[hr][h1][color=#000000]A[/color][color=#171502]c[/color][color=#2E2A04]t[/color] [color=#5C5409]O[/color][color=#73690B]n[/color][color=#8B7E0D]e[/color][color=#A2930F]-[/color][color=#B9A812]Th[/color][color=#D0BD14]r[/color][color=#E7D216]ee[/color][/h1][hr][right][code]Sabrina's House[/code][/right]
After the chaotic events of yesterday, they decided to have a more ‘relaxed’ morning on Thursday.

At least, it probably was for Casey. For Trisha, a relaxed morning was waking up midday and [i]maybe[/i] rolling out of bed after another hour on her phone. But Casey woke up at five on the dot, and there wasn’t exactly anywhere to comfortably go in her place. Him waking up and moving about meant the [i]bees[/i] woke up. While Trisha could sleep through someone moving next to her relatively easily, the thousands of pheromones bombarding her was a whole different story. 

As were the fuzzy bodies of a couple of bees that had buzzed over to her and landed on her face, tickling her with their little feet in an attempt to get her up. As if they actually [i]needed[/i] anything from her. She couldn’t wait to sleep in a completely different place from them. 

With a grumble, Trisha raised a hand to wave away the bees, lazily leaking pheromone at them to go away. After a little more pattering over her forehead to make sure she couldn’t just go back to sleep, they flew back to the loud hive. The window had been left open all night, with bees occasionally going in and out on strange protective patrols around the house or in search of any still alive flowers at this time of year. Normally she had to bundle on blankets to not get cold at night… but it hadn’t been necessary with Casey there.

But somehow during the night she’d rolled herself in the duvet, facing over the edge of the bed with only the top half of her head poking out. It was a bit stifling now that she was awake… with another grumble she started the process of wriggling herself out of the duvet, managing to free her arms from where she’d managed to get them [i]trapped[/i] in a tight blanket burrito. 

As she wriggled herself out, Trisha also turned around to face Casey - who’d taken the side by the wall. Her long, dark hair spilled across the pillows and the oversized t-shirt she’d worn slipped off a slender shoulder as she propped herself up slightly on one elbow.

[color=d1b300]“Mornin’,”[/color] Trisha smiled sleepily at him, eyes still half closed. [color=d1b300]“You sleep well? I’m going to have to get up soon to check what the bees want… they’ve decided I need to be awake… maybe I can make us some breakfast too. I’m sure we’ve got something in the kitchen…”[/color]  
She spoke slowly, clearly still in the process of waking up, but no longer tired enough to go back to snoozing. There was a lot to do today anyway - packing up her stuff, and moving in.

Casey was thinking about the blanket set they’d gotten for their bed, wondering how he’d be able to do it at night. There was nothing that said they couldn’t have separate blankets, but he felt somehow wrong about that. But he was [i]sweating[/i] when he woke up at his usual time. Maybe it was the heater underneath the wall side of the bed, or maybe it was the thickness of her current set, but he laid there in an uncomfortable silence as he rotated onto his back. 

As Trisha was waking, she was still laying on top of his arm. He just stared up at the ceiling.
[color=577d06][i]I was having a nightmare… I can’t remember what it was, but I’m sweating… I’m hot. The windows are open...[/i][/color]
He took a deep breath, and one of the bees bumbled up around his face before landing on his forehead. Not that he wasn’t nervous, but it was definitely still in the back of his mind after the other day.

But, there she was. She hadn’t left him in the bed to fend for himself… Or to deal with [i]that woman[/i]. She was emerging from her cushy cocoon like an adorable little moth. Seeing her made him feel excited immediately, and he happily shifted back to his side to pull her in close with the blanket and all. 

It would’ve been pretty easy to see his vaguely wet face shimmering in the low light coming from the vague low light bouncing about the room. But he quickly buried it in the duvet as he cuddled Trisha.
[color=577d06]”It’s a great fuckin’ morning seeing your face… Hi. Don’t make me go out there, she could be out there seeking revenge.”[/color] he joked.

