ARLO
Pronouns: They / Them
Gender: nonbinary
Sign: Aries Sun, Cancer Moon, Scorpio Rising
Born: April 15, 1997
Arlo is
Arlo is a lonely, hurt child.
They don't have much control over their emotions which tend to jump between impulsive, angry or quiet.
They crave family and attention but don't know how to articulate their wants and emotions to keep that kind of connection. When things end they believe it is because they don't deserve love and in exchange, people don't deserve their communication.
They like to feel people want to be around them and they usually stick around with the connections that sought them first.
They are not embarrassed or ashamed of who they are, they don't care for NPC's opinions.
They prefer to walk away than fight, they are bad at dreams and do believe they will have an ordinary life, even tho they don't want to. They are unmotivated and a bit lazy.
They are bad planners and childish.
They are kind and comprehensive- maybe not empathetic but patient.
They are quiet and shy, they are adorable and sweet.
"I could never be fully honest with you because that would mean I would hurt you, and that is something I could never forgive myself for" - Arlo to Gwen
Arlo in a small scene
The veterinarian sprints through the waiting room, Arlo grabs her by the arm and looks at her straight in the eye.
"Nobody has told me anything."
The veterinarian looks at Arlo's hand, they let go of her.
"What's your pet name, sir?"
The sir rings in Arlo's ear, it is not important how they are perceived right now, the only cruciality is-
"Pancakes, my ferret- he swallowed something and they took him to have a removal procedure..."
"I can check with the veterinarian in charge.."
"That's what the other one told me!" their cheeks turn red, bloodshot eyes.
"Sir... I know this is a difficult time, but I'm going to need you to calm down."
Arlo's stance relaxes, and the tone of their voice changes "I'm sorry- I just need to know if he- if he is ok."
The veterinarian nods and leaves the room. Arlo sits down in the waiting room, they rub their legs, trembling.
It was their fault- they knew better than to leave the yarn lying around. Before bed, they should've checked the living room and the bedroom to see if there was any thread loose. And now... Now Pancakes...
Arlo hides their face with their hands. No- they won't go there. What would Gwen say?
Their breathing increases, they look around as the room gets smaller and the voices get louder. Pets and their owner pass through the waiting room.
"Not here- please, not now..." they whisper to themselves.
Gwen would say "Let's not think of the worst possible scenario, ok? Pancakes will be fine- the thread was probably not that big..." She would try to place a hand on Arlo's knee, a touch that could snap them out of it- or send them forward a spiral.
Arlo takes a deep breath, once, twice- they look at the different veterinarians passing through.
"Hey, why don't we go see that small toy section over there? We could get something for Blueberry- she must be worried about Pancakes"
Arlo nods. "Ok."
They take a deep breath, "Ok."
Arlo taps on their knee and stands up, they walk up to the small toy section.
"Arlo Green?" A veterinarian calls
Arlo sprints towards her- holding back the tears.
"Pancakes just got out of surgery- we are going to see how he responds to getting out of the anesthesia, but for now everything is fine, he is fine"
"He is fine..." Arlo looks at her, the nurse nods and leaves.
Arlo grabs their phone, they unlock the screen and a text chain with Gwen opens-
"Hey, Pancakes is going to be fine- we just need to wait a little bit to see how he reacts to coming out of the anesthesia, but he is fine"
They wanted to write "thank you", thank you for keeping them company- but they would never admit she was the only one to calm them down, even when they weren't even there in the first place.
GWEN
Pronouns: She / Her
Gender: Female
Sign: Cancer Sun, Cancer Moon, Sagittarius Rising
Born: July 01, 2001
Gwen is
Gwen is that rare bird that was handed a perfect hand.
Her parents were comprehensive, kind, and supportive.
She had a group of friends, had hobbies and was beautiful, she did well in school too... But deep inside she always felt, alone.
She didn't know how to describe it, and she never did it out loud, only in her journal. But she felt like she was always wearing a mask like she was someone at school, someone at home, and someone with her friends- but the real her only existed when she was alone.
Sad- and tired. Mostly tired.
One day- after school, after dinner with her parents, and a long phone call with one of her friends, she killed herself. There was no planning really, and no pain either- just the feeling of emptiness.
She in her ghost form, traveled a bit before she found that empty apartment.
She liked it because of the way the sun hit the walls in the afternoons, there was an abandoned plant on one of the windows, so she decided to stay there and nurse that plant back to life.
The plant is alive and well, and Arlo knits tiny hats for it from time to time.
" I would do anything to be with you even when I know it won't last forever" - Gwen to Arlo
Gwen in a small scene
She could feel the sun on her face. Little dots and lines of light, peeking through the blinds.
Gwen liked the way it felt, warm... Different from the rest of the apartment. Her plants plumped, dancing with the lighter breeze.
That afternoon light was exactly what made her stay in that vacant apartment for years until someone opened the door.
At that point, Gwen was so close to withering that she couldn't do more than just float there, in the center of the living room, and that was when she first saw them- Arlo.
Arlo carrying 4 different backpacks and one tiny box with a dying cactus on top.
She remembers floating towards them and grabbing the cactus.
"You know you do have to water them at some point" She examines the leaves with careful attention "I've never met someone that could kill a cactus by giving it zero water"
She smiles and looks at him.
"I forget about it" They put the box down and close the door.
Gwen floats to the bedroom and places the cactus in one of the big windows, the afternoon light shines on the cactus, she floats to the kitchen, pours a glass of water, and pours it back to the cactus.
Arlo follows her with their stair, from the bedroom to the living room.
"You won't have to remember it anymore, I promise to water it for us, from now on!"
The afternoon sun, the little dots and lines finally hit her face. Harsh enough for Gwen to open her eyes, and float up. She floats to her desk and takes a sip from her tea. Not much left- just enough to wet her lips.
She looks around at her paintings, the dust collected on her keyboard... Not much used out of any of it since Arlo left.
"Not much has been going on- I think life lost its worth the day you were gone..." her fingers tap on keys. A soft melody, Gwen chuckles.
"Well, that is enough for the pity party Gwen... Let's make this day different from the others-"