"Yeah, I imagine your parents would have been distraught their 'prize' daughter was looking at something as uncivilized as pokemon battling." He grinned, "I see, it might be good to keep in touch sometime, it's probably been a while right?" Whether or not a tale was gripping wasn't the point for Callan, he was just interested in getting to know her for the most part.

"Was it hard?" Callan wrapped his fingers around hers, pausing, "Err... not me, I mean... Was it hard to leave the home that you were in? I imagine it wasn't an easy thing to distance yourself from your house."

Elinor Anderson

“Distraught? That’s putting it mildly.” She said, laughing quietly at the memory. She could do that now, but back then it had been hell.

And then Callan reminded her to keep in touch. She gave him a guilty nod. He was right. She knew this, she knew she tended to zero in on herself more than she ought to.

Moving onto another heavy topic. Callan began with a joke, which she was about to play along with, but he halted that pretty handily. “Well, both yes and no.” Elinor paused for a moment. “The physical act of moving out and getting settled somewhere new was easy enough.” She didn’t explain that she was still under her parent’s boots by that time.

“The act of becoming an individual outside of their control? Yeah, that was… I mean still is hard.” She paused once more, pondering which words to use. “I still sometimes find myself wondering if I made the right decisions, I suppose that is a burden I will always have to bear.” She admitted.

Callan paused, watching her smile and laugh. This was something that hurt Elinor deeply, he refrained from saying anything, because he had zero idea of how to respond to this situation. "It's not the end of the world Elly." Callan replied, "Whatever happens, I think it took a lot of strength for you to branch out like this."

That being said, "But take it from someone who's been running from his past for at least ten years, I think the best possible option for you is at some point to return to your parents and confront them about it. Tell them the things you experienced, why you left, and give them the freedom to confirm their assholery." As a father himself, he found it difficult to believe that there was absolutely no feeling on her parents side for their daughter. Perhaps it was misplaced... at least that was what he hoped. He hoped that was the case.

"But I think sometimes it is much more painful to receive the confirmation." Callan admitted, "Which is why a lot of the times, we take the initiative to reject the ones we love to gain control of the situation."

Elinor Anderson

Elinor looked thoughtful throughout Callan’s part of the conversation. His words were wise. And she knew deep down all she was doing was running from the problem. She would have to confront the past, her parents, and the issues they’ve spawned within her at some point.

They would have to accept her as the person she was and not the person they wanted her to be. Besides, what was the worst they could do? Disown her? Fat chance. Since they had already burned the bridge between her young siblings, she was their last hope for an heir, there was no way they would casually throw that away, right? No, there was no way she could even begin to imagine they’d throw that away.

But how should she respond to Callan’s words? An inner monologue was good to have, but it didn’t really further the conversation. “Yeah, you are right. I will have to do that.” Elinor admitted. What else could she say?

She took a deep breath, trying to compose herself once more. “But not today!” She then announced. For today her focus would be on being with Callan, spending time, and growing the bond they both shared.

Callan chuckles, "True, take all the time you need." Something as existential as confronting a parent should be relegated to a time when a person was ready to have that conversation. Callan leaned forward and pressed his lips to hers, stroking her hair and looking into her eyes. "When you do, if you do, you can call me to back you up if you need to."

"Well, let's pack up and store the cake, take a shower, and go out for a walk?" He suggested, slowly getting up and grabbing the various utensils that they had set up before. "Could you put the cake in the fridge and ready the shower? I'll clean up the table."

Elinor Anderson

“I will keep that offer in mind.” She spoke, giving him that gentle thankful smile that she so often found in situations like these.

And then the conversation moved on. Callan suggested that they get things cleaned up, so they could go for a walk. To which Elinor enthusiastically agreed. First, she took the cake, handling it very carefully so that there was no risk of what little there was left falling anywhere. Then she went to find the fridge, which probably took longer than it should have, but she found it somehow.

Afterward, she went on to find the shower, readying it as she was asked to do. Though that didn’t take much more than readying towels for being within arm’s length of stepping out and making sure that the water was at a comfortable temperature.

And then she jumped in, letting the water wash over her while wondering how long it would take before Callan joined her.

❝

He joins soon after she does, steam clouds the shower room as he enters. He slides the bathroom door closed out of habit as he enters after Elinor and gently wraps his hands around her waist. The hot shower water, shooting directly from above, covers the both of them with steaming water, washing the sweat and fluids from their bodies as Callan breathes in the pleasantly hot steam.

