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~RP~

Walking down main street, Diane stared blankly ahead of her, her head was elsewhere though. Not literally of course . . . but moving on. There were so many things clogging up her brain such as her sick mother, her brother, her purpose in the Royal Guard, whether the sky was really blue, which fruit was sweeter tasting - and the list went on. Most of the things she thought about would seem unimportant to most people, but to Diane it was almost a matter of life and death. What is she was craving something really sweet but ended up eating a fruit that was only moderately sweet? End of the world situation right there.

As her head was up in the clouds, Diane managed to bump into someone - no surprise there -, which snapped her out of her reverie. Stumbling back a few steps, but not quite falling on her rear end, Diane finally took in her surroundings to see where she was and who she just bumped into. "Sorry," she mumbled slowly, though she looked thoroughly confused. "I guess I wasn't watching where I was going."

(Dx i'm sorry it's so bad)

((It's not bad!))

Vince had been walking through the town square, on the hunt for his sister. She could be quite elusive when she wanted to be, which probably explained why they hadn't had an actual conversation in a while. Whenever he managed to catch up with her, she was always "busy." There was a meeting she was going to be late for or a job she had to do. But Vince was determined for today to be different. He was going to find her if it was the la-

Vince was pulled out of his revelry when he walked right into a girl. He caught her arm before she fell and realized who it was. "Ollie?" Well, turns out his sister wasn't so hard to find after all. "It's okay," he said, dismissing her apology. "I wasn't paying much attention either." Vince had been so distracted by trying to find Olmpia, that he had run right into the very person he'd been looking for without even noticing. Honestly, for two people who were part of the Royal Guard, they were both dangerously unobservant.

"Actually, I'm glad I ran into you... Literally. We really need to talk." Vince prepared himself mentally for the stream of excuses that were bound to pour out of her mouth any second. "And I don't care what else you have to do, I swear I will follow you around all day until you're ready to speak to me."

And there he was. Her brother. The guy who she wanted to see and avoid at the same time. It was bad, wasn't it, avoiding her brother whenever possible, but Diane has a very good reason for it. Well, she was still figuring out the reason, but there was one, there definitely was a reason. "Diane. My name is Diane. Not Ollie. Never Ollie. I respect your wish to call you Vince, be a good brother and do the same to me." What a wonderful thing to say to her brother, especially seeing how she hasn't seen him in over two weeks now? Oh yeah, she definitely deserves a mug that says 'Best Sister in the World' on it.

"Talk? Why? What is there to talk about?" Immediately Diane took a step back, looking as if she was going to run away right then and there. Just the thought of talking to him about whatever was on his mind, something that probably has to do with their mother, scared her. She liked to think their mother was well enough, which was a reason why her visits were so infrequent - she didn't want to ruin the delusion. "Oh uh well I guess we can talk. How have you been? Find a girl that likes you yet? If you have there must be something wrong with her, I say dump her. You look like you're doing great. You look just great, Philly. I mean, have you been working out? Yea? Well it's doing wonders for you. Okay, well this was a great chat! Let's do this again, I really have to go."

Diane spoke so quickly that she wasn't even sure what she was saying, but it was obvious that she wanted to be anywhere but there. And just to emphasize her point, Diane turned around and began walking in the other direction, away from her brother, back up the street even though that wasn't where she wanted to go. "Bye Phillip, see you around!" She called over her shoulder, praying he really wouldn't follow after her.

Vince rolled his eyes when she demanded he call her Diane. He had never called her that in his life, but she still asked, each and every time they saw each other. "I couldn't care less what you call me, I've been calling you Ollie for years and I not going to stop now," he said irritably. "And you want me to be a good brother? What do you think I've been trying to do for the last nineteen years?" he asked. Vince ran a hand through his hair in frustration. She was driving him insane already and they'd been talking for less than a minute.

Vince's jaw literally dropped open when she asked what there was to talk about. "Are you kidding me? What is there to talk about? Well I don't know Olimpia, how about Mom, or that idiot we call our father, or the fact that you seem to have nurtured a healthy hatred of me over the past year?" Vince stayed silent while she rambled. He knew he wouldn't be able to get a word in edgewise until she was finished. "I agree, let's do this again. How about right now?"

Vince had expected her to attempt to run off and grabbed her hand before she could go too far. "This is not some kind of joke, okay? This is serious and it can't wait. We need to talk now. When are you going to learn that you can't run away from all of your problems?"

When Vince grabbed her hand, Diane groaned loud enough for him to hear, but she tried to get out of his grasp.

