[Her eyes remain wide for a moment and then a grin spreads across her face.]
I wasn't sure I'd actually get to meet you or not.
[The girl who'd saved her only friends back home. The girl who kicked the demogorgon's ass with super powers, who flipped a freaking van over their heads when they were being chased by the bad people. Who saved Mike's life when he'd jumped off a cliff to save Dustin from bullies Max hasn't had the displeasure of meeting yet. Lucas had gushed. A lot. Eleven was a badass.]
Lucas wasn't sure if - [She hesitates.] Well he wasn't sure if you were okay or not. He was worried. They all were.
[El was not expecting this. For the girl she has uncertain feelings about to be so... excited and happy to meet her. She blinks several times, unsure what to do with this praise from a stranger. They might be from the same world and Max apparently knows all about her but El only barely knows this girl. It's different from how Mike and Dustin were amazed by her powers (then Lucas felt that way later).
This is different from how Kali and her friends were amazed.]
I know. [She listened to Mike, he liked to talk about everything but she couldn't tell him that she was okay.] The bad men were looking for me. It wasn't safe to see them. To tell them.
[No matter how much El wanted to, their safety was the most important thing to her.]
[She doesn't overlook the fact that Eleven doesn't smile back at her. That she doesn't look nearly as excited about meeting Max as Max feels about meeting her. It's not entirely surprising, considering Eleven probably didn't even know she existed before right now. Then again, she apparently just...has this kind of effect on people sometimes. Still. She's wanted to be friends with her since she'd realized Lucas wasn't making anything up about the things that happened back in Hawkins.
And now she's here and Max has a shot to actually befriend her.
Her smile fades a little at the mention of the bad men, and she hopes she didn't unintentionally make her feel bad for...anything. None of it was Eleven's fault.]
No, that's - that totally makes sense. They just missed you a lot. I'm sure Mike and Will are really happy you're here. [Especially Mike. Hell, maybe it would help him kick his bad mood.]
[At the moment, El has no intention of telling Max that she had seen the girl once before even if this is the first time they're actually meeting. Maybe one day she'll put it together that El had been the reason she'd fallen off her board at the school. Still, while she doesn't know how to feel about Max, El will at least protect the other girl from monsters and bad men.
No kid should have to die just because El has confusing feelings about them. If a friendship blooms from that, then it happens.
She shrugs. The bad men are bad but they've never actually hurt her in the same way they hurt others. They're just the reason why El can't be with her friends. Which makes things hard.]
I miss them a lot too. [Not just Mike and Will but Dustin and Lucas too. Being away from them was the worst thing.] I'm happy they're here.
[Maybe one day she'll put that together. But today definitely isn't that day. She has no idea Eleven's ever seen her before at all. If she did, she'd be incredibly confused about what happened.
Until this place, Max had never had another female friend before. She just wasn't interested in the same things most girls seemed to be interested in, and back in California, she'd gotten some flack for not wearing dresses and skirts and pretty sweaters and high heels. She'd let it roll off her shoulders. She didn't need to make fun of them in return to make herself feel better. She just was who she was. Besides, she'd had plenty of other friends, right up until the point her mom divorced her dad and remarried. Everything had changed abruptly then, and not for the better.
Now, though, she's made friends with Bev, and there are a lot of awesome kickass women here that Max cares about and looks up to, like Kara, and Faith. From what little she knows about El's background, she has a feeling she's in a somewhat similar boat -- with not really having any girls for friends, and she hopes to help change that.]
[One day. Hopefully when that day comes, they'll be proper friends and not with El in this weird state of limbo in this relationship.
Before Mike and the others, she didn't have any friends. She didn't even know what a friend was. That she could remember. Though according to her mother's memories, El had played with Kali in the Rainbow Room at least once. Maybe more times. But Kali was her sister - not exactly a friend. There was a difference between her sister and her friends.
As nice as the dress was that Mike gave her, El's fine wearing whatever is available so long as it's comfortable. Which is why she didn't protest when the natives took her dirty clothes and gave her the jumpsuit instead.]
In there. [El then proceeds to point back to where the deck is. It's actually completely enclosed with a set of large windows which is nice after spending so much time in the small cabin with the curtain closed.] Or at Mike's.
[Which is where she was the first night after arriving.]
