Lae had stalked Noli all the way back to her sister's dorm, quietly seething with her fists clenched. She had never hit Noli before, but she wanted to right then. Beat her black and blue, tear her apart.
Why did Noli get a good life? Why did she deserve the admiration and attention? The affection? The babying?
Immediately once they were both in the room, Lae turned and slammed the door shut none too gently. She turned on her sister, speaking immediately in their mother tongue.
"How dare you! You have the nerve to decide things get to be on you schedule? Haven't we followed your schedule long enough? You know I had to give up my scholarship, right? Oh, but I guess that doesn't bother you, does it, dear sister? Everything you do is soooo much more important!
"I wanted to join the military. I wanted to be in the secret forces, but instead, I was stuck in the shop replacing the money you lost us because you couldn't just stick things out."
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Noli was angry when Lae had confronted her but when they had reached their room and the door was slammed shut, that anger did not hold up as much as the tears forming in her eyes did.“You said…father is dead…?”
She heard what Lae was saying, but…that was the only thing she could truly process in that moment. Her father was dead. She would never see him again.
And poor Flo was in the damn room with no idea what was going on, and Noli couldn’t even fathom how she could explain. She certainly couldn’t right now as she started bawling over her father.
Laemiri couldn't help her exasperated sigh at Noli crying. Lae hadn't gotten to feel sad about their father dying. Why did Noli always get to be the weak one who everyone held up? Why did Lae have to be the strong, bitchy one? How was that fair?
Lae had come all the way out here, and she was still the villain. She was the wrong sister. The horrible one. How could it always be spun this way? She'd lost everything, and she'd never been allowed to cry about it. She had to raise her chin high and move the fuck on.
But Noli got to cry, and Noli got to run away to her dream. Noli got everything she wanted, and Lae was left to clean up the messes and smile about it.
She huffed as Noli cried and turned her back on her twin to stare at the door, waiting for Noli to calm down. She didn't have it in her to comfort anyone else, and she refused to cry in front of the enemy.
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Lae would be waiting a while. She was struggling to even process everything Lae had thrown at her, but her father's dead...that alone was more than she could bear. Once Noli finally processed that Flo was still in the room, she straightened herself out as best as she could--at least long enough to give Flo a very quick explanation and request that she leave the room, just for a little bit. Flo was understandably reluctant at first, but eventually gave in to Noli's request and headed to the student lounge to wait for Noli to call her when they were done talking. Noli felt bad for kicking Flo out of her own room, but....the sisters needed to talk. She would give Flo something to make up for it later.
Noli said on her bed once Flo was gone, rubbing at her face. She started weeping a little again, but tried to take some deep breaths so that she could speak between whimpers and sniffles.
"Where's Papa...?" was nearly all she could get out, before swallowing a sob and continuing: "Is he still on Mes...?"
Laemiri was at least glad to get to speak with Noli alone. That wouldn't stop her from speaking in Oleti, as it was what she was more comfortable with.
Lae had taken to sitting in one of the room's corners, knees near her chest and arms propped on them as she waited for Noli to come to her senses. Truthfully, she felt a little shitty for having said the news so bluntly. Papa would have yelled at her for that, but she was angry, and that dulled her sisterly love quite a good deal.
"Home," Lae told Noli once she'd asked about their papa's whereabouts. "Working the shop. He wanted to send me out right away because he was worried about you." Lae couldn't help the spite in her voice.
She rose her hands unimpressively. "So here I am."
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Noli stared at her sister for a long moment, then buried her face in her hands. Her head shook side to side.“Is he trying to make me go back…? I’m…I’m trying to fix this. I’ve been sending money. As much as I can make…”
Noli lowered her hands. Tears were still in her eyes, but she tried to keep her breathing calm so she could speak. Because as hurt as she was, as much as she wanted to just continue crying, she had one thing she needed to make clear:
“I-I will keep sending money. I will find a way to make more. But I will…not go back.”
Laemiri couldn't help her very loud sigh here. She looked off to one side, clenching her jaw.
"No, Noli. Gods. He isn't trying to manipulate you back. He flipping worried about you; Gods knows why. Can you stop crying for a second?
"I've got the money thing taken care of. Okay. I'm, taking care of everything." Lae fought off the urge to say 'again,' and clenched her fists next.
"Whatever. I just had to tell you I was here and I'm going to tell Papa you're fine. Just stop being an idiot for five seconds and try not to make this harder for me too. Okay?"
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Noli was getting irritated now. Lae always did this—demanding she stopped crying. Like there was a flip she could just switch off and be fine. She slammed her hands into the bed she was sitting on.“NO! Father is dead, and I will never see him again! So I will not stop crying!”
Noli stood from the bed, her fists clenched just like her sister’s.
“And what do you mean it’s taken care of?! It was my mistake! I need to be the one who fixes it!”
She sniffed, wiping her tears on her sleeve. It was always like this. Noli was assumed too incompetent, too weak to do anything right. She was never given a chance. Someone else always had to step in and do everything for her. Well, not this time. She was not going to let Lae act superior for fixing her problems. They were her problems to fix, and hers alone.
“I…I’m not making enough, is that it?” Noli started pacing as she thought it through. “I don’t make enough at the animal shelter. I need another job. If I stop going to classes, I can make more, faster…”
"And whose fault is that?" Lae snarled back, turning her head to look at Noli. The threat of tears stunk Laemiri's eyes, but she blinked them away, letting the anger overshadow her sadness.
"How do you think I feel? I was the one who worked with him all the time! I was there! I had to see it! And where were you? Off galavanting in your new dream.
"You abandoned us so you don't get to sit here and call the shots when I had to leave my scholarship for you! When I had to leave home for you."
Lae stood up, looming over her sister. Noli's aggression was only pissing Lae off more. She'd never struck out at her sisters, not since they were small children and she'd get punished for it. But right there, she looked like she might have been thinking about it.
"You have done enough," she said in a slow and husky tone, the one Lae used only when she was very fed up. "I'm taking care of it now. Just do what you have always done."
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Noli backed down as Lae towered over her. She couldn't help it. Lae knew how to intimidate her with just a look alone, and her words cut deep."I'm sorry, Lae."
Noli said quietly, lowering her head.
"I am sorry. I hate what I have done. I hate that it hurt you, and Papa, and Father..."
Her fists clenched once more. She lifted her head. The tears in her eyes would not go away, but her determination came through nonetheless.
"But I will not be treated like a stupid child anymore. I will be accountable and I will fix my own mistakes."