[color=d1b300]“If she is, I’ll get rid of her myself,”[/color] Trisha laughed, wrapping her arms around him and melting into the hug. Remembering yesterday made her properly wake up… Dealing with Tansy was something she hated doing on the best of days, nevermind after already suffering through both Casey’s family [i]and[/i] former coven members. There was a reason she was Trisha’s second least favourite sibling. 
[color=d1b300]“Don’t worry, I’ll go out first to make sure the coast is clear… We were just really unlucky yesterday. Normally she’s too busy to torment me. But I’m not in a rush to get up.”[/color] 

She yawned, wriggling out of the duvet more so she could properly cuddle him, not particularly caring about the slight dampness from his sweat. She could shower. 
[color=d1b300]“But now you know why my family isn’t so easy to deal with either… Mom's side’s no better. Thankfully most of them live in a different country.”[/color] 
She didn’t really want to be thinking about her mom this early in the morning (or at all), so she changed the subject, tilting her head to try and properly look at him. [color=d1b300]“Sooo… do we get to move in today?”[/color]

Casey nodded and smiled.
[color=577d06]”Well, frankly we’ll just be doing some pretty minimal direction. Theo and Norm are the ones actually moving all the furniture up the building, but the delivery gets there at eleven. We should probably try and be there early to meet Clarissa and Furio, have him give me the keys and confirm things. Once it’s taken care of though, I was thinking about taping some lines down in the place so they know where to put stuff.”[/color]

Having stuffed his face into the blanket, it was mostly dry now. He giggled.
[color=577d06]”You’re lucky. I was having a nightmare I think, but I wasn’t really seeing it. I didn’t scream or anything. One of the bees came to comfort me as I woke up.”[/color]
Casey’s arms slipped up, wrapping around her as opposed to the blanket, and he pulled Trisha in as tight as he could.
[color=577d06]”You like pineapple pizza because it’s too sweet and so are you.”[/color]

He was right in a way. She was like pineapple, at least - sweet at first bite, until it felt like it was burning your mouth. 
[color=d1b300]“I could never figure out why I had such a sweet tooth… I guess that’s it,”[/color] Trisha smiled, putting aside the doubtful thoughts clamouring inside her mind. She shifted slightly so she could curl her head in against his neck, properly kicking off the blanket so her legs could tangle with his instead. It was so much easier to ignore all those nagging worries when cuddling like this. It felt safe and comfortable.

[color=d1b300]“And even if you’d screamed, it would’ve been fine. I said I’d be able to handle it… and the bees already are. They’re good like that.”[/color] She was glad that after the incident where she’d lost control he hadn’t held it against her or the bees, and they’d easily warmed up to him too. When she liked someone, they tended to, but there was only one other person they would also actively seek out that wasn’t her. 
[color=d1b300]“I have plenty of socks I can stuff your mouth with,”[/color] she joked, giggling. She didn’t entirely know how she’d handle something like that but she’d deal with it when it happened. She’d seen people pulled out of Stygian Snake induced illusions, but very few of them were people she actually cared about.

Not something to worry about too much just now.
[color=d1b300]“What time is it just now? I need to finish packing… along with getting ready, it’ll probably take me a couple of hours? Since I need to decide what I’m bringing and leaving.”[/color]

[color=577d06]”Oh, it’s…-”[/color]
Casey craned his neck to look out the window at the very slowly greying dawn sky.
[color=577d06]”-Just after five thirty? You took a little bit to really wake up. I didn’t wanna move.”[/color] 
But he held her tighter, rather than encouraging her movement.
[color=577d06]”You’ve truly messed up now. I’ve got you in a lock. I’m never gonna let go; we’re gonna meld together into one person. I’m actually an amoeba monster. Raaaaah…”[/color]

His dry voice and almost effortless movements as he locked her legs in between his were an attempt at humor in such an early morning setting.
[color=577d06]”And the sock thing is kinda kinky. Unless it’s not?”[/color] he grinned.