[The friends she'd had in California were nothing like the friends she has now. The only one back home she'd really become friends with was Lucas, and maybe Dustin, but he'd gotten super pissed at her out of the blue that night in the junkyard and she still wasn't sure what that was about. She chalked it up to him being pissy because his pet had turned into a carnivorous monster.
But here, she has Eddie, who's turned into her best friend. And Will, whom she's gotten closer to - in the way they hadn't exchanged literally two words back home - and here they hang out sometimes. And Bev, whose sense of humor is as wicked as her own can be.]
Oh. [A frown etches onto her face as she looks out at the deck and then back at El.] You don't have to sleep on the deck, El. You can crash in my room if you want. It's warmer at least. You know, on nights you stay here anyway.
[Max doesn't have that kind of open invitation at Casa Wheeler-Byers. She's sure Will wouldn't mind, but she also knows Mike would, even if they're getting along a little better than they were initially. She doesn't visit often. She doesn't want to press her luck.]
[El doesn't know much about California and the people there but she thought Mike and the others were unique. How many other kids would go through such lengths to find their friend or face down monsters from another world or take in some superpowered stranger? Maybe here where there were other kinds of monsters a friend willing to do those kinds of things would be found.
Monsters certainly do bring people together. She's been told about the Sound Eaters and El isn't eager to face one down but she would if her friends were in trouble.]
It's nice. Lots of windows. [Not that El isn't grateful that a girl she just met would invite her to stay in her room but the deck is good with her. This means she won't feel claustrophobic at all.] I can see so much.
[It might lack privacy but she intends to build a safe space out of furniture and blankets.]
[Monsters definitely tend to unify people because it gives them a common enemy to fight against. To be fearful of. And the Sound Eaters are terrifying. She'd gone on a camping trip with a group just last week and had seen them up close and personal. It's not something she's likely to forget anytime in the near future.
She tucks some hair behind her ear absently, eating another slice of peach as she contemplates that. Her body isn't made to withstand cold. She hates being cold. Blame it on growing up in California with the sun as a near-constant companion.]
It is nice out there. [She'd sat out there with Eddie one night after one of his nightmares.] But if you change your mind... [She lets her voice trail off, figuring Eleven understood what she meant.] So, you've kinda...been in hiding back home then? For the last few months?
[She hasn't seen a Sound Eater yet but El doesn't need to in order to know that they're frightening. All she had to do was listen to Mike and Will about how dangerous they were in order to believe it. Considering both of them have faced a demogorgon, El trusts them on this.
Being cold isn't fun at all but having a room on the deck is a whole lot nicer than living out in forest - during December. Without a coat (for part of the time) while wearing a dress. In the snow. So a covered deck with four actual walls even if some were windows was a haven compared to that.
El nods once.] Thank you. [For the offer. It might take her a long time to get around to actually accepting and who knew if they'd still be living here.]
Yes. I was hiding in the forest for almost three zero days until Hopper came. We lived together for three two three days. [Though she doesn't say where exactly. Not knowing if she'll have to go back into hiding after everything.] Then I found my mama and sister.
[Max struggles with trust. She needs to see things for herself before she can believe them, at least initially. She hadn't grown up in a world where things like demogorgons existed. At least not that she'd known of. After seeing one face to face, her mind had definitely opened up to possibilities, and then landing here in Reims...well.
Things are certainly a lot different now. She believed the Sound Eaters were here, were dangerous. But she'd still needed to see them so she could get an idea of what they were up against. Still. The Sound Eaters weren't the only danger here by far.
She smiles a little at the thanks from Eleven, nodding slightly. She doesn't know if the other girl will ever take her up on the offer, but time would tell. She doesn't think much about the way Eleven phrases the time thing. Lucas had explained that her vocabulary had been somewhat limited.]
Oh. I didn't realize you had a sister. [Of course she had a mother, because that's how things work, but...well she's a little thrown by this revelation.]
[It's adults that El has trouble trusting. But with people her age it's easier since she hasn't had much interaction with them and that most of the kids she has been around have been relatively nice. The demogorgon is a recent addition to their world too, only having been introduced because of her a year ago.
She doesn't believe that the Sound Eaters are the only danger, not after her rough arrival. There are bad people here too. Maybe monsters from other worlds too.
