Tell The OC Below A Secret!

As Lacie brought her own drink to her lips, she looked towards the castle, rather than the man she now accompanied. She listened closely for only a second, pressing her glass against her bottom lip.

When she smiled, she did so rather devilishly, if still softly. Of course, she was more than happy to pick up whispers from others. She glanced back at Earle, and cooed in response to him, "Those are killing words, you know. You be careful."

"But, I suppose that wouldn't matter to an equally as killing man." she quickly added, "I won't say anything. It was a good kill, you know. Royals are difficult to bring an end to, but the dove's blood's been spilt by you, anyhow. Is that something to applaud?" Finally, she took a sip, and then added, "Killers must go further to ensure their own survival. That's the tricky part, isn't it?"

"This is such a small thing, but," Lacie paused to brush her fingers through her hair, lip quirked into a nervous smile, "I've only taken my revenge against my husband's allies once, and it was early on in my stay in Vieillemont."

"A man from the central part of the province came to visit. He said... something about me, I couldn't tell you what, it was so long ago. It was about my face." she explained further, "My husband dismissed me to my room, but really, I snuck out and released the man's prized mare. It took him hours to find it -- and hours to leave, but it was satisfying to see his distress."

"..My husband knows, of course." she added, "He told me not to tell anyone, but he's not here to scold me, is he?"

"I'd say that's well deserved. Why would your husband dismiss you, though? Shouldn't he have defended you, as your spouse? uvvu" Ilea shakes her head slowly, brushing her hair over her shoulders.
"Nevermind. But he had what was coming, and no one was really hurt. That man had no place. uvvu"

"Well... you have no way to prove this nor am I in a position where admitting this would get me in trouble anymore. So... I've falsified evidence in court. Tampered with it, sometimes. I'm not proud of it, but I'll never say the people I locked up didn't deserve it. uvvu"
As she speaks, Ilea runs a hand over the back of the ponicorn aside her, whose head rests in her lap. Cloud's hair spills around her legs and across the floor, and he snorts gently, staring at the person opposite from Ilea, almost daring them to judge her.

"Goodness!" 

A hand raises to Marcel's mouth as he takes the information in, giving Ilea a good once-over, as if to double-check that she had really just told him that. "Falsifying evidence... why, you've certainly got guts, dear! You're lucky you didn't get in trouble, or else your little friend there would've had to find a way to get you out of trouble!" He laughs at his own comment, shoulders bouncing. Even if he had been told something quite serious, he didn't seem to reflect that; it was rather amusement that took him, and his soft chuckle only proved that further. 

"And don't worry, dear, you're secret is safe with me. I am not the type to go around gossiping - I'd never be so ill-mannered to even attempt it!" 

"A secret from me... hmm..."

Marcel ponders for a moment, though it seems he struggles to come up with anything. The magician has always been quite the open book, and not once has he ever come off otherwise; but surely, he ends up with something, silly as it may be. "Ah, here's one - this form you see... it's all fake! A trick of the light! A sleight of hand! I am a ghost, my friend, of a man who has long since passed! I only possess this body because I so earnestly want to return to my life of magic."

As if to make it all a little more convincing, he waves his hand until a drip of clay melts right off of his palm. This man is falling apart at the seams - literally! 

"It's not the best thing, but it will suffice! And don't go making it out to be some fantastical story for the papers - I've got a show to run, and I can't have any rumors tampering with that."

With an interested expression on his face he listened to the magician revealing his secrets. Wasn't that kind of odd for a man of his profession? Well, since it had nothing to do with any tricks of his it was probably fine. Yoshihiro wouldn't have bothered learning them anyway. "That indeed sounds interesting." 

The principal smiled, looking at the clay melting off of Marcel's hand. Maybe for a bit too long... it was scientific interest, certainly. What else would it be? He was a plain principal after all. "...but don't you think you have been..." the man pondered his words while eyeing the magician up and down, his gaze resting on the rocket stuck in one of his eyes. "...well, don't you think you have fallen victim to some sort of fraud? I could help you finding another body, you know..." 

A kind, friendly expression appeared on his face. "I do admire your dedication though. Your secret will be safe with me... after all, we don't want to spoil the magic, do we?" he said with a smirk, lowering his voice.

"A secret about me, is it now?" Yoshihiro put one finger to his chin, carefully thinking about what to tell the next person. 