"If you haven't been able to succeed after nineteen years, I think it's time for you to give up." Diane regretted saying that, but she really didn't want to be there with him. At least not right then. It wasn't that she actually hated her brother, oh no, she worshipped him - not that he would ever find out-, it was just that she didn't want to talk about their sick mother and the father that was hardly ever around. Oh why did he have to bring up their father? Really? What was the point in calling that man their father? Wasn't a father someone who was supposed to be there for their children and caring and loving and all that stuff?

Yeah their father was anything but that. And at the mention of their father, Diane's mood darkened. "I'm sorry, what is this father you speak of? As far as I care, I only have a mother." At this point, she stopped struggling to break herself free from his grip, but she wasn't really looking at his face, or facing him either. "And I don't hate, I have no idea what you're talking. In fact, I'm really offended you would say such a thing. I mean sure we are siblings and we have our sibling rivalry stuff, but hate is a pretty strong word isn't it?" She was babbling again. Something she often did when she didn't want to talk about certain things. "I really wouldn't call it hate, just we're different now and it's only natural for us to grow apart. Families do it all the time. I see it happen everywhere." What lies are tumbling out of that mouth of her.

Eventually, Diane stopped talking, her mood obviously not all that happy and perky, or all that strange either. She seemed down all of a sudden, but she couldn't even tell if she was sad, mad, or annoyed. "Philly, I don't want to talk. I don't have time to talk. I really should be somewhere else." Even though her brother told her she couldn't run from her problems, this only made Diane want to run even farther and farther until they couldn't reach her anymore. However, with Philip still holding onto her, it was a little hard to run away. Of course she could always use her power against him. . .

Vince loosened his grip on her hand, struck by what she had just said to him. People had started to look at them, but he didn't care. Did she really think he had failed as a brother? It wasn't his fault their father wanted nothing to do with them. It wasn't his fault their mother was ill. Even though she was a mere minute older than him, he had spent his entire life looking out for her and trying to protect her from all of the horrible things in their life. He thought joining the Royal Guard would make everything easier, but obviously he had been sadly mistaken.

Vince actually winced when she insisted that she only had a mother. That may not be true for very long. He let out a deep breath, trying to clear his head. She had always known the exact buttons to push and he was getting close to losing it. "Sibling rivalry? What on earth are you talking about?" They may annoy the crap out of each other, but up until just over a year ago, they had been incredibly close. "Whatever is happening between us is not natural, Ollie." Vince had no idea what he'd done to drive her away, but he needed her; now more than ever. It was no secret that he wasn't an overly emotional guy, but the only person he would even consider talking to about everything going on was the person who couldn't even look him in the eye.

"No," Vince said suddenly, a little louder than necessary. "There is nowhere more important that you need to be than right here, right now. I don't care where you have to go or what you have to do." He swallowed the lump that had formed in his throat. She was going to hear this whether she wanted to or not. "Mom is getting worse. I went to visit her this morning. She slept most of the time, but when she finally woke up, it was like-" Vince hesitated. "It was like she didn't even recognize me. She's not getting any better. I don't understand why you won't visit her, it doesn't make any sense." Vince was silent for a moment, collecting himself. He dropped her hand. "Ollie, I lost Dad a long time ago, and I think I'm losing Mom. I can't lose you too. I just can't."

Diane wanted to run. She needed to run. Just anything so she wouldn't hear her brother say the one thing she never wanted to hear: their mother was getting worse, that she wouldn't get better. It made her want to scream and cry right there in the middle of the street, but she couldn't let that happen, she couldn't cry in front of her brother or all the strangers that were milling around them - some stopped to stare at them, which Diane found rather rude. Well she could cry in front of Phillip, she knew he would be the last person to judge her, but she still held back from doing so.

Quickly forgetting about the people around her, Diane stared at the ground, no longer able to babble on pointlessly because all her energy was going into not loosing it right then and there. She opened her mouth to make a comment about the sibling rivalry thing, though she hadn't a clue what she said that in the first place. There wasn't any rivalry between them, as far as she remembered. She just said that because it popped out of her mouth before she could stop it, a stupid pointless thing, nothing of importance. "I don't know what you're talking about," she choked out. "There's nothing wrong between us. You're imagining it." No, he was right, what was going on wasn't natural, but it wasn't because she hated him. He was her twin, and up until they joined the Royal Guard, they were inseparable. Being apart from Philip hurt Diane, but she wasn't going to lie, the second she was able to run away from that house, she had run for the hills at top speed. Unable to bring herself to face the reality of her mother's condition had driven her farther and farther from her brother, having made it impossible for her to face him out of shame.