[color=d1b300]“Mmm, nothing sexier than waking up to a sock shoved in your mouth,”[/color] Trisha laughed, making a half assed effort to wriggle away from him without actually wanting to. She was more than happy, and comfortable, with this closeness. [color=d1b300]“I keep a used pair by the bed, just in case.”[/color]

She managed to pull back her head and stretch her neck so that her face was more in front of his. She darted in for a quick peck on his lips, before smiling sweetly at him.
[color=d1b300]“I don’t mind kissing an amoeba monster, but I’m not so fond of the taste of old socks…”[/color]
Trisha moved back in, kissing him again. It wasn’t as quick this time, she drew it out while keeping it shallow. She didn't want to push him when he wasn’t as experienced… and she was fine with taking it slow. It was better than risking getting rejected. 

In his own head, Casey wasn’t exactly sure how far one was expected to go at this point. She was kissing him, sure, but she initiated it. Was it okay to just [i]move forward[/i] when it’d only been a couple times now? It was more than he’d ever gotten, or at least wanted to get. Lena was the only person who had ever [i]tried[/i] to kiss him. 
At that point, it just put him off more than it turned him on; practically zero prompting. As if she’d just throw herself at him and he’d accept or even know how to handle a thing like that. 

But getting lost meant the hands started to do what they wanted. Not much more than before, but he gently pulled at the back of her shirt, letting his fingers run across her bare lower back as they sat there pleasantly attempting to prove Casey’s amoebism correct. By the time they pulled away, he was sad to have it go. The moment of intimacy.

[color=577d06]”That… Is really nice. Watching a thousand movies where the good guy gets the girl and they kiss in the end… That’s [i]really[/i] kinky, isn’t it? Good endings?”[/color]
He grinned at her in the low light, just staring into her eyes.
[color=577d06]”Ours will be good too… Sixty years from now, when we take the last elevator. We’ll be at peace.”[/color]

[color=d1b300]“I hope so,”[/color] Trisha said quietly, lips still close enough to his that he’d be able to feel her soft exhale afterwards. She did… Even if she’d never really thought that far. To getting old, or even towards the next few years. She’d wandered aimlessly, flitting through academia without a goal, from person to person in the hope that they’d be the one that didn’t leave her. Maybe- hopefully- that would be Casey. It certainly felt like it could be.

But was she just like her mom? Moving too quickly, only for it to all crumble underneath her in a matter of years?
No, she didn’t want to think about that right now. Just enjoy the moment. 
[color=d1b300]“But-”[/color] she stole another quick kiss, hands moving up his back and lightly pressing against it. [color=d1b300]“I think we have [i]very[/i] different views of what’s kinky. Good endings are… well I don’t know. A dream? But if you find it kinky, things will be interesting for whatever's on the other side.”[/color]

She giggled a little at that, lips curving up into a soft smile, corners of her eyes creasing and tone turning more teasing. 
[color=d1b300]“Socks and good endings… You’re lucky I’m so easygoing.”[/color]

His grin was full of pale teeth, one vaguely shining as the metal cap became clearer in the wideness. His arms slid her gently so they were at eye level without Trisha craning her neck. His lips wrapped slowly around to whisper in her ear.
[color=577d06]”You can teach me about kinky then… Teach me everything, my Queen Bee…”[/color]

A light shiver ran down Trisha’s spine and she smiled, eyes narrowing contentedly. It was… nice to hear. It meant that he [i]was[/i] attracted to her and she could, slowly, teach him what she liked. She hadn’t had that opportunity before…
[color=d1b300]“Mm, alright… You’re also lucky that I’m a good teacher. You’ll be an expert by the time I’m done.”[/color] 

Then she tilted her head, and leaned in to kiss him again.

[hr]

In the end, it didn’t take Trisha as long as she’d expected to finish packing… thankfully, since they stayed in bed longer than she’d expected to. She was practically glowing afterwards as she went about gathering her things. She decided to leave at least a week's worth of clothes here, just in case, and the old mathematics textbooks along with a bunch of the other books she’d either already read or wasn’t likely to. It’d be an unnecessary weight. The rest of her clothes were neatly folded into boxes, her makeup properly gathered and shoved in along with it. Books went in their own box, picture frames carefully laid on top of her coats. Her desktop and screens could be carried out themselves. By the end of it there was a reasonable pile of boxes, and a few suitcases… But between their cars it should fit.

She needed to move hers over to their place anyway.

