Maria | OTA

[st_rongliketeflon]

Maria was agitated. Someone had ordered a sundae and she was making it, but there was no finesse to it. When she delivered the sundae, she slammed it on the table and walked away. Maria was supremely unhappy with what was going on at the inn lately and she knew her best friend was once again in the middle of it all. Can't Liz have a break for once? God!

She stopped by an empty table and uncorked a small vial of essential oil. She sniffed the lavender and tried to calm down. While the lavender smelled nice, it wasn't doing anything for her nerves. Someone from another table politely called out "excuse me" and Maria snapped.

"Go get your own food!" She said exasperatedly.

Maria walked over to the serving counter and began to angrily fill the sugar dispensers.

Comments

[st_makemeastone]

“Has the sugar angered you?” She knew it hadn’t, of course. But sometimes people didn’t like it when you read their minds, even if you couldn’t help it.

Not helping it had been harder lately, or people were louder, she didn’t know. So River had been a bit of a hermit lately, not coping very well, but even if Maria may have only seen her in passing River knew who she was.

[st_rongliketeflon]

"No, sugar is arguably way less complicated," She said to the white grains.

Maria twisted the top on and then looked up to see River. Maria paused and decided her tone of voice was way too harsh for the girl. She sighed.

"Sorry," Maria said. "You'd just thinking living in a hotel without a lot of people would mean there wouldn't be so much drama, but it turns out, drama always finds a way"

[st_makemeastone]

Sugar could be complicated, it was a chemical that you could use to sweeten your tea or make a bomb. But she didn't think Maria would appreciate an in depth discussion about the chemical complexities, so she nodded sagely.

"There were nine of us on Serenity, there was still drama." And what made it external was barely a drop of what people kept in their heads. "Males of appropriate age are uncommon."

So it made sense in a way that Peter seemed to attract drama. And girls. Frankly though he was her first friend here River didn't see the attraction any more than she understood why Kaylee wanted Simon.

[st_rongliketeflon]

Maria would have to agree with River if Maria could read minds.

"Sure, but this isn't like someone else just decided they have a thing for Peter," She replied. It's kind of like how Brad has a thing for Liz. "This is Peter's girlfriend back home is here. Which is so unfair considering Liz had to deal with this back home too when this homicidal alien girl named Tess showed up."

Maria felt bad that Liz couldn't seem to catch a break with her relationships. She was thankful that even though she and Michael were not perfect, they didn't have to deal with so much stuff.

[st_makemeastone]

River considered this.

"It is only the same if Peter behaves as Liz's boyfriend at home, and if the new arrival is alsohomicidal."

She assumed based on Maria's tone and feelings on the matter that at home it had not had a good outcome.

[st_rongliketeflon]

Maria knew that River was right on an intellectual level. However, Maria often let her heart dictate her feelings. She sighed and put down the condiments.

"I know." She said, but didn't sound happy about it. "I know, okay? It's just... Liz is my best friend and this whole thing sucks. A lot."

She slumped into a nearby chair and crossed her arms. She wished there was a way to help her friend out of the situation.

"I just wish he'd figure it out, you know?" She said. "Rip off the bandaid or not, but this limbo thing is really crushing."

[st_makemeastone]

Peter was not exactly good at the band-aid ripping thing. She thought it might be empathy and genuine niceness that got in the way when someone was inevitably going to be hurt.

"We can provide chocolate." It wouldn't get Liz out of the situation but she'd been told it helped. "And temporary distance if required."

One of the Otherworlds perhaps, or camping on the beach though the weather was getting colder.

[st_rongliketeflon]

"That's a wise thing to say," Maria said with a nod. "Chocolate solves like three quarters of boy trouble for sure."

Maria didn't want there to be boy problems to fix, but she knew that wasn't something she could control as much as she wanted to.

"Sometimes I feel lucky that Michael's back home in our world," She told River. And then sometimes I miss him terribly.

[st_makemeastone]

"Sometimes I miss Simon," River was trying to find common ground but only hitting halfway. She realized this and made a face, her nose scrunching and her tongue briefly sticking out.

"He is not boy trouble. He is my brother." But the sentiment was somewhat the same, occasionally she was pleased he wasn't here. Simon's worry and that little bit of regret for all he'd given up for her could get heavy. Sticky like honey all over her. Sam didn't feel like that, mostly Sam just made sure she didn't accidentally kill anyone with her brain.

But as much as he was her family here, he wasn't Simon. So sometimes, she missed him.

[st_rongliketeflon]

"I'm sorry you're here without your brother. That's got to be hard." She said honestly. "The closet thing I have ever had to a sibling is Liz which is why I guess I'm a little over-protective."

When she was younger Maria had wanted a sibling, but she was okay with how things were now.

[st_makemeastone]

"It is..." hard sometimes. Yes. And a little freeing - which made her feel guilty. And scary. And sometimes like losing one of her senses. So she just let the thought trail off. Maria understood, so it didn't need to be said.

Instead she cocked her head and said, "Liz is pleased you're here."

River tried, she really did but her own experience was so far removed from normal (relatively normal anyway) teenage experience that she often had been at a loss when trying to be friends with the other girl. Or really... anyone.