She was so close to saying, 'But I just wished at the wishing well. Mom has to get better, right?' But she didn't because Diane wasn't a child anymore and wishing for someone to get better never worked. It wasn't how the real world worked, unfortunately. Diane didn't even make a comment about him calling her Ollie, it was as if the more he talked, the more energy it took for her to stay standing when all she wanted to do was collapse to the ground and cry. No, no crying. A waste of energy and a waste of time. Though . . . it was getting harder for her with every second that passed. "I don't want to see mom because I don't want to see her get worse. I just can't stand it! You're not the only one losing people, Philip!" Her voice was strained, making it hard for her to speak, but she knew she couldn't just stand around and say nothing. Though she turned around and finally looked him in the face, which nearly killed her. "I never had a dad - can't lose something you never had. And he was never ever there for us. I don't even know why you keep calling him our father. . ."

Diane trailed off, finding it hard to speak about their mother. Without her all she would have left was Phillip, which was fine in the sense that at least she would have him, but losing the one woman in her life that she constantly looked up to over the years . . . Well the thought alone was enough to send her deeper into the abyss she was already drowning in. "Mom will get better. Things only get worse before they get better, right? It's just a matter of time before mom gets better again." Not even Diane believed in what she was saying, and it was obvious on her face. "Mom has to get better, Philip. You'll see. Maybe next week she'll be able to get out of bed and walk around again." Now she sounded nothing more than a mere child who understood nothing of the terrible ways of the world.'I made a wish for her to get better, so she just has to.'

Vince usually would have been concerned by his sister's obvious denial of what was going on between them, but he had more important things on his mind at that moment in time. They had practically drawn a crowd at this point. Vince turned to one man who was watching them like their personal life was some kind of fireworks show. "Get lost would you? Don't you have somewhere else to be?" he snapped angrily. The man hurried away without looking back.

Vince turned back to Olimpia. He had never seen his sister look so broken. She had always been the type to never reveal what she was really feeling, but right now it was written clearly on her face. He knew she had been locking up the reality of their mother's condition for a long time and he couldn't help feeling like she would be able to cope better if he had been there for her. Maybe he had failed as a brother; he should have tried harder to repair their relationship. This tragedy shouldn't be the thing that forced them to reunite.

Vince let her yell at him, figuring it was better for her to just let it all out. "I know I'm not," he said quickly, looking down at the pavement. He just felt like he'd been struggling through all of this alone. "He's still our father," he added, so softly that it was hard to hear. It had been much easier for Olimpia to dismiss their father from her life than it was for him. Vince had never told his sister this, he didn't quite understand it himself, but he had always had felt like the reason his father was never around was because he wasn't good enough for him. All he ever wanted as a child was the approval of his father, but that never happened and it just sort of stuck with him all these years. He couldn't accept the fact that his father simply wanted nothing to do with them. At the same time, he was furious at his father for not caring about his mother and her illness. Vince knew why Olimpia despised him, but he couldn't quite bring himself to do that. He felt like he was betraying his mother and sister by not hating him.

Vince could feel tears pricking his eyes when she went on about their mother getting better. He wanted so badly for it to be true and he wished he could tel his sister that everything would be okay. but he couldn't promise that. He pressed his lips together and shook his head. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry," he said, stepping forward and pulling her into a hug. Vince couldn't remember the last time they'd hugged. It was like all of his pent up emotion suddenly rose to the surface at that moment. How much he missed his sister, his worry for his mother, his confusing feelings towards his father. It was just too much for him to handle.

"He's not our father! He's not! He's not! He's not!" Diane wanted to scream it to the world, hell she wanted to scream in the face of their so-called father, but even is she had it wouldn't matter. The man would probably just drink and act like nothing had happened. "When has he ever been there for us? Even as our mother is dying he still isn't there. He doesn't give a damn about us, about mom, about anything! I bet if we were to die, Philip, he wouldn't even come to our funerals." Diane couldn't understand why her brother continued to call that man their father, why even after all this time, he would even think about him. Diane hated him. She was related to him through blood, and blood only. She felt no love towards him, nor had she ever wanted him to love her. That was what she had been telling herself over the years. Who knows what deep-rooted daddy issues she has buried inside her.

This was too much for Diane. For a minute there she had thought yelling at Philip would have kept her from breaking down, from completely loosing it, but when he said he was sorry, and then hugged her, well the floodgates finally gave out. For so long she was able to lie to herself, tell herself that everything would be okay, that all was well back in that home she never wanted to step foot in again, but the lie could only last so long. But it wasn't going to be okay. Her mother wasn't going to get any better. It was just a matter of time before she finally passed away. Diane always knew this, she just hadn't wanted to watch it happen before her very own eyes.