"Well, before I became the principal of this lovely school and even before I decided to become a teacher I actually studied medicine. Back in the day I wanted to become a surgeon." He chuckled, amused about his own ideas. "Sadly an accident occured and I got blamed for it although I did not cause it..." he ran his hand through his hair, sighing barely noticeable. 

"Oh well, I guess it just wasn't for me. Now I've got a school to run with lovely students and dedicated teachers and I wouldn't give them up for the world." There was... something in his eyes while he said that, but his smile seemed sincere.

"That sucks, dude. Getting blamed for something you didn't do is hell." An awkward smile flickers across his face- an expression that was intended to be comforting. He knows he isn't the best at this. "Glad you got somewhere you're happy, though."

Being a teacher in a school isn't something he can even begin to imagine. Sure, he's taught some kids how to swim as part of his job, but to be stuck in a classroom again, this time at the head? Michael isn't sure he'd have the heart to put up with it. Children are nice in concept, but not that nice. 

"Does it take a lot of work? Being head of a school, I mean. You must see a lot of stuff, having a bunch of kids in one place."

"Well, uh-" Michael clears his throat and glances away, avoiding the eyes of the one across from him. It's rare for him to share something so personal...  and this is something he's hesitated to admit to anybody, not to mention himself.
"I'm... Sometimes I feel... jealous of my cousin. Yeah, I love her and I want the best for her, but..." Looking at the ground, Michael hesitates. For a few seconds, he says nothing.

"I dunno. My aunt is great, and super kind... I'm glad my cousin gets to grow up safely with her. It's just... I didn't have that, is all. It kinda sucks, wondering why I- if- if I didn't deserve it, maybe?" Michael shakes his head sharply, crossing his arms. A reluctant scowl sits on his face. "You know what? Forget about it. I shouldn't have said anything."

"Holy shit- I felt that feeling of jealously a SHIT TON..." Danica replied, giving Michael a slight pat on the shoulder.

In truth, Danica has always been jealous of all her siblings, each and every one of them gaining attention and recognition in their own way. Except for Danica, who always seemed to be ignored out of the bunch.

"But hey, at least you are admitting it! I know it is hard but...Now that you mention it, I don't think you are all that bad! You are being honest!"

.

Note for @NP: Danica is aggressive due to admitting secrets in which she hates doing because it's more like admitting her sins, keep that in mind!

"Fucking absolute shithead bullshit...Fine, I will admit my secret," Danica snarled at the curious person beside her, before admitting her sins:

"I fucking hate my siblings. Especially my adopted siblings, I wish Mom and Dad never made the approval of adopting my siblings Tudor and Candida, all of them fucking get the most attention, and I am over here with my lonely ass unable to see the light of recognition. Fucking damnit, I always have to put up with this shit."

Egon tapped his chin as Danica very angrily told her secret about how she hated her siblings. He couldn't really understand it, always getting along with his "brothers", even if they would sometimes annoy him. He could understand the jealousy of getting less attention than what he wanted though. He wanted to be the center of attention, to be the one Evelyn went to whenever she needed something, even if he knew he definitely wasn't the best choice when it came to matters that needed more than two working braincells. He couldn't help but be jealous when she showed his other brother's more attention, but he also understood that he couldn't be the favorite all the time.

So he stayed in silence for a bit longer than normal, thinking as hard as he could before he shrugged and looked at Danica, "I mean, it's only uh... natural for humans to get jealous, right? I mean, I don't really understand it, emotions are kinda... wack, but hey, if you hate someone, you hate someone, right? Family is only a word, after all." He really wasn't sure what he was talking about, his own thoughts never making that much sense to him.

"A secret..?" Egon paused, eyebrows scrunched together for a moment before his eyes grew wide and he got close to the other party, his voice low, "okay, you can't tell anyone this, alright? It's top secret information and if it gets out, I am ruined." He spoke quickly, glancing up to make sure no one else was near before he continued on, "alright, so, I broke the coffee maker, it was me. I didn't know how to use it and got mad and accidentally hit one of the buttons too hard." He seemed quite... ashamed of himself for that one.

"When everyone was trying to figure out who did it, no one asked if I did it so I never fessed up." He looked down at the ground, shuffling his feet around for a moment before he looked back up at the other party with the biggest puppy dog eyes he could muster, "please don't tell on me."

