Mari is still trying to understand these strange emotions she’s been sensing, but that needs to be put on hold for now. Cassandra is upset, and that takes priority over everything else.
“Cass, did something happen?” she asks, squatting down to get closer to eye level with her wheelchair bound friend.
“Sorry… it’s just so… loud… bright… Can’t… Marielle…” Cassandra starts curling up in her chair a bit, her eyes shut tight. She’s clearly overwhelmed, this trip was too much for her. Mari absolutely hates seeing her like this, and she needs to do something right away.
“Don’t worry, I’ll get you home.” The distraught Mari wheels her behind a large tree so she can jump them both back to Cassandra’s house. She’s about to cast the spell when she remembers what happened on the way here, so she decides to go for a slightly different approach, as she’s not sure she’d be able to take both her and the wheelchair that distance a second time today.
“I’m going to pick you up for a second, okay Cass?” Mari puts her arms under her friend and lifts her into a cradle carry. This is something she’s done countless times in the past when helping to take care of Cassandra, particularly when lifting her into or out of her wheelchair when she’s in no condition to do so herself, although this time her frail grip around Mari’s body is noticeably tighter than usual.
Cassandra’s eyes remained closed the whole time, so it was a bit of a surprise when all the overstimulating sensations suddenly stopped, and only a few moments later she was being lowered onto a comfortable, soft, familiar surface. She slowly opens her eyes to see that she’s back in her room, and Mari is right next to her with a clear look of concern on her face.
“I’ll be back in a couple of seconds Cass, just wait there.” Mari blinks out of existence, which is mildly shocking to Cassandra, as this is her first time actually seeing the spell in action, but true to her word she returned moments later, leaning on the wheelchair she brought with her.
She then directs her attention to Cassandra, spending the next few minutes doing what she can to help her friend calm down. Mari didn’t collapse this time, but it’s clear that the multiple trips to get everything home took a lot out of her, even if the lighter load made it more manageable. Her breathing is heavy, her compromised lungs struggling to keep up with how much she’s exerted herself today, and she can’t speak for too long without needing to take a breath. Despite all of that, she stays by her friend’s side, helping her get comfortable on the bed and making sure she’s okay before even beginning to think about herself.
After a while Cassandra is finally able to calm down, and Mari briefly steps out of the bedroom to let her parents know they’re back, and inform them about the panic attack. They’ll go check on her themselves later, but they both trust Mari to take care of her, she’s helped Cassandra through her illness just as long as they have, and they know how much she appreciates having her around. Mari left out the part about jumping to the park, she hasn’t actually told them she can use magic to teleport, but this isn’t the first time she’s entered or exited the house without using the door, so they already have some suspicions.
Mari returns to the bedroom to see Cassandra smiling wearily, she’s managed to get into her pyjamas and under the covers while Mari was in the other room, but fatigue has set in for the girl now that the adrenaline has worn off. She likely won’t be able to stay awake for much longer, but it doesn’t seem like she’s ready to sleep just yet.
“Hey, how are you feeling?” Mari asks as she sits on the chair next to the bed.
“Mmm… Better now. I’m glad to be home.”
“Cassandra, I’m really sorry about all of that. I thought it would be a good idea to hang out at the park, just like the old days, I didn’t know that… that you… I just wanted to-” Mari’s emotions start to get the better of her, but she’s pulled out of it by Cassandra’s hand touching her own. Mari looks over to see a heart-meltingly soft smile on her face.
“It’s okay, Marielle. You couldn’t have known I’d have such a rough time, it wasn’t your fault.”
“I know, it’s just… I-I wanted to do something nice for you… a-and I worked… really hard to make it happen… a-and… and then…” It’s too much for Mari. The tears have started flowing, and any further attempts at words turn into sobs. All she ever wanted was to repay the kindness of her friend who had done so much for her, who meant the world to her, and all she ended up doing was giving her a panic attack. Even if this outcome was something she could never have predicted, she can’t help but feel incredibly disappointed in herself for not doing better.
“Hey, come here.” Cassandra holds her arms out, and Mari slowly climbs onto the bed to meet her. Even in her current state she’s careful to not move too fast, lest she hurt the much smaller, much weaker girl. Cassandra holds her as tight as her thin arms allow.
“It really was a great idea, Marielle. I’d missed going to that park with you so much, thank you so much for going through all that effort to get me there. Even if it didn’t turn out how you wanted, I’m glad we gave it a shot. I guess I just have to accept that I’ve been stuck inside for so long that… there’s no longer a place for me in that world. I’m too used to the peace and quiet these days.” There’s a hint of sadness in her words, but it feels like she’s accepting something she’s known for a long time, and just hadn’t admitted out loud.
“And look, all that work you did doesn’t have to be for nothing, either. I’m not sure where we could go, but maybe we could try somewhere quiet instead. There’s always next time, Marielle.”
Cassandra’s suggestion helps her calm down a bit, even if their days of enjoying lemonade popsicles in the sun are long gone, that doesn’t mean they can’t still hang out. “T-That’s… A good idea… C-Cass…”
“I really appreciate how you’ve always done a great job of taking care of me since this all began. You’ve been doing a great job, okay? It can be hard to take care of someone as useless as me, but I’ve seen how much work you put into it, and I know how much it hurts you when things don’t go how you planned.”
It doesn’t happen often, but there are times like this where the old Cassandra comes out, even if just a bit, to comfort her friend. Mari always feels a bit guilty when it happens, as she wants to be strong for her, but it’s a nice reminder that she’ll always be there to support her through tough times, just like she always has been ever since they were young.
“Marielle, remember when you were at my old place when we were kids, and you wanted to make cookies for me? They didn’t cook all the way through because you used too much butter, and you ended up crying about it for over an hour.”
Mari’s sobs are broken by a soft chuckle, and she notices that those disconnected feelings seemed to have gone away at some point after bringing Cassandra home. “I guess I’ve always been a bit of a crybaby, huh?”
“You’ve always had a big heart, and you’ve always cared about the things that are important to you.” Cassandra leans back a bit, resting her head on her pillow as the exhaustion finally gets to her, and she starts falling asleep with her friend in her arms.
“You’ve always been Marielle.”