Instead of pulling away from Philip like she normally would have, Diane held onto him because she could feel her legs were about to give out, and to hide her face from the crowd that was gathering around them, she buried it in his chest so no one else would see the tears. It probably looked like some sort of lover's quarrel for those who were just listening in, most people never figuring out the two are actually related unless one of them said something. Diane hadn't a clue why people couldn't figure it out on their own, it wasn't as if she and Philip looked so different from each other that it was hard to tell; at least that was what she thought, but then again, they grew up together so she could see the subtle similarities between them.

"She can't die Philip, she just can't." Her voice was weak, she felt weak. God what has she become? A blubbering mess? No this wasn't right at all, but Diane couldn't fight it anymore. She couldn't run from it anymore. She shouldn't have run from it in the first place. So many "should haves" and "shouldn't haves" poured into her mind, but the only one that hurt her the most was that she should never have run from Philip. Being a minute older meant Diane should have stayed closer to him, kept in touch better, maybe even visit their mother with him. But Diane hadn't done any of that . . . "I'm sorry."

Vince held her tightly, rubbing her back gently; the way their mother used to when they were young. He wished she was here now, hugging and comforting Olimpia. She always knew exactly what to say, how to make things better, but he had no idea what he was doing. His heart was aching just as much as much as his sister's was. It hurt so much it felt like it was going to burst out of his chest. He squeezed his eyes shut, resting his head on top of hers. A few hot tears, trickled down his cheeks. Vince, the guy who was always so staggering confident and self-assured, hadn't cried in years. It took him a moment to even gather the strength to speak. "It's okay, it's not your fault," he said. This wasn't how things were meant to happen. Their father was supposed to be loving and supportive and their mother was supposed to be healthy. They were supposed to be a family, not a group of people torn apart by hardships and death.

The truth was, this would have happened whether they had remained close or not. Vince knew that deep down, but he was hurt, and sad, and angry, and confused. He needed something or someone to blame and right now, that person was himself. Ever since he'd joined the Royal Guard, he'd been sending almost half of his salary to his mother, to help her get the best medical treatment he could afford. He should have sent more. Hell, he should have sent it all and lived like a peasant. Vince would give anything to heal his mother, but pitying himself wasn't going to help anyone. There was no one left to rely upon. Giving up now was not an option. He was going to fight for his mother, since she could no longer fight for herself. He had to be strong: for his mother and for his sister.

Vince opened his eyes an took a deep breath. Olimpia was still sobbing into his shirt, her tears soaking into the fabric. He stayed silent for a few more minutes, letting her cry. She seemed to have a never-ending supply of tears. It wasn't surprising, she had been holding it all in for so long. When he heard her quieten a little, he pulled away. Vince wiped away a few stray tears and looked at her. Staying strong was easier said than done. Just looking at her tear-streaked face made him want collapse in the street and completely breakdown. "Hey," he said, taking her chin and tilting her face up to look at him. "We're going to get through this, okay?" He hoped he looked much more sure than he felt. "We're going to get through this," he repeated, as if saying it enough times would suddenly stop their mother from dying. "Whatever happened between us over the past year, just forget it. No more apologies, no more what ifs. None of that matters anymore. Neither of us can do this alone."

This was all Diane's fault. If she hadn't run away from home when she could, well maybe their mother wouldn't be so close to death, in fact her mother would probably be happy and healthy by now. Oh God, her mother's death was all her fault. Diane's body began to shake at the thought that if it hadn't been for her constant need to run away from all the bad things in the world, her mother would be well and healthy by now. She had just left and put the burden of her mother's bad health onto Philip's shoulders . . . What kind of person was she to have done something like that without ever stopping to think that she needed to shoulder the burden. Sure, Diane had sent money to help pay the bills, not one in need of a lavish lifestyle, but she had hardly ever stopped in to actually see how her own mother was doing.

Running away. Always running. Look at all the good it was doing for her now. Just like her father. Simply thinking of that man made her blood boil, but was she any better than him? No. He had run away through his drinking, never being there when his family had needed him the most, and now Diane was the same. The exact same. When her brother had needed her, she would avoid him at all costs, acting as if she had better things to do than spend time with him. When her mother had needed her, she would send some money her way as if that would compensate for not being able to visit that week. No, Diane wasn't like her father, she was much worse than him. Maybe that was why she couldn't face her brother - Diane was afraid he would see how she was no better than the man she hated with every fiber of her being. This had only brought on more tears.