The Finnish man adorned with a mahogany mane simply sat there and intently absorbed all of his attention to the young man infront of him. The attentive gaze on his mismatching eyes lingered there as he maintained contact with him. He gently placed his porcelain hands against the table's cold surface, intertwining them together as the tips of his flushed raspberry fingers laid onto the top of his knuckles. He tilted his head, blinking as his benevolent aura encircled through the man.. His eyes were softened up, so were the tips of his pale cherry lips.. There had been such vibrant sea spark in his eyes as he gazed at the man, waiting for the man to unwrap whatever he had been holding in his bag. His mahogany, thick wavy hair elegantly draped down over his shoulders and through his back, as curls were softly plucked through the thick strands of his hair whirling in such tender waves. As his sweet, affable aura of warm circling around through him, he finally spoke up as he would gently smile at the latter. `` Go ahead, `` The man spoke, warmly re-assuring the latter as he followed up once more. As he did so, he gently placed his finger upon a strand of his mahogany hair and twisted it, fiddling it in the process. `` You can tell what you want to me. No matter how embarrassing it is, I won't judge you.. Don't worry.``  He once paused, finally placing his palm down on the surface of the table, ready to listen to what the man had to uncover from him. Boy, he sure did hope that he won't experience the leak of second-hand embarrassment drenching all over his mind and heart.. Yngvar has had his many, notorious cases where that barrier of second-hand embarrassment plummeting and condensing through the water, polluting him for the best. It was an ugly feeling that he sure didn't enjoy.

Finally, the latter begin to speak up, gently nodding as he sheepishly requested at him to not spread the secret to others.. Just by this, Yngvar's thick lowly arched eyebrows creased down as a small hint of concern had been painted onto him. He only prayed that the poor man didn't went through anything as traumatizing. But then again, he couldn't just make inferences based on his observation on such cues by others. `` No worries, I won't tell anyone about it. Spilling other's secrets isn't really my thing anyway.. `` The man sheepishly remarked, following up with a small chuckle escaping from his chest. He tilted his head, attentively listening to the man on what he had to say.. And by the moment he confessed on the fact that he broke the coffee machine, his mismatching earthly eyes bulged as a small grunt escaped of him. `` Oh no..-`` He quietly spluttered as a small bead of sweat trickled down on the corner of his head, as sweltering raspberry curls stretched through the center of his rounded cheeks.. Oh how the agony had struck Yngvar, as he himself had experienced the same thing as well.. He couldn't help himself but simply sympathize with the man and have that case of second-hand embarrassment spoil the best of him. 

`` Oh no.. you poor guy..! `` Yngvar released an apprehensive chuckle from his chest as he placed his hand onto the man's shoulder. He released a small grunt, seeming to express the same type of agony that the man must've expressed as well. A tremulous, almost uneasy smile would spark onto the man as he kneaded the latter's shoulder.  `` That really must suck! Ahhh.. god I can't imagine how that must feel. `` The man finally began to emphasize on his overall resonation with the humiliating incident, oh the frustration and overall shame seemed to get to him as well! `` I remember I had the same exact thing happen to me too.. It didn't happen to long ago, but sure as hell my close friends weren't happy at all when they find out. `` As Yngvar recollected upon a past experience from month ago or so, he momentarily averted his gaze as he slumped his shoulders down. He shifted his head away from the other direction as he dove his hand upon his layered mahogany hair and shamefully kneaded the back of his neck as well. `` So I understand how it feels, man.. `` The man paused for a moment as he shifted his purely softened gaze at the man. `` But then again, you just.. gotta speak up about it, y'know? I know it's really embarrassing, but in reality, you really didn't mean to broke the coffee machine at all.. Even it may be your fault for breaking it. Sadly, you might have to face the consequences.. But you'll be alright, yeah?``

The Finn perked his head up as the latter's curiosity slipped in, questioning him to uncover a secret of his as well. `` U-uhh.. ``  He tremulously grunted, as he lifted up his head and shifted his partial gaze upon the latter, reluctant at first once he perked up. `` You.. want to know a secret of mine? `` Yngvar would then disconnect his gaze from the latter, leaning his eyes over to the other direction. It wasn't difficult to perceive that the man retained residue of reluctance. His cherry pale lips softly trembled as he slid the open areas of his hands upon one another, fiddling with them. His palms were quite slippery and warm from the musky clamminess from his hand. The right portion of his thick mahogany hair draped through the surface of the other side of his face, completely concealing his grassy green guy and the rest of his face. Cold beads of sweat trickled down through the man's head as he finally shifted his gaze back over to the latter, only to be less than partial this time. Yngvar wasn't really the best when it came to spilling out his secrets and such, as he retained no trust on the latter whether they were going to spoil his secret or not.. Especially his most deepest and saddening ones that no one would suspect to hear from him. But then again, he had no motive to even uncover a rather doleful and disturbing secret of his, as he didn't want to have the day decay on him after it.. and especially the latter's. He absolutely despised the fact on how others would be swept by a deep plague of concern and the sense of being inadequate to him.

