<Begin Recording at: 07:43PM>

Date: 04/04/37
Location: Apartment Zimals, first floor, apartment four. Level 11.
Involved individuals: Esther Hanks, Magnus Grand.

[In the later hours of Level 11's "evening", the apartment complex was empty, aside from a few people walking home from their weekend shifts that were not important enough to trigger full surveillance. When almost the entire complex was empty, however, an individual carefully made their way down the hall and towards apartment four. He stopped at the door, took his hands out of his pockets, fixed up his hair and gave a set of three knocks at the door. After getting nothing but silence, he swung on his heels momentarily before giving a second set of hastier knocks.]

Magnus Grand: Hello? Esther? Are you in?

[After speaking, Magnus only got more silence in reply. However, it didn't seem to phase him, as he quickly gave a third set of knocks. This time, the door began to swing inward slowly, and a pale head poked itself out. Though looking normal for the most part, the woman behind the door had large and heavy bags under her eyes, with hair that looked clean. However, it looked barely styled and poorly brushed. She also wore what looked to be a thin dressing gown with a vest and jogging bottoms underneath that. Though she was nothing but confused to see the man on the other side of the door, her expression changed from being confused that someone was at her door at all, to being confused as to why this person specifically was at her door.]

Esther Hanks: …Magnus? Wh-What are you doing here? I'm… this isn't a good time.

Magnus Grand: Is it not? I… I waited a week like you asked?

Esther Hanks: Did I ask that?

Magnus Grand: Yeah? Last Saturday, you said to wait a week before messaging you. I already messaged you, so I figured I'd make my way over?

Esther Hanks: Don't you live in 209? How long did it take you to reach me?

Magnus Grand: I started to make my way over quick when you didn't reply, I got worried..

Esther Hanks: Dude, why do you think I didn't reply…?

Magnus Grand: Because of your mom, I'm assuming?

[Esther stared blankly at Magnus, completely unsure on how to respond to their reply. Her head lowered after a while, and she pinched the bridge of her nose with a low, huffing sigh.]

Esther Hanks: What was it you came here for…?

Magnus Grand: I wanted to check up on you, Esther? I wanted to make sure you were okay with everything going on. I got a few snacks?

[Magnus fits his hand back into his pocket, rummaging in it for a moment before pulling out a small pocket, smiling as he presented it. Esther looked at it with a tired glance before shrugging and shuffling backwards to open the door more.]

Esther Hanks: R-Right, um… Yeah, okay, come on in. Ignore the mess.

[Keeping the door held open, Esther allowed Magnus to stride in, smiling to her pretty jovially as he set down the pocket on the table by the sofa, which was just beside the door. Without being asked, he made his way to the sofa and sat down, resting his arms on his open legs]

Esther Hanks: Do you want, like, a tea or something?

Magnus Grand: Oh, no, I'm okay. Thanks though? You can make one for yourself if you wanted one?

Esther Hanks: Uh, yeah, I probably will…

[Esther made her way to the kitchen that was conjoined to the living room, washing up a single mug from a large stack of dirty ones whilst setting on the electric kettle. By the time she'd found the milk and a teabag, the kettle had finished, and she poured herself the tea, leaning on the countertop as she took a sip of it.]

Esther Hanks: S-So… You just wanted to check up on me, right?

Magnus Grand: Uh, yeah, basically? Um… I imagine things haven't been great?

Esther Hanks: Oh yeah? What gave that away, huh?

Magnus Grand: Oh, sorry. That's an obvious sentence, I-

Esther Hanks: Don't- Don't apologise, my fault… It's just hard to switch between 'speaking to aggressive news-people and taxmen' tone and 'speaking to my friend' tone. I… I hope you get what I mean.

Magnus Grand: Totally, I do. Hey, you're getting better at it than you were a week ago?

Esther Hanks: Ugh, yeah… Shit, sorry for shouting at you back then, too.

Magnus Grand: It's no problem, I'm not gonna blame you for it. Your mom died, you're gonna be emotional. Everyone would be.

Esther Hanks: And I assume you were? Your mom's dead, right?

Magnus Grand: Yeah, uh, she is. It was during the 13.1 stuff, um… I suppose it was unavoidable. I was pretty young too, I don't think I fully understood the concept of her being dead until later.

Esther Hanks: You would've been… what, five years old?