It just left the bees to deal with. She looked at the wooden hive with a slight frown, hands on her hips. After getting out of bed she showered and got changed, opting for a more comfortable combination of dark green cargo pants and a white tank top with a sweater over the top for warmth. A small group of bees gathered in the messy bun at the top of her head as she tried to figure out what to do about them. Brows furrowed, she turned to Casey.

[color=d1b300]“I’ll need to order some new hives for our place. Moving this one will be too much of a hassle… I think I’ll leave them here for just now, until I get those. Then I’ll have to slowly move the bees over. They might take to the new ones right away, they might not. Yeah, I think that’s the best way to do it…”[/color] She nodded, looking at him like she was waiting for him to confirm that it was a good idea.

Casey had, after the most enjoyable extracurricular study session of his life, was at a bit of a loss. He was using his magic to keep his mind off the fact that he was on cloud nine, balancing a dozen boxes magnetised to his hands as he shuffled through the tall hallways of Trisha’s sisters’ home. When she started speaking to him, he barely realized were it not for the words “hive” and “order”.

[color=577d06]”Those should be getting here today too… Part of the agreement is you get into production immediately, so I’m pretty sure they’re going to be doing something crazy with the greenhouse? Mom said something about letting the student adepts test out a new group ritual to give you extra space for production, so Ginara will also probably be there with a whole bunch of teens. I’d like to be working while they’re doing their business, Gin kind of gives me the creeps.”[/color] he explained, shrugging his shoulders with some boxes.

[color=d1b300]“Oh, shit, really?”[/color] Trisha’s eyes widened slightly, and went back towards the loudly buzzing hive. That meant she had to try to bring the bees too. Of course, they could take themselves but… a whole group of bees was just a sitting target for the strangely increasing crow population. She’d rather take them with her. They’d just have to go in her car… maybe if she ordered them into boxes, and poked holes in them? No, she couldn’t do that. She should be able to get them to not bother her during the drive. 
[color=d1b300]“Your mom… does she know that honey season ended over a month ago? Even if there’s a flower-filled greenhouse, they normally rest over winter and only produce what they need to eat.”[/color] 

She shook her head, taking a slow, calming breath.
[color=d1b300]“Sorry, that’s not something you decided. I’ll make it work. Apart from the bees, I’m all packed…”[/color] She smiled, pushing down the bubbling anxiety. It was just moving nerves! And the prospect of dealing with magical teenagers and others she didn’t know… but it’d be fine. It’d be fine. Before sorting out the bees, she quickly stepped over to Casey, pushing up onto her tiptoes to press a kiss against his cheek. [color=d1b300]“Thank you for doing all the heavy lifting, [i]boyfriend[/i].”[/color] 

With a grin, she went back over to the hive. She closed her eyes, collecting her thoughts before carefully sending out pheromonal commands. Controlling a large group was more difficult, especially the whole hive, but it was possible as long as the instructions were simple. [color=d1b300]Follow me.[/color] An easy one, and her mind was relatively clear and her mood still good from earlier that morning. There was a loud buzzing, and a stream of bees began to come out of the hive. Some landed on her, while others flew around her head, and some hovered in a cloud just in front of her. So far so good.
[color=d1b300]“So. How many bees are you taking in your car?”[/color] she joked.

Casey laughed at both her joke and the question from before about the honey season. Of course she knew… Maybe Trisha didn’t really understand what a “Ritual” and “Something Crazy” really meant for a Greenhouse. Rather than press things, Casey giggled to himself and nodded along.

[color=577d06]”Oh, I’ll take them all if you want me to. But I think they’d maybe fuck me up if you’re too far away, wouldn’t they? Like I’m kidnapping them?”[/color] he asked with a laugh.
His head was still fuzzy, but being called [i]Boyfriend[/i] really made him put some pep in his step as he made way with the last few things.

[hr]
[right][code]Cannery Apartments > Casey and Trisha's Home[/code][/right]

Trisha’s bees thankfully behaved the whole drive. She carefully stacked boxes in her car so they wouldn’t shift too much, putting the small plants she had in the front seat next to her. The bees settled all over - on the boxes, the backs of the seats, the dashboard, and the plants. A couple were still in her now loose her, and underneath her jacket… but thankfully they kept still. That had some amount of self preservation. 