However.. rather than a secret of the ode's cries, why not a more light-hearted secret that Yngvar had engraved for the longest time? He released a small, sheepish grunt as he lowered his head down, gaping at his own lap, where his hands had been planted in. `` Okay..`` The man paused as he would go in and briskly brush the large portion of his hair off from the side of his face, having it cling behind his ear and fall back on his back elegantly. He finally shifted his unsteady gaze back over to the latter. `` I'll tell you a secret of mine, then but.. `` His eyes softly bulged as he took his own hand and began to twist his fingers upon the strands of his hair. He then spluttered brusquely, his voice cracking as he abruptly shifted his head over to the latter. `` P-please, please don't tell anyone about this..! I know I should know better as a 40 year old man, but I beg of you, PLEASE don't tell anyone at all!``  He hastily puffed out a small sigh from his chest, `` Just.. keep it between you and me, okay?``  His eyebrows creased down as his mahogany hair would loose grip from the back of his ear, some of it sliding off the back of his ear concealing some of his face once again. The palms of his hands only began to tremble a bit as the thought of the latter only plunging him with jarring insults and belittling had his mind only churn in absolute nausea and humiliation. 

The man finally sighed,  lowering his head down as he absolutely refused to retain any eye contact with the latter infront of him. His mahogany hair only drape down elegantly as the airy curls puffed from his hair. He then puffed out his chest, placing his hands onto the sides of his hair as he gripped onto them, holding upon a moment as he reluctantly held himself back from uncovering his secret. He then puffed out another sigh, `` I.. You can make fun of me all you want because.. I-I am a grown man after all but.. `` He apprehensively paused, his voice cracking as he finally began to speak up. `` I have.. plushies.. And I uh.. named like 4 of them.. T-they're all in my bed.. `` As nothing but sheer humiliation jolted through the man, a large grunt of disgust escaped out of him. `` I know it's very weird, b-but it.. it helps me a lot with my anxiety and it.. m-makes me feel nice in the inside, y'know? Just- snuggling with them and-- ahh-- I can't anymore! `` 

Nathaniel leaned on his arm as he watched the other man fidget and stumble. His eyes calmly connected with Yngvar’s. A loose smile on his lips.
“Ya,” Nathaniel said. “You can trust me with your secrets,” he said.
“How about we make it,” he paused. Took a gulp of his drink. As if he was looking for the right word. “Reciprocity,” he finally settled on. “So go one, friend. You tell me your secret and I tell you one of mine,” the harpooner said. His cat-like eyes almost gleaming in the dim-lit bar.
“I won't tell anyone,” he said. “I’m a man of my word,” the harpooner lied. Nathaniel leaned forward, almost as if he wanted to snatch the words directly after they left Yngvar’s lips. His ear twitched. Nathaniel stared at the Fin in total silence for a brief second. Before laughing.
It wasn’t a hateful kind of sound, more like a warm confused laugh. “All this fidgeting around for this?” he barked. Nathaniel shook his head, took a big gulp of his pint.
“I hoped for something spicier,” he said. With a snort. “I can get you some lavender,” he spoke. With the pint still pressed against his lips. “That seems to ease the nerves too.”
--

Nathaniel’s dog ran in front of them. Her tongue out. Nathaniel didn’t seem to share his dog’s chirpy spirit. He held his hands in his pockets as he looked at the other party, then at the ocean next to them.
A simple stroll. Nathaniel rubbed his fingers over his tobacco pipe, then let out his breath. So why did he felt the need to talk?