Magnus Grand: I was, yeah. I don't think a child who's just developing long-term memory understands the idea of death?

Esther Hanks: Well, uh… heh, I did. My biological parents passed at the same time, same event.

Magnus Grand: …Somalia wasn't your real mom?

[After Magnus asked his question, Esther shot him a slightly confused look. She removed her weight from the countertop, and moved to sit next to him, keeping the tea on her lap.]

Esther Hanks: Well, Magnus she is… was my 'real' mom. I barely remember my actual parents. If it wasn't for the fact Somalia and Jason taught me their past, I wouldn't even know what group they came from before the big merging?

Magnus Grand: You know what I mean though, right? I didn't know you were, um, adopted?

Esther Hanks: Of course I am! Me and my sister both are. Somalia was black, Jason's pretty tan, and I'm about as pale as you can get without looking like a vampire.

Magnus Grand: I just never thought about it too much, um… Do you mourn your act- biological parents?

Esther Hanks: I mourn them about as much as you mourn your mom, I guess? I was a year younger than you when it happened, Somalia's death hit more because she's, to me, the only mom I've ever had. She's the only one I remember, at least.

Magnus Grand: Huh…

Esther Hanks: Please don't tell me you're weirded out by the idea of me being adopted of all things, it's not an uncommon thing. There's an orphanage, like, 4 blocks away.

Magnus Grand: No, no! I'm not weirded out by that? I'm not weirded out by any of it. I don't think.

Esther Hanks: Dude.

Magnus Grand: Sorry, sorry, I'll put a pin in that… It doesn't matter. Your feelings matter the most, and right now you're sad. Do you want to talk about it, or… watch something? I got food either way.

Esther Hanks: You know what? I've had to talk about my mom all fucking week… Can I ignore all that for a few hours and watch something with you?

Magnus Grand: Absolutely! I didn't suggest the idea for nothing? You can pick what goes on, consider it your night.

Esther Hanks: Uh… Yeah, alright, why not? Give me a sec to find the remote. This house was one that was provided to me, I don't know where anything is.

Magnus Grand: Go ahead! Gives me time to get the food out.

[Esther gave an endearing smile to Magnus, getting up off the couch and beginning to look around the small living room for the remote, checking the sparsely populated bookshelves around the room first. While she did so, Magnus picked up his pocket again, retrieving from it a few packets of chips and some candy packets as well. The rustling momentarily made Esther turn her head and look, but her attention went back to hunting for the remote afterwards. By the time Esther had found it and returned to sit, Magnus had laid out the snacks at the coffee table in front of them both, even dragging it forward with his foot]

Esther Hanks: You bought an awful lot… On such short notice, too. Isn't the shop around the corner closed on weekends?

Magnus Grand: It is, yeah. A lot of places around here are. I followed a safe route to a shop an extra block out.

Esther Hanks: You really didn't have to do that…

Magnus Grand: Of course I did, you're feeling like hell. I wanted to make you feel better. Even if just for a day.

Esther Hanks: Do you have anywhere to stay?

Magnus Grand: Heh, nah, I don't. My closest acquaintance in 11 is a good two-hour walk away and outside the Capital. It's fine, I'll make my way back to 209, it's easy enough.

Esther Hanks: No, no. Stay here, alright? This place is tiny, it's got no spare room, but the couch is pretty comfortable. I mean, we're on it, you can tell it is. It's not the best, but it'll work for a night?

Magnus Grand: I'll take it? It's a free bed, 'course I'll take it. Thanks, Esther.

Esther Hanks: No need… It's the least I could do for how much you've gone out of your way for me.

[Magnus smiled back and watched as Esther pulled a blanket from the top of the couch cushions and put it over herself, turning the TV on with the remote underneath it. While Magnus opened up the packets of what he had brought to Esther's temporary flat, Esther herself accessed the Reformatted GPD's film archives, opting to put on a relatively recent remake of a Disney movie that had been pulled from the various Frontrooms internets.]

Magnus Grand: Do you like these sorta films?

Esther Hanks: Yeah! I-I know it's a shitty remake, but they make me feel good. My mom watched them a lot with me, and I watched them a lot with her wh-when um, y'know, when she got older and ill.

Magnus Grand: Did she ever see this one?

Esther Hanks: Um, no, no she didn't. Not like she would've remembered it either way. I wanna watch it for her sake.

Magnus Grand: Well, hey. That's what we'll do.

