Moonlight Nocturne

"....there's financial aid, scholarships, need-based assistance.... you're absolutely able to go. Don't give up your own future for someone else. You can both earn your way in, if you try."

 

"Mom and Peter tried and they didn't give him an academic scholarship and they said Mom makes too much money, which is stupid because she's self-employed and... and health insurance and rent keeps going up and Mom keeps talking about taking out another loan again and--" She stifles a sniffle, looking down at her notebook. "I don't know if I even want to go, school is full of jerks and I don't think you have to go to school to do the stuff I like."

 

"Part-time work somewhere else would bring in money for community college. That knocks off two years of full cost university, at least. Depending on how long you take to finish those prerequisites, you may age out of being a dependent, thus everything is taken off of your personal income. Also: scholarships are offered by different groups, too. Never hurts to apply."

He hums. "...what do you want to do?"

 

"... ... okay," she says, kicking her feet, still staring at her notebook.

"... hit things?" she offers hopefully. "I like making stuff. Carpenters and stuff don't have to go to college, right?"

 

"...you can be a carpenter. Though I'd recommend trade school?"

 

She frowns, thinking. "... ... can I make knives? Do people do that for a job?"

 

"Yes, but you have to build a strong following." He pulls out his phone, flipping through to a photo gallery. "Art is similar."

She recognizes the tree from Natasha and Gabriel's front yard.

 

Elena perks up, peering over his shoulder. "... how'd you make that?"

 

"Encouragement and determination." He hums. "...also a blowtorch and talkimg to the trees."

 

"... I meant the blowtorch part. Will you show me how to blowtorch?"

"... and talk to trees? Can I talk to trees the way you talk to trees so they listen, you know I don't mean the other way."

 

"...if you promise to wear the proper equipment and get your homework done, sure." He hums. "...and you'd have to talk to spirits, for that. I mean... you may have potential, but I'm not sure that we'd want you drawing that kind of attention."

 

"... I'm working on it!" she says, going back to scribbling down her book report as she talks. "Because spirits eat people?"

 

"Because if you attract them, you could be in deep trouble. Some spirits can possess people. It's not pretty." He responds quietly, voice carefully casual.

 

"... oh." She says quietly. "... can I keep them from possessing me? If I get possessed, do you have to kill me?"

 

"...just stick with us. Don't think too much about it just yet."

 

"... so you do, right?" She swallows. "So if my brother's possessed, are you going to kill him, like Nathan?"

 

"....Elena," he says quietly. "Don't think about things like that right now. It won't help."

 

"It won't help to not think about it either!" she says, hands squeezing tight on her notebook and crumpling the pages. "I'm not a kid! I want to know what's really going on!"

 

Louis puts a hand on the notebook, pressing it flat if he can. "You have things you need to focus on and be responsible for. Right?" He speaks slowly, voice quiet. "Right now, you're running after what-ifs, and worrying about things that are very, very unlikely. There is nothing that you can do about any of that right now but to do your homework."

He closes his book. "If you were older, I'd be telling you the same thing."

 

Elena sniffles, blinking hard. A tear drips down onto Louis's hand. "... I hate not being able to do anything."