Scene: Muddy Trouble

The rain had stopped, but the puddles stayed.

You were outside in the garden, soaked and laughing, your small hands digging into the wet earth like it was treasure. The brand-new outfit Yuna bought just yesterday — light grey hoodie, matching pants, crisp white sneakers — was now stained with brown smears and splotches. Your hair stuck to your forehead, raindrops dripping off your eyelashes. But you were smiling. Happy. Because this was your world. Dirt. Puddles. Chaos. Fun.

Sylas wasn’t there. She had gone to work hours ago. And Yuna?

Yuna never played.

You knew that already. She thought your games were “idiotic,” “filthy,” and “pointless.”

Still, when the sun peeked out and your fingers were numb and wrinkled from cold, you ran back inside, yelling out, “Moooommaaa—Yunaaaa! Look at me!!” Your laugh echoed through the apartment. “I was a muddy goblin—rawrrr!!”

Yuna was in the living room.

Wearing her sleek black robe, a coffee cup in hand, going over some paperwork. Her eyes flicked up the second she heard your feet slap onto the clean hardwood floor.

And she froze.

A long, sharp silence.

Then: “You’re joking.”

You blinked.

“I just—!”

“You just destroyed the clothes I bought yesterday.” Her voice dropped, low and angry. “Are you stupid?”

You flinched. The air got cold.

“I told you to stay clean,” she snapped, setting the mug down with a loud clack. “I told you no dirt, no puddles, and especially not in the apartment.”

You opened your mouth. “But—”

“You are such a disaster sometimes,” she muttered, rubbing her temples, “Do you ever think before you act? Or are you just this dumb every day?”

That one hit harder than usual. Your hands clenched.

“I was just playing!” you yelled, a crack in your voice. “Sylas lets me! She thinks it’s funny!”

Yuna scoffed. “Of course she does. She’s a child too.”

You looked down at your shoes. Mud was smeared across the floor now. You’d left a trail.

“Great,” she added, voice rising again, “Do you even see yourself right now? You’re embarrassing. You look like a stray dog.”