[Esther thanked Magnus, raising up her knees and resting her feet on the edge of the couch as the titles and company names for the film passed by. Magnus reached to his right and turned off the living room lights, with the kitchen lights following suit not long afterwards automatically.]

<Begin Recording at: 08:50PM>

Date: 04/04/37
Location: Apartment Zimals, first floor, apartment four. Level 11.
Involved individuals: Esther Hanks, Magnus Grand.

[About half an hour into the film, the pair were silent, completely engrossed in the antics of the characters within it. Esther was clearly enjoying it the most, and Magnus was at least liking having something to watch as the minutes ticked by. During a more quiet moment of the film, he had begun giving little side eyed glances at Esther, who seemed totally engrossed in the film's dialogue. Some snacks in-hand, he began to scoot sideways to Esther, sitting almost directly besides her.]

Esther Hanks: Um, are you alright, Magnus?

Magnus Grand: Yeah? I was just wondering if I could share the blanket with you? I'm feeling a bit of a chill.

Esther Hanks: Oh, sure! You could've just said so.

[With a look of endearment, Esther raised her right arm and allowed for Magnus to slip inside, which he did so. He still stuck close to Esther out of necessity, since the blanket was too small for them to share it with too much distance between them. Esther seemed to angle her shoulder down and to the side to make sure Magnus didn't get too close to her, to which he seemed completely oblivious to.]

Esther Hanks: Are you comfortable?

Magnus Grand: Yeah! You enjoying the film so far?

Esther Hanks: Definitely, yeah. It's pretty mindless, but it brings back good memories. My mom would've loved it.

Magnus Grand: From how you described her, I bet she would've.

[Esther chuckled at Magnus' comment, sighing and resting herself further back into the sofa and refocusing back onto the movie, getting back into the plot. Once the pair were both refocused on the scene, Magnus slowly and subtly put his arm around Esther's waist. At first, it didn't seem as though Esther knew what was going on, but her spine suddenly shot up straight and her arms locked in place once she realised what Magnus was doing.]

Esther Hanks: Magnus? What are you doing-?

Magnus Grand: Huh? Oh, well… I-I figured the mood was right?

Esther Hanks: I… Why do you think that?

Magnus Grand: Because we've got the lights off, the curtains drawn, we've got snacks and watching a film together? And you were feeling sad, but I made you feel a bit better? I… I figured I was doing something right?

[Esther stared at Magnus confusedly, shifting herself forward and pulling Magnus' arm from her back.]

Esther Hanks: Magnus, I don't see you that way. And on the chance I did, now is not the time for a relationship, I'm not in the headspace for that.

Magnus Grand: It doesn't have to be a relationship, like… A proper one. I-I can just try to make you feel better a little bit more, just for a few minutes?

Esther Hanks: I- Magnus what the fuck.

[Esther gave a quick huff, reaching for the remote and pausing the film, standing up and letting the blanket they were previously sharing fall to the floor.]

Esther Hanks: I… please tell me you were joking. You can't really think this is the time for that?? My mom died last week, and- and this is what you try to pull??

Magnus Grand: I figured you'd want it? You were being nice to me, we were watching a film and generally having a good time?

Esther Hanks: We're friends, Magnus, I-I don't think I've ever seen you that way, not for a relationship and- and definitely not for a…

Magnus Grand: R-Right… sorry. I sorta saw it coming, i-it was a shot in the dark. You did always seem a little different from other girls when we were kids, I suppose I should've seen it coming you wouldn't be into me.

Esther Hanks: Magnus, I'm not- oh my god.

[Esther sighed, a wobbly frown forming gradually on her face. She leaned her head into one of her fingers, wiping her eye of a tear and crossing her arms afterwards.]

Esther Hanks: I'm… I'm overreacting, I-I've been doing that a lot. Please, um, enjoy the rest of the film if you want. I think I'm going to go to bed, Magnus.

Magnus Grand: Sleep well, okay?

Esther Hanks: Yeah, I will, I will. Goodnight, Magnus.

Magnus Grand: Yeah… goodnight, Esther.

[Esther nodded, sniffling as she turned and paced briskly to her room, closing the door behind herself as quickly as she opened it. Magnus watched, a look of confusion painted across his face. He picked up the blanket, took his shirt off, and laid down across the couch to sleep, turning the television off before doing so.]