Eventually Diane wasn't able to cry anymore, the tears had stopped for the time being but her body still trembled. Diane felt so weak, so tired; all she wanted to do was sit somewhere and just stare off into space until she fixed the mask she normally wore. However that wasn't an option as she turned her dark blue eyes to Vince's face, there was no hiding anything from him anymore, not that she ever was able to in the first place. They just knew each other too well. And as Philip spoke, all Diane could do was swallow hard, wishing she could believe all things he said about being okay. Would they be able to get through this? Diane had a hard time believing him especially after the year that had passed since they had joined the Royal Guard. The guilt that weighed heavily on her conscience was hard to get rid of, but if Philip was truly willing to forgive and forget . . . then all should be well, right? "Okay . . . we will get through this together." She felt like such a child all of sudden. "Together . . ." She wasn't some nineteen-year-old girl with a new status anymore, no, Diane was that runny-nosed six-year-old child that would run crying to her mother when Philip would play a trick on her.

((Sorry, I've been super busy. I'll try to reply now))

(oh no it's okay! ^^ take your time)

Vince hugged her once again then let go. "Together," he agreed with a nod. He knew this wasn't going to be easy for either of them and things weren't going to suddenly get better overnight. Taking care of their mother was going to be a long, slow process, but the burden would be much lighter if they shared it. Mending their relationship was a step in the right direction, and Vince really was ready to forget the past and move on. Sure, he'd been confused about where they stood and even a little angry about the distance that had spread between them, but he realized how futile that all was. They were brother and sister, twins no less, and repairing their bond felt amazing, despite the bad circumstances.

Vince let out a slow breath. He pulled a clean handkerchief out of his pocket - it wasn't like he ever had any use for it - and handed it to Olmpia. He didn't feel like discussing their mother's illness anymore: he was too emotionally drained, but he wasn't quite ready for them to go their separate ways yet. He also didn't feel comfortable leaving his sister like this. What they really needed just then was a little distraction. Obviously the news he'd just given her wasn't something they could forget, but there were better options than standing on the street and crying. "Do you mind having lunch with me?" he asked. "Maybe we could catch up a little?"

Diane took a step back, clearing her throat as she took his handkerchief to wipe at the few extra tears that slipped down her cheeks. Was she really crying that much? Oh gods, now she just felt pathetic for having cried out in the open like that. Shaking her head, she took in a shaky breath of air, realizing only then that she hasn't actually cried like that in a long time. Maybe it was just her emotions getting the best of her. Yeah, that was probably it. Though at the same time, she felt a little better, as if a weight has been lifted off her heart, yet there was still a little guilt still hanging around there.

At the mention of lunch, Diane looked up and shrugged. "Sure, I mean we cried in front of everyone here, we may as well get some lunch to show them that we can be normal." She laughed, which was then followed by a groan. "Oh god I feel like a child. Crying in front of all these people. We aren't very good at spreading the image of the Royals Guards, now are we?" Taking the step so that she was now standing beside her brother, Diane put an arm around his shoulders - it was a little hard since he was taller than her - and said, "Come on then, lunch is on me. We can catch up."

Vince laughed as well, which felt a little strange after all of that sobbing. "Hm, not sure if lunch is enough to completely cover the scene we just made," he said. "But hey, who needs normal anyway?" He could only imagine what people must think after seeing them cry their eyes out in the middle of the street. It was mildly embarrassing, seeing as he was a guy and also part of the Royal Guard, but he had good cause. Vince shrugged. "Forget the Royal Guard, people already dislike us," he said. He didn't have any motivation at all to appease the leaders of the Royal Guard. It was just a job and nothing more.

Vince raised an eyebrow. "Ollie, did you just offer to pay? I think I'm going to cry again," he said, dabbing at his eyes. "Who are you and what did you do to my real sister who never shares any of her money with me?" he asked. Vince took her arm and put around his waist instead, placing his arm over her shoulders. "That's better. Well, one thing hasn't changed: you're still a midget," he teased. Olimpia was actually pretty tall for her age.

"We certainly are anything but normal." Ah now this was much better. Laughing instead of crying, or even lying. Why didn't Diane just come clean sooner? Though a part of her was still uneasy about everything that surrounded her mother and brother, not everything could just be laughed away, but there was enough drama for one day that she felt as if they needed some down time before revealing all their inner demons. At the mention of the Royal Guard, Diane shrugged. She really didn't have that high of an opinion on the guards either, she only joined so that she would be able to practice her powers, and a few other reasons. "Well, they might not like you, but people just looooove me." She smiled up at him teasingly.


"Seriously, is it that hard to say Diane? I mean come on Phillip, Ollie makes me sound like some little kid. And I am a minute older than you." Diane stuck her tongue out at him. "And yes, I offered to pay. No need to get so emotional. I do know how to share, I just don't like sharing with you." She laughed, pushing him gently with her hip before wrapping her arm around his waist instead. Though at his short comment, Diane gasped and then stuck her tongue out at him in a childish manner. "I am not a midget! You're just a freaking giant."

