Utopia

"Ow." Simon let out involuntarily as Elena's grip tightened, before seeing the look on her face. "It's okay, happens."

Simon gave his wrist a little shake so he could give Elena's hand a small squeeze. "Let's go, right?"

Elena nodded, squeezing Simon's hand back, though she kept her gaze averted from him as they walked out of the cafe. "Sorry..." she repeated, not only ashamed of how she'd almost ordered him around, but also how she'd also hurt him enough that he reacted. It wasn't exactly a pleasant feeling, so she made sure not to hold his hand too tightly.

"You already said that, and I accepted you apology," Simon replied to Elena, not wanting the gril to feel bad. Flow was a thing that was hard to control, even if it was your own. Simon understood that from the moment someone touched him after the Storm.

"S- Right," Elena responded, catching herself before she could apologize again. She stepped outside of the building, shivering at the cold. Winter was way too cold for her liking. She habitually stepped closer to Simon, aiming to leech of his body heat, before continuing to walk back to their home.

Simon jumped slightly at the close proximity between himself and Elena before realizing how cold the weather was. He huddled next to her also fro warmth as they made there way back. The young man did a small sniff or the air and caught a scent coming Elena's hair. They were so close it was likely he would. But...

Simon took another inhale of the smell, unable to name the smell but secretly enjoying it all th same.

---

When they got back Simon took out Heidi's knife from his jacket as he hung it up on the coat rack. He looked down at the item in his hand with a thoughtful look.

Elena roamed around the house rather freely, as Percival and Mary were not home yet. She didn't need to worry about hiding from either of them. Plus, if she was alone, Lacy and Erika might start talking to her again, so she tried to stick in the same room as Simon once she had abandoned her coat and hat in her room.

Catching him looking at the knife, Elena frowned slightly. "What're you up to?" she asked, not all that fond of weapons, even if it was just a pocket knife.

Zackary stared back at the girl who was looking at them. He then looked around, and then stretched a little. Something was making him feel rather, uneasy at the moment. Uneasy, wasn't really a good feeling.

Simon looked up. "Sorry. Just... I've been holding onto this knife for three years or so now. I know it's Heidi's and I'm going to give it back to her but... it just feels weird I won't see it on my bedside table when I wake anymore."

He didn't want to also tell Elena that the knife was a way to make himself feel safe, that he had some form of protection when Heidi was in prison. It's a little sharp for a security blanket but... it did the job. Especially in those weeks after I got nulled.

It had felt so... weird when he lost his Flow. Even though he was happy, his body was shaken from the experience of parting with it.

---

"Do you want to play a game?" Mary asked Zackary while they were having a staring contest.

"Hmmm. That depends on the sort of game," Zackary responded, refusing to blink. Doing his best to resist the urge to blink. Oh god. How hard it was to resist the urge.

The brunette tilted her head, her reddish brown eyes unblinking as she bore into Zackary's, as if mentally urging him to blink. "It's a fun one."

Zackary blinked, before smiling slightly at the smaller girl. "Fine." he said, shifting his weight onto another foot.

Percival watched the exchange with mild amusement as he sat down at a nearby bench.

Mary hopped off her swing and walked over to Zackary, once she got there she put her hands on her hips, as if to look authoritative to the much bigger adult. "Okay: the game is called Mother May I."

"Or... Father May I since you're a boy." Mary added on as if to make sure Zackary considered himself an equal. "I'll start with my back turned, and you have to ask "Mother May I" how many steps you want to move forward." I'll either say you can or you can't and suggest something else."

"Seems simple enough," Zackary responded, nodding to what the smaller girl had said. "And the objective of the game?" he then asked. Quite curious as to what the point of this game was.

"To reach me and be the father, and I'll be the kid instead," Mary answered, but rubbed her cheek in thought. "Um... the book said that it has more people playing though..."

Mary's hope at having a good game became dashed. And she had tried hard to find a good game that they would all play at the park. But she had thought Simon and Elena would be coming to... even if Elena didn't really paly with her. But if they had all came they could have played House too...

Maybe we could play it when Aunt Heidi comes home. That would be really fun... The little girl thought, before focusing back at the trouble at hand. "Um..."

"Oh?" Zackary asked when he heard it took more people to play it. That would explain why the game didn't seem too...balanced to say the least. "Hmmmm."

"I'm sorry..." Mary replied, looking around. There wasn't anyone else at the playground today that could join in. She should have thought this through better...

"Um... Percy!"

Percival was brought out of a slight daze by the yell. "Mary, what? What- is something wrong-?"

"...Can you play Mother May I with us?" The girl asked.

Zackary looked up along with the kid at Percy, giving him a shrug. It would be rather interesting to see him playing,. But Zackary highly doubted he would play.

Percy looked confused for a second, before realizing what she meant, and standing up with a bright smile. "Why, of course I would, Mary." He said. He took Mary's hand, and began walking back to Zackary with her, more then happy to play with her.

Elena sighed, standing up and gently taking the knife from Simon's hand, and setting it on the table. Seeming to sense Simon's fear, she pulled him into a hug. "You don't need to wake up to a knife every morning. Nothing bad is going to happen," she reassured him quietly. He was her best friend, she didn't want him to feel upset.

Simon tensed in the hug, before calming and wrapping his arms around Elena, laying his face down on her shoulder. He knew she was right, they lived in Utopia, they shouldn't have to worry about people coming to kill you or take you away. But still... he couldn't help himself from being scared.

The man hugged Elena tighter. "Thanks. I needed that."

---

Mary let out a small laugh of glee before running a little ways off from the other two, her back towards them. "Okay. Now the game has started!"

Elena nodded softly, running a hand through Simon's hair. "Mmhm..." she responded quietly, hugging Simon tighter for a second, before letting go. "Are you okay?" she asked, keeping a hand on his arm. She had rather enjoyed hugging him, but she was almost scared of offending him.

"Yeah, actually, they've gotten quite a bit done since you got stuck in the can. There're cinemas now, with some post-Storm movies being shown but mostly old ones that they've managed to get. Uh, there're a load more sports courts or like bowling alleys and that... Arcades, libraries, whatever," Russell replied, listing off what he could think of with pauses as he tried to think. "Uh, there's brew bein' made and weed bein' grown if they're your things."

Heidi shook her head, tensing slightly. "Nah, I have...issues with alcohol. Better not get into anything else," she sighed. She supposed the other places Russell had mentioned could be entertaining, but she sparred for fun before. Not exactly an option anymore.

"Yeah, much better." Simon nodded, giving Elena a smile to reassure her. It was just a little insecurity that he still had, nothing more. "I'll keep it in my pocket until Heidi gets back though, don't want Mary grabbing hold of it..."

OOC: ...I'm a terrible person since I though of Mary Armistead at that moment I wrote that.

OOC: Crazy alter ego Mary or dead sister Mary?

---

Elena's smile widened slightly at the corners as she let go of Simon, though she stiffened slightly at the mention of Mary. "...Yeah. Wouldn't want the kid cutting herself," she agreed, quick to put up her cheery facade once again. Eager to change the subject, she wandered over towards the kitchen, glancing around at the counter tops. "You should make cookies. Cookies are good."