(no subject)

[missnobody]

The one thing that Vanya could say about not being out in the field with her brothers and sister was that she'd managed to finish school early. She didn't know how it was with the others - she half expected that their father wouldn't want anyone else to leave - but Reginald Hargreeves had paid for her way into a pretty prestigious music school. She might have been the unknown member of the Umbrella Academy, but that didn't mean that she could have less than the best transition into the next phase of her life.

The phase where she was actually independent instead of just practically. After all, the only one who ever seemed to care about her anymore was her mother. And sometimes the others. Luther and Allison seemed wrapped up in each other, Five and Ben were gone, Klaus was struggling in ways she couldn't seem to help, and Diego was...

She shook her head at her musings and continued packing her bags. It wasn't like she had much in the world. A couple of bags of clothes and her violin were all she really needed. Dad had a car to take her to the school tomorrow and she supposed that would be that.

Except that she hadn't actually told anyone she was leaving and she was half considering just leaving a note. Mom and Pogo she was going to say goodbye to in person, but she wasn't sure whether the others would even notice. And maybe that wasn't fair, but that's what it felt like sometimes. She'd always been the left out one as a kid, whether because their dad had left her home when everyone else went on a mission or whether they just forgot to include her in their games.

She shoved the last of her remaining civilian clothes in her bags and looked around. Her room was pretty bare. Mostly there were books she wasn't bothering to bring with her, clothes, and, in the middle of the room, her music stand. Kind of depressing, really. But maybe with this new start, she'd have a chance to find people she actually mattered to.

A note, she decided, but she wanted to go find Mom and Pogo tonight so she could leave first thing in the morning. She left her packed suitcases in her room and left to go find them. Pogo could be anywhere, but Mom would either be in front of the paintings or in the kitchen, so she tried the kitchen first. Even if Mom wasn't there, Vanya could use a snack.

[Vanya is seventeen and leaving the house to go to college. Come to the kitchen and find her or bump into her on the way. Feel free to have them see the packed bags in her room for maximum drama.]

Comments

{Where are you going, searching for answers so far from home

[ghostphone]

Klaus has spent a large majority of his teen years in some form of inebriation or other. The realization had dawned when he was twelve and prescribed pain killers during the whole Broken Jaw Incident, which Diego still likes to bring up as the most peaceful moments of his life. But it had opened a whole world of quiet to Klaus, too. He got real sleep without ghost shrieks waking him in a startled mess with the drugs dulling everything out. Eventually, he took to trying things on his own. It was easy enough, not like Dad didn't have plenty of money to throw at things, and there was as arbitrary as it may have been a certain allowance they were given. And Klaus was the kind of person that made friends everywhere he looked, so a party here and a club there and he had everything he could want as his fingertips. Tonight? He's stoned. Proper stoned, after the joint he'd smoked on the roof. It was kind of nice up there at night like this, so it was a common spot to find him sometimes. But right now? He could really use some food. And on the menu...pb&j pancake tacos. Because that sounded like the best plan ever. He wanders into the kitchen and starts pulling ingredients he'll need out. Usually, he doesn't do a lot of cooking, he's had a lot of, uh, mishaps in the kitchen. But he could handle pancakes! He's already pouring batter into a pan when Vanya wanders into the kitchen. "Oh, hey, V." he gives her a little finger wave.

[missnobody]

Vanya's stomach clenched when she saw Klaus in the kitchen. For two reasons, really. The first was that he didn't seem to have much success in the kitchen. She wouldn't say he'd started any fires. He'd just come close to starting fires. The second reason was that she loved him and she was worried about what would happen when she left.

For all that her family sometimes - or most of the time - treated her as if she were an outsider, she really loved them.

So, even though she wasn't going to tell Klaus about her plans, she did pull a chair up to the counter. If she could have a last conversation with him before she left, so much the better.

"I was looking for Mom or Pogo, but... I don't suppose you'd be willing to make another pancake or two." That was at least something he couldn't screw up too badly, especially now that she was here and keeping an eye on him. They were all the same age, born only hours apart, but Klaus always felt like the youngest.

[ghostphone]

Vanya is probably smart to be wary of Klaus in the kitchen, but all the more reason for her to be here to supervise, right?

"Yeah, for sure." He nods, glancing back over his shoulder at her. "They won't be pretty like mom's, but they'll be edible!"

[missnobody]

"So any reason for the pancakes for dinner?" she asked as she settled into the chair. Not that was objecting to breakfast for dinner. But with Klaus you always had to wonder if he was getting into some kind of mood.

"And they'd better be edible. Otherwise, I'll make you eat the ones I can't finish."

[ghostphone]

Does there have to be one, besides pancakes are awesome?" A beat passes and he shrugs. "And easy to make. Don't have to bug Mom to make it if I can do it myself, yanno?"

He laughs over his shoulder at that comment, "Deal."

[missnobody]

There was something about Klaus that could always bring a smile to her face and Vanya felt her heart clench and tears start to well a little when she realized she wouldn’t see him until…she didn’t know when. Their father had gotten her an apartment and so there was no real reason to come here during school holidays. There were some days she wondered if he’d set it up like that. The rest of the time, she was sure he had.

“You going to make any funny shapes?” she asked, surreptitiously wiping at her tears when his back was to her. It was probably a dangerous thing, asking Klaus to make shapes. Half of them were likely to be X-rated. But his unique brand of humor was a part of the charm of living with Klaus.

And she’d miss it. And miss him.

[ghostphone]

"I can try, but no promises they'll look good." He shoots another grin over his shoulder at her. She looks so... sad, he frowns a little. To be fair, Vanya often looks sad, but something about it seems further than her usual. But maybe he's wrong...

He goes back to the pancakes and does his best attempt at some, surprising, G-rated shapes. A very lopsided heart, a star that definitely only qualifies as 'you tried', among a few others. "Told you they would come out fucked up." He laughs as he puts them on plates for the both of them. He grabs the syrup from the cabinet, the butter from the fridge, forks from the drawer and--

"Oh, shit." He mutters and spins around to go back over to the stove to turn it off. Look, he's not in here that often, he forgets the steps sometimes. At least he remembered, even if late.