((I'll reply after I do the dishes))

(^^" take your time, adena. really i am in no hurry~<3)

((Haha, okay. In that case, I think I'm going to finish a charrie first :) ))

(:3 okiedokes~)

Vince looked down and made a face at her. "Actually, I was told earlier today that I have an type of undeniable magnetism," he said proudly. Granted, the person who told her that later slipped and fell off the side of a bridge, but Olimpia didn't need to know that right now. "But admit, you are much more likable than I am," he said. He really didn't mind that. Vince would rather have a small group of people who he was close to than a large group of people who liked him, but who he disliked. Actually, he was a little surprised that so many people were attracted to his sister's strange behavior and often confusing thought patterns. Luckily, he was used to it and didn't find it too hard to keep up.

Vince rolled his eyes when she mentioned the name thing. "I told you, I don't care if you call me Phillip. That is my name after all. Come on, I'm the only person who calls you Ollie. Just indulge me. Please," he said, giving her his best puppy dog face. Vince scowled at her. "Sharing is caring, Olimpia," he said scoldingly. "And you're the freak," he muttered under his breath. When they were together, they both seemed to revert to their five year old selves, using childish insults and teasing each other.

"Oh?" Naturally she raised a brow at him in interest. "From a girl? Well she must have been drunk, because people tend to run in the other direction when they see you walking down the street." Naturally Diane was joking. Sort of. Well, she couldn't deny her brother was attractive on some level, but being his sister, she just couldn't imagine anyone actually attracted to him in any way. It just. Yeah. She couldn't see it. Though she was rather surprised to hear him admit that she was more likable than he was, which Diane didn't agree with because she always believed it to be the other way around. But she accepted the compliment. "Oh dear brother of mine, I was gifted with wit and charms. No wonder I'm much more likable than you." It was true though, people were drawn to Diane despite her being strange, but at the same time she managed to drive them away with her strangeness.

"If you keep calling me Ollie, you won't be the only person who calls me that. If the rest of the guys in the Royal Guard start calling me Ollie, I might just have to kill everyone there. And I don't think that will go over well with anyone." And that was her reasoning as to why he should stop calling her that terrible nickname. "Though I don't understand why you don't like people calling you Phillip. I mean that's far more normal than Olimpia. I mean, are you just going by Vince to give you this whole "bad boy" image that you don't even have in the first place?" Diane looked up at to her brother, matching his pace easily as they walked down the street towards a pub that served some good ale and sandwiches. "And sharing makes me poor. So no, no sharing for me." She wrinkled her nose, but there was a small smile on her lips to show him she was pulling his leg. "Hey! I'm not a freak! Okay, I am a freak, but that's just mean. Out of everyone I didn't think you would be the one calling me freak. Actually you are my brother, so I really shouldn't be surprised. Fine, I'm a freak. I'm proud of being a freak. You, however, are related to me, the freak, so that sort of makes you a freak too. I mean if there's something wrong with me, there must be something wrong with you too." Yeah, no guy was ever going to want to marry Diane. Her logic was simply not logical and certainly not easy to follow.

((Haha, I love Olimpia!))

"Your wit and charm know no bounds," Vince said poetically. "And no, she wasn't drunk, or high, or intoxicated in any way," he replied. "And I'm horrified that you would think that," he added. He didn't blame her for teasing him about it; if he were in her shoes, he probably would too. Being complimented like that wasn't exactly a daily occurrence for Vince and he had been even more surprised to hear it than Olimpia was. Ariella wasn't at all the person he had assumed she was.

Vince smiled. "You know what? How about a compromise on the whole name thing," he suggested. "Because I really do believe your threat to slaughter everyone who calls you Ollie and I'd rather not be one of your victims. I only call you Ollie when it's just you and me, okay? Nobody else will hear it. How does that sound... Diane?" he asked. Calling her that seemed wrong somehow, but it was what she wanted, so he'd concede just this once. Vince looked away when she asked about his name. "Um, it's kind of embarrassing, how about we just move on with this conversation?" If she thought he was a freak now, she was going to think he was a complete moron when she heard the story of how he changed his name to Vince. Let's just say it wasn't exactly his shining moment.

(xD glad you love her ahaha i love writing for her
also i love phillip!<3)

Diane grinned at his first comment, acting as if she was proud of it, and she was. "Why Phillip, that's the best compliment you have given me in years," she snorted. "If I didn't know better, I think you're going soft on me. And as for that girl that said that about you, well something must be wrong with her. No offense bro, but undeniable magnetism? What's the girl on?" Diane wrinkled her nose, but then shrugged and sighed. "Okay, okay, just kidding. Maybe you have something undeniable about you. I refuse to acknowledge, but I guess it's true if this other girl says so."