“I stole her,” Nathaniel said. As he gestured at his ridgeback rolled in the sand. Then got up and wagged her tail at the two people behind her.
“I hate thieves, that's no lie,” Nathaniel said. He plucked his lighter from his jacket, lit his pipe then held it out to the person next to them. Just in case they wanted to smoke some tobacco as well.
“She’s the only thing I've ever stolen. Well, sorta. Killed its owner, took his dog, kind of deal,” he said. Then laughed. Nathaniel bared his sharp fangs in a flash.
“It was on the open sea, so don’t think and dare to use that information against me,” the whaler said. “Everything is allowed in the Artics.”  

It sort of scared her to realize that there were people like this in the world. Sakura was no idiot she knew bad people existed but she had never thought someone so cruel could exist really. She griped her fingers in her dress and looked away. She couldnt understand a person like this. 

"Why would you do something so horrible? " she asked her voice full of emotion. She had seen children far and wide who had grown up without a father or those whose fathers had run away from them as small children. And for her who has no parents at all she had the sympathy for those children left behind and for them she would speak the words they could not say to the man who ran away. It would be one thing perhaps if he truly regretted his actions and while that would not make up for the children he had wronged it could perhaps make one feel sympathy for him. But it seems his guilt was but a passing one and the children he left behind nothing but a fleeting thought that came up every so often. 

 "How dare you. How DARE you! A spot of fun? Is that how you see children's lives. We'll then Ill tell you what I see. I see a man who has broken the hearts of countless woman. I see a man who has made children question what was so wrong with them that their father didn't want them. Couldn't stay for them. I see a man who saw little lives as a sort of plaything who couldnt be man enough to stay around after knowingly impregenanting a woman because it was a sick game to him. I see someone I cannot even call a man but a parasite. A creature who has made his children weep and make mothets fend for themseleves in a cruel and unforgiving world or to leave children with those who like you will be unfit parents. "You miss it?" Well You who are no lower then a worm no even lower then that because even bugs deserve to be respected you who are a tiny disgusting parasite make me sick. A new leaf indeed. Well then on behalf of all the children who you left behind wondering why they werent good enough I must ask you. What makes you think you deserve happiness when you have destroyed so many lives for sport?" She asked she was usually so pleasant sweet even but this she could not forgive not after seeing children who had also been left behind in terrible situations and perhaps some even belonging to this man made her want to weep untill she had no tears left to shed. 

------

"A secret?" Sakura asked as she stood in the garden hair gently flowing behind her in a sea of cherry trees of which the last petals of spring began to fall. Soon they would be barren and sad and when winter came a few seasons later so would most of the garden and the thought made her chest ache. "Well isnt that a strange thing to asl someone?" She said looking over her shoulder with a smile before turning around one hand on the handle of her parasol. "After all you know secrets are secrets for a reason. If I told you would it even be a secret anymore? After all how can I trust you'll keep my secret?" She asked tilting her head with her cheeks puffed before looking away and turning her body back towards the trees. 

"If I were to tell a secret that this body which you see me in now isnt nesscairy the real me what do you think? Would your option of me change? If I was a monster with six eyes and claws." She looked at her hand and gently clentched it before realising it. "Would you look at me with hatred?" She muttered before glancing over her shoulder and smiled a smile that did not reach her eyes which were clouded with the mixed emotion of fear and sadness. "Of course this is only a what if of course!" She said glancing back at the cherry trees. "Just..Just a what if. " 

The garden was beautiful- so majestic, so colorful, unlike the slums where Haddel resided in. He felt as if he were in his element amongst the beautiful flora surrounding him. But despite that, all of the rapper's attention was Sakura and the discussion the two were having about secrets.

Her hypothetical sounded like far more than just a simple what-if, but Haddel wasn't quite one for pointless confrontation, even if it were. "A monster, huh? Well...it might be a bit scary at first. But I don't think I'd hate you or anything unless, I dunno, you were trying to hurt me or something like that." He paused for a second. "I have to deal with a lot of monsters where I'm from, they're scary and aggressive. I don't tend to attack things unless it's in self-defense though." His eyes drifted back to the cherry blossoms. "You don't seem like you'd be violent for no reason. I mean, it's all really a hypothetical so it's not like it really matters, does it?"

"You wanna know a secret? About me?" Haddel asked. He was kind of full of them, so of course people would get curious after all. "Hmm..." He scrambled to think of something fairly innocent, definitely not wanting to out himself about being part Cetra to a stranger he has no clue of the intentions of. 

