<div class="floatleft">(https://i.imgur.com/AbL9djv.png) (https://i.imgur.com/IPIXXJ4.png)</div><strong>Character Name:</strong><em>Elle "Ellie" Greene (https://elliquiy.com/forums/index.php?topic=341012.msg16146281#msg16146281)</em><br/><strong>Wearing:</strong><em>As pictured: Faux leather jacket, black undershirt, black leggings, tote bag, basic sneakers and socks.</em><br/><strong>Time:</strong><em>June 5th, 11amish</em><br/><strong>Location:</strong><em>Kiddie Trail</em><br/><strong>Tagging | Mentioning:</strong><em>Robin | Felix</em><br/><hr/>Ellie caught sight of the little<i>fellow</i>peeking out from his hiding place on Robin’s back. Ellie shouldn’t have been surprised, she was well aware of the others like her – and that Robin was one of them – but it still managed to startle her. Unfortunately, before she could wipe any signs of such a response off herself, the little mummy had already burrowed back into his refuge.<br/><br/><i>Jeez</i>, yet another great first impression from her, huh?<br/><br/>“A<i>pushover</i>?” Ellie looked even more skeptical than she sounded. Whoever called Robin a pushover didn’t seem to spend much time with him. As a matter of fact, he was probably one of the people she’d butted heads with most growing up. “You are definitely not a pushover.” The redhead rolled her eyes. The idea annoyed the ever living heck out of her. “If you were a pushover I would have—” Ellie trailed off abruptly. Yeah, let’s not finish that sentence.<br/><br/>It was equally frustrating to hear him try to excuse her behavior. She might have agreed with him if he said they were kids, but instead he made it seem like something almost admirable. She might have argued with him, if he wasn’t him… “Listen,” Ellie sighed, steeling herself over for what was to come next. “You didn’t do<i>anything</i>to me.” Her stomach churn where she could firmly feel his foot twisting. “I was just a dumb kid.”<br/><br/>“I don’t know if you know this, but you were really pretty.” Ellie flashed him a sheepish smile, then busied herself with pulling her hair back behind her ears. “Still are.” She murmured, but didn’t stop to continue. “And I was really sensitive…”<i>Still am</i>. “So whenever I tried to talk to you or get you to play with me, I didn’t know…” She gestured sort of timidly. “I didn’t know you were<i>shy</i>.” Yeah, okay, that was the super understated version, but it felt wrong to make a big deal out of it. “I just thought you were a snob or that you thought I was stupid -- so I got hurt.” She grimaced. “And I didn’t know how to deal with that hurt. I just knew if I was quiet I got ignored, but if I was loud–”<br/><br/>She stopped and turned to face him, her hands coming out beside her. “Well, then I got noticed.” Just like at home. She was the third child by then, and her mother was typically falling over herself or falling asleep somewhere in the house at random. And with two wild big brothers that didn’t know the difference between having a conversation and throwing a fist to get what you wanted, Ellie had to be loud<i>a lot</i>to get any help. “So I was loud about it…” She swallowed, trying to dislodge the lump in her throat. His reliance on Felix was just another kick in the gut.<br/><br/>Robin might want to act like he could brush everything aside – and poorly at that – but<i>she</i>couldn’t. The past was important. The past was something she had a hard time letting go of. There were just too many things there that…<i>defined her</i>. And she didn’t want this to be one of them, anymore. “I’m sorry, Robin...” Her feet shuffled beneath her and she tugged at the sides of her jacket awkwardly. “I really am—” Ellie exhaled slowly, lifted her chin and made sure to look him straight in the eye this time. “<i>so, so </i>sorry.”<br/><br/>For a moment she nearly reached out to squeeze his hand, but she knew if she were in his position the last thing she would want a former antagonist to do was<i>touch her</i>. “You don’t have to reply.” She added with a sheepish smile and a touch of humor glowing in her eyes.<br/><br/>To punctuate that point, she moved onto the next topic just like he tried to lead to begin with. “But uh, yes. You could say that I have some interest in science.” She peered toward the sky shyly. “I’m sure you remember the two or three times I got to come along with your family when you guys went camping, or whenever I’d spent the night at your house – but Felicia– er, Felix…?” She trailed off, her brows furrowed. She still wasn’t exactly sure how to go about the whole Felicia/Felix thing. Was she supposed to refer to Felicia from the past as Felix too? Would that upset Felix? “Uh, but um,<i>we</i>used to spend a lot of time with her–his…” She fumbled yet again, and this time she was starting to grow rather red for it.  “<i>Telescope.</i>”<br/><br/>Ugh, she was starting to feel like a real dunce.<br/><br/>“Anyways, I really love science. Especially astronomy.” She popped a single finger up toward the sky. “I actually won my trip here in the county science fair.” And with that she actually genuinely smiled with pride. After all, she felt like she had come a long way from the little girl they used to make stand before the class, stumbling through every single word at a snail's pace with tears glistening in her eyes.<br/><br/>“Come to think of it,” Ellie blinked, now that she had a chance to use her head. “Did you guys move? You’re pretty far from California, and I’m sure they have much better camps there than this one…” It was actually a little bewildering. “Or did your parents get hit with all the economy collapsing or something?” And his parents actually had to send them to some normie camp or something? Because as far as Ellie remembered -- at least in her understanding at the time -- they were rich.<br/>