longer.

Off to the side she watched as Trixie, Pinkie, and Caramel talked, finally out of the crowd and looking positively exhausted.

They’re probably taking a breather, she guessed, as Trixie and Pinkie laughed in response to something Caramel said. Maud smiled at the scene.

Her eyes then went to the front row where she could see Gilda and Limestone yelling the lyrics right up to the singer's face, louder than the rest. She still didn’t really know Gilda, but Maud knew Limestone. She’s going to be okay.

Finally, Maud closed her eyes, straining to block out the music and focus on the sound of laughter coming from behind her, the image of Marble, decked out in dark clothing and a bright smile, more out of her shell than Maud had ever seen her.

I guess things really are a lot better around here than they appeared.

In some ways, her family was like an old well-built house.

From the outside, it might look battered. It might look broken. It might look weathered and left to the elements. And yet, as long as the foundation was good, rebuilding was always possible.

Taking another look around the venue, Maud decided that the foundation was as solid as ever.

Come to think of it, she thought, with a mischievous smile. I think I’ll go ahead and get that drink after all.

Author's Note

So thoughts? Personally, I want to see the ballroom dancing in a circle pit thing in real life, but that's just me.

I continue to love my trio of awkward disasters in love, and the Pie family are my favorite little group of siblings to write. I wanted to make sure Maud had a different dynamic with each of them and I feel like Limestone and Maud are closest to me and my actual sibling, so this chapter was fun to write.

Anyway, one more to go. I hope you're as excited as I am.

And, as always, thank you for your time,
-thedarkprep