"I like this compromise. Only when it's us two, you can call me Ollie all you want, but around everyone else, you call me Diane. Yeah, I think this will work." Diane smiled happily as if she just won something. Though she looked up at him and narrowed her eyes, quickly adding. "But if you screw up and call me Ollie around the, you are top of my 'To Kill' list. Understand?" Then she quickly put on another grin. "No no, I thrive on embarrassing stories. Come on. tell me. I am your sister, I demand to know! Or else you're paying for lunch." Diane stopped walking and just looked up at him as if waiting for him to tell her right then and there. "You know I changed my name because I hate my name, but why'd you change it Phillip?"

Vince sighed. He knew if he didn't tell her she was just going to keep pestering him about it. And he was looking forward to his free lunch. "Fine, I'll tel you, but I'm not going to stand here in the middles of the street and say it. It's kind of a long story that I don't exactly want strangers hearing," he said, pulling her forward to get her walking again. He gave her a stern look. "I'm warning you, this is extremely stupid and embarrassing and you call never tell anyone this or I will find some way to legally change your name to Ollie," he threatened.

"Alright," Vince said as they continued walking. "Keep in mind that I was like four when this happened. I was walking through the vegetable fields during harvesting and everyone from the neighboring farms was out picking the vegetables. I heard someone say something about a turnip and I turned around, thinking they had called my name." Vince knew his sister was going to start laughing any second now. "I know now that it was just a coincidence, but I was convinced that my name sounded like turnip and I didn't want to be associated with a strange looking veggie. Remember when I suddenly stopped eating turnips? Yeah, that was the reason." He paused, waiting for her to somewhat gain her composure before continuing. "Yeah, anyway, I thought Phillip sounded too much like turnip, so I had to come up with another name. It took me a while, but I finally settled on Vince. It reminded me of the word invincible, and i liked that, so it stuck."

Vince shrugged, "Laugh all you want, I know it's ridiculous, but that's the story," he said. "Now the name Phillip will forever make me think of turnips, which is way go by Vince."

Diane laughed. No, she really really laughed hard. She was laughing so loud after her brother's explanation that even she was sure that Grace family up in their wonderful castle could hear her. Yeah, his story was one of the funniest and strangest things she has ever heard. What made her laugh harder was the fact that he went through life calling her weird, but he was technically stranger than her. "Phillip? Turnip?" Now Diane was clutching her stomach, feeling it ache as she continued to laugh. It hurt. It really hurt. In a good way though. Diane was laughing so hard she looked like she was crying. Wiping at her eyes again, she began to calm down a little, though she was now down to short bursts of giggling as the laughter was hard to contain.

"Phillip the turnip. Oh my god, you are so lame." She rolled her eyes at him. "I can't believe you, I mean not even I would do something like that. Like seriously, turnips? I rather like turnips. They aren't so bad, Phillip. You should eat them again, dear brother. They'll help you become big and strong." She snorted, not caring if people looked at her crazy. Hell! Now she knew her brother was indeed strange. "As for the whole Vince the invincible thing, I don't like it. I like Phillip better. I mean, you sorta look like a turnip. You know, if I tilt my head a little and squint." Doing just that, Diane tilted her head and squinted her eyes, before another bout of laughter. "I'm kidding, I'm kidding. Oh come on, Phil, crack a smile. It's all in good fun. Now lets go eat some turnips."

Vince gave her a wan look. "It is not funny. Imagine how different my life would be if people had started calling me Phillip the Turnip? Who knows where I could have ended up? I wouldn't have all of my wonderful self-esteem and endless supply of confidence," he said. "It made complete sense at the time, okay?" He scowled at her, though he knew she was right. It was pretty lame now that he said it out loud. Vince doubted anyone would have actually made any kind of connection between his name and a vegetable, especially not a turnip. Man, he had been one paranoid kid.

"I don't care what they taste like, I haven't eaten a turnip in fifteen years and that's not going to change any time soon," Vince assured her. He didn't even remember what they tasted like, but he wasn't interested in finding out. "And Vince the Invincible sounds much better than Phillip the Turnip," he argued. "And it doesn't matter which name you like better, if I have to call you Diane, you have to call me Vince. In my opinion, Olimpia is much better than Diane. Diane makes you sound like an old lady," he said, sticking his tongue out at her. "So where do you want to eat?" he asked. "Anywhere in particular?"

"No one would have started calling you Phillip the Turnip, because no one would have thought of something that ridiculous unless you had gone off crying to mother about how your name sounded like turnip. Oh my god, you were strange even before I started to become strange," Diane chuckled. "Phil, Phil, Phil." She shook her head, patting her brother on the shoulder, then gave it a squeeze. "You are just . . . I actually don't what you are. It never made sense. It still doesn't make sense, but that's okay. I accept you for who you are, and you are a paranoid child-man thing. I doubt, before you said the story, anyone would ever connect you to a turnip."