El is learning but there's so much she doesn't know - about the language, about the world. While here, she'll have to find some way to learn new things and not just go around asking people all of the time what words means.]
She's like me but different. Makes people see things. [The sister is a new thing and not related by blood but they both feel like they're actually siblings.]
[Max stirs the peaches and takes another bite, contemplating that. She's not really clear on if this sister is a blood-related sister, or if Eleven calls her a sister because she has super powers similar to her own. She hesitates a moment, and only because she doesn't really know Eleven, because Max doesn't generally hesitate on much of what she has to say.]
Was she...with you? In that place? The institute?
[She's not trying to upset the other girl, she just genuinely wants to get to know her and well...nothing like jumping right in, right?]
[Had she not met her mother, El wouldn't even know of her sister's existence despite having spent time together. For some reason she just couldn't remember the other girl from their time in the lab. While Max thinks El eats some of her fruit and makes a face at it. It has a strange taste but it'll make do.]
We played together in the Rainbow Room. But I didn't remember her. Mama did. I saw her in mama's memories and went to find her.
[The lab was bad and so were the things that happened there but she doesn't mind talking about her sister.]
[Her next question would have been what's the Rainbow Room but then she goes on to say she found her sister in her mother's memories. That's...not a power she's aware that Eleven had. She sees her make a face at the fruit she's eating and offers her a tiny smile before pushing the canned peaches across the table toward her.]
These are sweet if you want to try them.
[She's not overly thrilled by the limited food options here either. It works but it's not great.]
[Viewing other people's memories is not a power she thinks she has but that maybe it was her mother's. Hard to tell when her mom is basically a vegetable and can't actually talk to her. El stares for a minute before pushing her own can across the table in order to swap. Then takes the peaches instead.]
We won't go back there. [Not with the bad men, anyway.]
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[Her eyes remain wide for a moment and then a grin spreads across her face.]
I wasn't sure I'd actually get to meet you or not.
[The girl who'd saved her only friends back home. The girl who kicked the demogorgon's ass with super powers, who flipped a freaking van over their heads when they were being chased by the bad people. Who saved Mike's life when he'd jumped off a cliff to save Dustin from bullies Max hasn't had the displeasure of meeting yet. Lucas had gushed. A lot. Eleven was a badass.]
Lucas wasn't sure if - [She hesitates.] Well he wasn't sure if you were okay or not. He was worried. They all were.
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This is different from how Kali and her friends were amazed.]
I know. [She listened to Mike, he liked to talk about everything but she couldn't tell him that she was okay.] The bad men were looking for me. It wasn't safe to see them. To tell them.
[No matter how much El wanted to, their safety was the most important thing to her.]
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And now she's here and Max has a shot to actually befriend her.
Her smile fades a little at the mention of the bad men, and she hopes she didn't unintentionally make her feel bad for...anything. None of it was Eleven's fault.]
No, that's - that totally makes sense. They just missed you a lot. I'm sure Mike and Will are really happy you're here. [Especially Mike. Hell, maybe it would help him kick his bad mood.]
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No kid should have to die just because El has confusing feelings about them. If a friendship blooms from that, then it happens.
She shrugs. The bad men are bad but they've never actually hurt her in the same way they hurt others. They're just the reason why El can't be with her friends. Which makes things hard.]
I miss them a lot too. [Not just Mike and Will but Dustin and Lucas too. Being away from them was the worst thing.] I'm happy they're here.
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Until this place, Max had never had another female friend before. She just wasn't interested in the same things most girls seemed to be interested in, and back in California, she'd gotten some flack for not wearing dresses and skirts and pretty sweaters and high heels. She'd let it roll off her shoulders. She didn't need to make fun of them in return to make herself feel better. She just was who she was. Besides, she'd had plenty of other friends, right up until the point her mom divorced her dad and remarried. Everything had changed abruptly then, and not for the better.
Now, though, she's made friends with Bev, and there are a lot of awesome kickass women here that Max cares about and looks up to, like Kara, and Faith. From what little she knows about El's background, she has a feeling she's in a somewhat similar boat -- with not really having any girls for friends, and she hopes to help change that.]
Which room are you staying in?
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Before Mike and the others, she didn't have any friends. She didn't even know what a friend was. That she could remember. Though according to her mother's memories, El had played with Kali in the Rainbow Room at least once. Maybe more times. But Kali was her sister - not exactly a friend. There was a difference between her sister and her friends.
