(Ellie looked up and asked the question that had been on her mind a while. "Why is it you don't enjoy stories about yourself?" Rosie looked down at the elephant with a sigh before snuggling into the toy further. "Father makes it all about himself. I don't wanna be anything like him. He hurts people…")
Ellie nearly stuttered in her story telling seeing Rosie's grip tighten on the bat. Then, she saw he woman's fear melt away. Oh thank the stars that this was working. If not… she didn't know what else she would have done besides… no. Not that. That probably would have made Rosie cry if she remembered that.
Upon being picked up, Ellie hummed. "Yes…?" she asked hesitantly, her form still mostly limp. The elephant didn't want to spook Rosie too much.
(I- oh jeez, that hit me right in the heart…)
Rosie looked to be on the verge of tears anyway, but there was a small smile on her lips.
"I-it's been a long time since I've heard one of your stories…" The woman chuckled weakly, unable to keep herself from pulling Ellie into a hug. She shuddered done, leaving against the bed and curling around Ellie like she had when she was younger. A few tears slipped down, but Rosie was still smiling as she hugged Ellie close.
Ellie spread her arms as wide as she could to embrace the woman holding her. "I know… I… didn't want to say anything since you probably forgot I could speak and… well, it never seemed to make you believe I wasn't still there for you," she explained softly. It was then that she could hear the tell-tale signs of tears. "Please… no need to cry. I'm here. I'll always be here," she whispered, both comforting herself and Rosie the best she could.
Rosie sniffled some, rubbing her tears away with one since as she smiled still.
"I… I didn't forget," Rosie said quietly. "I just… Well, I guess I just stopped believing this was real." Rosie looked… Genuinely relieved now, even if a few tears kept escaping.
"I'm so sorry…"
Ellie shook her head quickly. "No, no. Don't be. You've had it harder than you should have to deal with. I'm… actually proud of how strong you've become," the elephant added, nuzzling closer to Rosie. The woman had her own apartment, had good grades still, and managed to work with her father somehow. Well, with was quite generous of a word.
"That's no excuse, Ellie." Rosie's weak smile dropped just a touch as she pulled her head away to look down at Ellie. "You know, you're a big part of why I was able to become this way." Rosie put her hand on the back of Ellie's head now, so much like when she was younger.
"I don't think I would have made it if I didn't have you and the others to help me."
Ellie felt honored to hear such words from the human she loved so dearly. "Somehow, I think you would have. It would have been in a different way maybe, but I believe in you," she hummed, easing into Rosie's gentle touch. "I'm also the way I am because of you. I couldn't just let you cry alone all those years…"
Rosie couldn't keep the soft smile off of her face as she and Ellie talked. It had ages, and it felt so good. It let her forget who had given Ellie to her, why she had felt so s as looking at the elephant before.
"That does sound right," Rosie said, happy to be holding Ellie in her arms like this. "We're affected by everyone we interact with, after all." Rosie giggled some, calming down most completely. "Thank you for being here for me for so long…"
Ellie gave a small laugh in return. "Thank you for being so wonderful to be around," she replied in turn.
It was funny how the thanks was phrased. As if Ellie had the ability to leave Rosie. No. She could never. In the relationship of toy to human, only the owner could leave. It was what most began to fear as they were tossed aside, kept in attics, or handed down. It's why older toys lost their smiles.
Ellie couldn't have ever left Rosie. She owed her happiness to the woman. It was all she could give. And like a fool, the plush toy believed it would last forever.
Rosie couldn't help but rub her fingers through Ellie's fur, a small hum of content coming out. She wasn't thinking about how looking at Ellie made her gut drop and her teeth clench from the memories, or how the elephant had come to be a kind of mother figure to her. How now that she knew the truth about her mother, she couldn't bear Ellie for long.
For now, all she was thinking about was how good it was to be talking to an old friend.
"It is easy enough, with someone like you as a role model."
( @Painted-Iris-will-try-and-be-on-more the requested tag)
(I've reread everything aha, let's do this)
Rosie couldn't help but rub her fingers through Ellie's fur, a small hum of content coming out. She wasn't thinking about how looking at Ellie made her gut drop and her teeth clench from the memories, or how the elephant had come to be a kind of mother figure to her. How now that she knew the truth about her mother, she couldn't bear Ellie for long.