Diane chuckled again, but made a face at his comment about her name. "Okay, Olimipia is too close to Olympus. Then the nickname Ollie makes me sound like some tomboy, which I am not. I am very much a girl, I just you know, don't act like one in the obvious way. Diane is a womanly name, not old woman name. Womanly name. Moreover, weren't there a greek goddess name Diane, or Diana? So, my name is not only womanly, but it also shows power as it is that of a greek goddess," she explained. Diane really didn't care if her brother followed or not, after his story, she figured whatever she said wouldn't even sound half as stupid as his had been. With a grin, Diane shrugged. "There's a pub somewhere down this street. I figure we go there, order some drinks, food, maybe something with turnips, and continue our bonding there."

Vince rolled his eyes. "Well it all made perfect sense when I was four," he replied. He decided not to tell her how close he had come to telling their mother that his name sounded like turnip. Even she would have laughed at him, although she would have done her best to comfort him. She probably would have called him her "silly little man." That was around the time when Vince had decided that he didn't want to be called a boy anymore. He thought four years was plenty of time to become a man and she hadnt argued with him. With some effort, he pulled his mind back to the present conversation before memories of his mother brought up unwanted emotions. "Okay, maybe I was the first one to become strange, but you have definitely surpassed me on the strangeness scale. I was the first strange one, but you are the most strange one," he concluded. "Seriously, we must have some twin telepathy thing that enables me to understand you and your weird though processes, but how on earth do you have conversations with normal people?" he asked. "Maybe I could earn a few extra bucks and be your interpreter."

"Ollie is cute," Vince argued. "And the name Oylmpia makes you sound important and regal. But hey, if you want to be an old wrinkly Greek goddess, then by all means, go ahead Ol- Diane," he said, correcting himself. "And yeah, the pub sounds good, but there is no way you are going to get me to eat turnips. I would rather run down Main Street naked than eat that disgusting vegetable."

(sorry x.x I'm bad at time skips
that's why it's taking me so long Dx)

((No problem, I just didn't want you to forget :) ))

((Oh Starr...))

(>.< sorry sorry!)

~A couple hours later~

Leaving the pub and walking back on main street, Diane was smiling rather widely but she was also stumbling as she tried to walk. So she a few more drinks than she should have, but she was off duty so it didn't matter anyways. It was time to go home since she spent enough time with her brother for the day. They argued, cried, laughed, talked, joked around - it was more than they have done in a while. Heck they even managed to start a small brawl in the pub. Oh well, all was well now since they were no longer inside. With a grin, Diane leaned against her brother a little. "Whoops shouldn't, who knew that big ugly men were so sensitive," she giggled, referring to the guy she had coaxed into the fight in the first place. "Welp I learned my lesson." Patting her brother on the back, Diane chuckled. "It's been fun. We should definitely do this again. Maybe not too soon, but definitely should. Keep this line of communication open. Ya know, Phillip the Turnip?"

Yeah, Diane wouldn't mind doing this again with her brother. It was a good way of keeping in touch, now she just needed to remember this moment so next time she won't run away in the other direction. Maybe one day they would even visit their mother together. They would have to anyways, wouldn't they? The thought made her uncomfortable, but she knew it was inevitable. Just a matter of time before it happened. While Diane was a little drunk, she still knew her way home easily enough; this wouldn't be the first time she staggered home after all.

(>.< sorry that was so bad x.x i'm terrible at timeskips)

((No problem :) ))

Vince had an arm around his sister's waist, not wanting her to make a complete fool of herself by losing her balance and falling on her face. He has some pride and was sure that she'd want to keep some of hers. In all honesty, he couldn't claim to be totally sober either, but he wasn't a lightweight. "Hm, who knew that big ugly men could be so quick on their feet," Vince said, touching the bruise on his cheek. He, being the good big brother he was, had taken the punch when Olimpia taunted the guy at the bar. Luckily, he managed to duck out of the way and let one of his duplicates take the hits while he got the guy from the back. Luckily, some other guys stepped in and pulled them apart before things got too heated. Although having his sister standing there yelling "fight" at the top of her lungs didn't exactly help the situation.

"I agree, we should do this again," Vince said. He just hoped that when she woke up the next morning she would remember suggesting it. He didn't want her pushing him away again, especially after the night they'd just had. He felt closer to her than he had in a long time. Restoring their relationship didn't seem like such a ridiculous hope anymore. "Do you want me to walk you home?" he asked, hesitant to let her just walk off alone. Wow, it actually felt good to be the protective brother. Vince had found that long distance protectiveness didn't really work so well.