Callan's hair slowly dropps down into long, straight silver locks, the weight of the water holding his messy bangs into strands of thick silver. He gently squirts shampoo and lathers them between his hands, before beginning to massage Elinor's scalp. "How does it feel, too much pressure?" Callan slowly massages against her scalp, his index fingers tracing down towards her temples as he runs against the tender points bridging her eyes and the top of her ears.

Elinor Anderson

The water was warm and relaxing, and it was hers, but not for long as Callan joined her soon after. His arms wrapped around her waist as the water washed them clean of the dirt from their previous activities.

She was so caught in enjoying his presence that his sudden massaging of the scalp took her by surprise. Still, the sensation was pleasant, relaxing. Had her eyes not already been closed because of the water, she would’ve done so from Callan’s touch.

“Not at all. It’s lovely.” She mused quietly as a reply. She would make a mental note to offer the same service once he finished, but for now. She would enjoy his touch.

"Good girl," Callan replies, gently running his thumbs over her temples as he wraps his fingers between her long silken strands of pink hair, gently sscratching against her scalp.

He takes his hands and runs them from the base of her neck up the back of her head, as his fingers extend outwards and ress gently against her scalp as his thumbs massage up the top of her head. Callan gently tilts her chin up as his fingers squeez lightly the sides of her head before forming up towards the tips of her forehead, pressing and running a finger down to where her third eye would be between her eyebrows.

Once he had thoroughly cleaned her body, he lets the hot water rinse over the soap as he sweeps water between her strands to cleanse the sulphates from her hair. "Let me grab a chair." He said, taking the stool from outside the bathroom and placing it inside. It was a plastic one, and he seated himself down, leaning on the glass plane as he slowly slid Elly down on his lap. "Help me with mine dear."

Callan’s fingers worked their magic helped along by bouts of warm water. Elinor relaxed and trusted the process. However, the work ended far too soon. Though she knew Callan had worked for just as long as he needed to.

Now it was her turn. Callan found a seat to sit upon. She joined him on his lap, as he requested that she help him with his hair. She smiled and obliged. It was the least she could do. And so she went to work. Showing Callan and his hair the same care he showed her.

“So, am I doing as good a job as you did?” She said jokingly. While there was no certainty ever, she was quite sure the answer would be quite similar to her own. Though whatever the answer might be, she would continue trying to best to provide him with the best experience that she could.

Callan tilts his head down as Elinor begins to get to work on the leather. He delicate fingers run through silver locks, thick and rough, but as the suds begin to foam, her fingers begin to work her magic. Callan gently kisses her before tilting his head down to let her lather his hair. "I'm sure we can practice it a few more times." Callan replies with a smile hidden.

But it was good, it was wonderful. Callan loved head massages, the ache which pounded against his head, constant thoughts, worries, tensions, everything was gone as he felt the sensations of her fingertips press against his scalp and massage away his fears. A wave of tiredness suddenly rushes through him, and only now does Callan realize how tired he actually was.

Almost as if forgoing his head massage, Callan instinctively leans towards her shoulder, pressing his cheek against her as he hugs her tight against him and closes his eyes. When was the last time he held someone like this? Someone who truly enjoyed him for who he was? When was the last time he was able to remove his guard, even if it was in the middle of a shower? "Just let me stay like this for a bit, it's perfect." If only time could dilate.

Elinor Anderson

She did her best as one would expect of her, not because it was expected of her, but because she felt Callan deserved it right now.

Washing his hair was the easy part. She had more than enough experience with that, given her own long locks of pink hair. No, it was the massage that gave her trouble. The ever delicate dance of applying pressure to a tense recipient, was a battle she had naught partaken in, though she had been on the receiving end, and so she tried to emulate it as best she could.

And it seemed to work for a moment.

And then, as if forgoing the whole ordeal, Callan leaned towards her shoulder. Pressing his cheek against her. She felt his arms wrapping around her tightly. She was mildly surprised at first, but then embraced him right back. “You can stay like that for as long as you’d like,” Elinor reassured him as she allowed him to rest.

Callan sank into the shoulder, as much as he could, he made sure his large frame did not sink Elly as he leaned in. He was silent, he wanted to keep much of it to himself. The sinking feeling, the feelings of fear as everything around him changed, his circumstances, his lifestyle, his fame.

The fear of not being everything the world was making him to be, the fear that things would not longer be the same. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean for this to happen on your birthday." Callan rested his eyes as the water washed away the foam against his hair and the warmth from the water and from her body covered him. "Things are changing, so quickly, I wonder if I'm going to be the same person. I hardly recognize myself anymore."

Elinor Anderson