For now, all she was thinking about was how good it was to be talking to an old friend.
"It is easy enough, with someone like you as a role model."
Ellie let her hands come up to her cheeks. "Stop, you'll make me blush," she said before eventually leaning into the woman's touch. Ah, she could get reused to this. Everything would open up again. They would talk like they used to. Maybe not play little games like before, but they could be together still. Maybe watch a movie again, like the night before. Keeping a good sleep schedule of course. That would be best.
Rosie giggled, a real giggle- soft and sweet like she used to. She moved to gently rest her forehead on Ellie's, eyes closing as she let out a breath.
"I've missed you," she admitted softly. Even when she thought it was all a dream, her imagination, she had missed being able to forget the world as listen to Ellie's stories, to talk with her friend and feel better just because of that. She pulled the stuffed elephant into a much more gentle hug, eyes still closed. Was it wrong to have missed Ellie, even though she had been there the entire time? She felt guilty… She was tempted to apologize again, but she held it back for now.
Ellie seemed to only smile. She was happy to have her old Rosie back. Well, she was never not Rosie, just… she had a lot more in her life now. The plush nuzzled into the embrace and let out a soft hum.
"I've missed you a lot too. I know I've said it already, but I'm proud of how you've grown. It's good to have you smile again," she replied.
"It's… good to be able to." Rosie rested her head on Ellie's, relaxing more as they sat there. She let out a soft breath, arms relaxing some as well. She pulled her legs up a bit more, turning her feet in just like she used to. She hummed, hand on the back of Ellie's head. She didn't have to worry about her father, or her mother, or hell, even the charred blankets that were still on her bed.
Ellie simply let Rosie take everything in, not minding the almost silence. She looked up, seeing a bit of the underside of the woman's chin. It felt so good to be welcomed back into her arms. The stuffed toy seemed content to be held. Ellie glanced over at the bed, suddenly remembering that the house had nearly just burnt down. She let out a small sigh as well, thankful they were both okay.
Rosie stayed like that, holding Ellie, for a few more minutes as she calmed down and let everything soak into her mind.
"Are you okay?" Rosie asked, finally pulling away some to look down at Ellie. "Did you get burnt?" She knew Ellie had been on the bed, and from what she'd seen of the fire it had gotten very, very close to her before Ellie had gotten her attention.
"And I am sorry you got knocked off the bed."
Ellie felt touched at the concern the girl felt. That was one thing that hadn't changed. She was always so considerate…
"I'm fine. Somehow, I didn't even get singed, though I probably smell like smoke," she replied, sounding a bit sheepish at the end. The smell was often nice were it a candle or a campfire, but not just after your house nearly burnt down.
The toy somehow didn't see what the concern was for letting the fire get so close. It was a last resort to speak, so she didn't see any reason as to why it was that big of an issue.
Rosie let out a breath, her small smile returning.
"I'm glad you're okay…" She didn't know how she would have felt if Ellie had gotten burned. Sadness? Horror?
…Relief? No. Not now, not after coming to terms with Ellie being alive.
The woman rested her head on Ellie a moment, smile still there. She moved to stand after a moment, Ellie still held securely in her arm as she surveyed the damage. She pulled the fire blanket off the bed, sighing deeply. The blanket was ruined, as well as the sheets underneath. They would be lucky if the mattress wasn't ruined too.
Ellie smiled again, still letting Rosie do as she wished. When the woman stood, she caught sight of the blackened mess of the top of the bed. Her smile fell, not liking the looks of things. "I'm sorry everything didn't make it," she said. It was the type of apology that everyone said, the kind without taking blame. Though, at the same time, the toy felt it might have been less damage had she have warned Rosie sooner. But seeing as she couldn't see the future, she couldn't have known Rosie would have acted positively.
"These are things that can be replaced easily enough." Rosie moved to the side of the bed, setting Ellie carefully down on the table before grabbing the blankets and the sheets, pulling them off. She put them in a pile to the side, looking over to the damage to the mattress. It was singed, but it wasn't bad enough to have to replace. Moving over to the closet, she pulled new sheets and blankets down, remaking the bed.