As nice as the dress was that Mike gave her, El's fine wearing whatever is available so long as it's comfortable. Which is why she didn't protest when the natives took her dirty clothes and gave her the jumpsuit instead.]
In there. [El then proceeds to point back to where the deck is. It's actually completely enclosed with a set of large windows which is nice after spending so much time in the small cabin with the curtain closed.] Or at Mike's.
[Which is where she was the first night after arriving.]
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But here, she has Eddie, who's turned into her best friend. And Will, whom she's gotten closer to - in the way they hadn't exchanged literally two words back home - and here they hang out sometimes. And Bev, whose sense of humor is as wicked as her own can be.]
Oh. [A frown etches onto her face as she looks out at the deck and then back at El.] You don't have to sleep on the deck, El. You can crash in my room if you want. It's warmer at least. You know, on nights you stay here anyway.
[Max doesn't have that kind of open invitation at Casa Wheeler-Byers. She's sure Will wouldn't mind, but she also knows Mike would, even if they're getting along a little better than they were initially. She doesn't visit often. She doesn't want to press her luck.]
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Monsters certainly do bring people together. She's been told about the Sound Eaters and El isn't eager to face one down but she would if her friends were in trouble.]
It's nice. Lots of windows. [Not that El isn't grateful that a girl she just met would invite her to stay in her room but the deck is good with her. This means she won't feel claustrophobic at all.] I can see so much.
[It might lack privacy but she intends to build a safe space out of furniture and blankets.]
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She tucks some hair behind her ear absently, eating another slice of peach as she contemplates that. Her body isn't made to withstand cold. She hates being cold. Blame it on growing up in California with the sun as a near-constant companion.]
It is nice out there. [She'd sat out there with Eddie one night after one of his nightmares.] But if you change your mind... [She lets her voice trail off, figuring Eleven understood what she meant.] So, you've kinda...been in hiding back home then? For the last few months?
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Being cold isn't fun at all but having a room on the deck is a whole lot nicer than living out in forest - during December. Without a coat (for part of the time) while wearing a dress. In the snow. So a covered deck with four actual walls even if some were windows was a haven compared to that.
El nods once.] Thank you. [For the offer. It might take her a long time to get around to actually accepting and who knew if they'd still be living here.]
Yes. I was hiding in the forest for almost three zero days until Hopper came. We lived together for three two three days. [Though she doesn't say where exactly. Not knowing if she'll have to go back into hiding after everything.] Then I found my mama and sister.
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Things are certainly a lot different now. She believed the Sound Eaters were here, were dangerous. But she'd still needed to see them so she could get an idea of what they were up against. Still. The Sound Eaters weren't the only danger here by far.
She smiles a little at the thanks from Eleven, nodding slightly. She doesn't know if the other girl will ever take her up on the offer, but time would tell. She doesn't think much about the way Eleven phrases the time thing. Lucas had explained that her vocabulary had been somewhat limited.]
Oh. I didn't realize you had a sister. [Of course she had a mother, because that's how things work, but...well she's a little thrown by this revelation.]
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She doesn't believe that the Sound Eaters are the only danger, not after her rough arrival. There are bad people here too. Maybe monsters from other worlds too.
El is learning but there's so much she doesn't know - about the language, about the world. While here, she'll have to find some way to learn new things and not just go around asking people all of the time what words means.]
She's like me but different. Makes people see things. [The sister is a new thing and not related by blood but they both feel like they're actually siblings.]
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Was she...with you? In that place? The institute?
[She's not trying to upset the other girl, she just genuinely wants to get to know her and well...nothing like jumping right in, right?]
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We played together in the Rainbow Room. But I didn't remember her. Mama did. I saw her in mama's memories and went to find her.
[The lab was bad and so were the things that happened there but she doesn't mind talking about her sister.]
She got away from them but I don't know how.
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These are sweet if you want to try them.
[She's not overly thrilled by the limited food options here either. It works but it's not great.]
I'm glad she got away. I'm glad you did too.
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We won't go back there. [Not with the bad men, anyway.]
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[She reaches out and takes the fruit Eleven had been eating, stirring it up.]
No one's gonna let that happen.
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She doesn't really have anything else to say so unless the other girl does, they'll just finish their meal in silence.]