"Well...I'm a bit ashamed to admit this but I'm totally forgetful. Like to the point where I'm suspecting I have some sort of memory issue. I've lost so many objects, I forget people's names or their faces all the time...er...what was your name again?" He gave you a confused look. "Just kidding!"

Anatole was fond of gossip, anything to do with secrecy intrigued him, though it was rare he found someone transparent enough to disclose such information outright. He listened curiously to the man's statement, but frowned slightly when it wasn't as intimate as he would've liked. Still, he could appreciate the candor, and the fact may become useful for him to know. Especially down the line, he noted to himself, if he ever needed to deceive the man it would be rather easy to blur the truth. 

"Oh, mon cher," he says in a sympathetic but upbeat tone, "you're lucky I'm hard to forget." In the back of his mind, he contemplates what he could steal and blame the other for misplacing, but he abruptly decides against the action. He wasn't that cruel, at least not enough to betray his trust immediately after their introduction. 

Anatole didn't drink often; he avoided it, in fact, as nice as it was to take his mind off of things. The harsh reality was that he couldn't stomach much of it, and what he could tolerate went straight to his head. He felt dizzy, and light, slouched over some fancy table at a gathering he couldn't remember being invited to. The lights were too bright; how many glasses of champagne had he accepted already? He cringed at the idea it would all come back up later, and he distracted himself from the thought by talking. There was someone next to him, wasn't there? Certainly he was well enough to make conversation, as embarassing as his situation was.

"Are you married?" He asks, thinking he sees a ring on the other's hand, but as it turns out he's looking at his own. "I'm too young for marriage, terrible thing." He continues, spinning the mysterious artifact around his finger. "This....oh, right, yes of course. Mrs. Bach. I took this from her bedside; her husband is here I think...." He allows the thoughts to come to him and leave his lips simultaneously. What he'd neglected to recall was the fact Mr. Bach was here, the host, in his own home only tables away. 

Zero had almost zoned out for a moment when Anatole started talking to him. Married, huh? Good question, actually. Well, if he had been he certainly would have been a widower by now anyway, so he just shook his head in response, which seemed to be enough for the drunk man. "You think so?" the reaper asked, an amused tone to his voice. "What is the ring on your finger then?" When hearing the explanation his brows shot up for a second. "Well, I don't know what your business with Mrs. Bach is, but you may want to get it back where you found it, since her husband is the host of this evening." it was just a friendly recommendation, of course. Zero found it more funny than anything, but he did neither know Mr. Bach nor Anatole closely, so he was merely a bystander to whatever situation may have unfolded over the course of the night.

"I don't think I'm interesting enough for any secrets..." he chuckled, looking at his hands for a moment as if they could tell him anything. "But you know what is a bit odd? I remember every detail since I woke up in that forest... but nothing before. I am able to remember the smallest details but not my own name." Zero smiled. That was probably pretty boring, right? His scythe seemed more interesting, at least, following his company's gaze. "Oh, yes, this. It can actually be more than just a scythe." the reaper explained, a small twist of the handle transforming it into a polearm, another one shortening it to reveal a sword. "You can try if you like but I'm not sure if it is going to work."

     Ennette listened carefully to Zero-- or One, in her opinion-- as he spoke, strumming along her lyre lightly with her eyes closed. When he paused and shifted the story to his scythe, she opened her eyes and looked at him, eyes widening and glittering with awe at the transformation. "Oh no, I think I would more likely hurt myself if I tried!" she laughed nervously when offered to use it, then motioned to her lyre. "Liszt can do similar things! I can summon weapons with it, though they're like glass canons; they break after one hit each."
     She paused, her smile softening as she looked at the lyre's strings. "I wonder why you can't remember anything before waking up?" she mused more to herself than to him. "Do you think maybe it was like a type of birth? Or was there an entire life before you? How mysterious. Maybe it's so you have enough room in your mind for wonderful upcoming memories?"

     "Well..." Ennette hummed in the middle of a light tune on her lyre, head tilted. She gently pressed her hand against the strings to stop them, and slowly the music faded away. "Many people tend to think that because my mother died when I was born, that I crave a mother figure. I don't agree, though. My father and my brother were both very loving and supportive, and even the staff helps me when there are questions only a mother could answer.
     "I've never grown up with a mother, so I don't feel upset about missing something I never really had. I try to play along when people give me motherly affection and advice, though, but the times people will assume that position can be tiring." She gave an apologetic smile. "I'm sorry, it's not a very scandalous secret, is it?"