It didn’t take too long either. She followed Casey’s car, thankful they’d managed to miss the morning rush hour traffic (just about), and in no time they were pulling into the building’s parking lot. She made sure to lower the windows slightly before turning off the ignition, twisting round in her seat to look at all the bees… well, as many as she could. 
[color=d1b300]“You all stay in here until your new home is ready, alright?”[/color] Of course they couldn’t speak, but the slight response she sensed as he gave them the instructions in a language they understood seemed to be agreement. Trying to sort everything out with sixty thousand bees clinging to her would be a nightmare.

Bees sorted, she got out of her car, a black Toyota Tercel. The least fucking cool car she could have, in her opinion. But it was what Ezra had given her when she’d bothered him to buy her one… not that he’d actually [i]bought[/i] it. But she couldn’t really argue when he’d said it was safe, even though she doubted he actually cared. It was so dependable that it’d lasted her nearly six years, and it wasn’t even first hand- the lack of hassle made up for the lameness… so long as certain people didn’t see her with it. Unfortunately, she didn’t have much of a choice with Casey. 
She walked round the front of it and craned her head up at the… pretty tall building, grimacing slightly. 
[color=d1b300]“Fuck, I [i]really[/i] hope there’s an elevator.”[/color] She spoke loud enough that Casey, and anyone waiting for them, would probably be able to hear her. A couple of bees lazily flew around her head.

Casey had been happy to get there so early. The bus wasn’t there yet, but pulling into the parking lot, he could see Furio and Clarissa’s cars, as well as the moving truck packed full of things.
As they both met up in the parking lot, he gave Trisha a laugh and pointed out toward the truck. It abutted the building, blocking a bit of the view toward the back of the building. There were guys wearing some funny looking contraptions on their legs, like they were bionic. But things became clearer as they twisted a few knobs and began to vertically scale the building as if it were some kind of flat surface.

They didn’t even slow down.
[color=577d06]”Don’t worry about carrying anything… But, yeah. Kind of. It goes to the top floor, and then there’s a set of stairs after that. But you’ve got a few perks. The guys?-”[/color] he said, pointing to the ones scaling the wall by walking like normal. [color=577d06]”-Theo and Norm. Technically my employees. Really, like our butlers. Not butlers, like… I don’t know. They help out, and they live here for free on the security floor. They’re supposed to be for my job specifically, but they clean for Clarissa and Furio when they get busy and can’t keep up, or like they bring the groceries upstairs for you. I’ll introduce you when we’re up there.”[/color]

He smiled widely, admiring the morning sunshine and rubbing Trisha’s shoulders to keep her warm.
[color=577d06]”Get prepped. Because it’s another round of introductions… It’ll get easier the more you do. This time, Furio? Clarissa’s husband. He was my Dad’s first student, and he’s been my Uncle forever. Technically he’s my Godfather. But, you’ll like him. He feels like how we feel, and if Clarissa did what I told her, he’ll act like he doesn’t even know you. Their Daughter probably, or she may be at a friend’s or over at the Temple, but she’s sweet.”[/color] he giggled, thinking about the bobbing golden hair she’d always had. Just like her Mom. Same attitude too.

[color=577d06]”Otherwise, like I said, Norm and Theo. Pretty down to Earth. Mostly happy to have stuff to do I think. They’re like how uh… Mia is. Except they’re older, so I think they’re not so… Addicted? To being addicted, I guess. But then Ginara maybe, if we can’t squirrel you away somewhere or if she’s not too wrapped up with her students. She’s not evil, she’ll just treat you like a lesson while you’re standing there, and I really hate feeling like I’m someone’s plastic skeleton.”[/color]

Of course they had some kind of magical building scaling device rather than just using the elevator like normal people. Trisha shouldn’t even be surprised, but she was. The whirlwind of names seemed like nothing compared to that. She already knew Clarissa, and she’d spoken about Furio a bit yesterday… Then the rest Casey had mentioned that morning. It made it possible to keep up. But it was still a lot to take in, and she just nodded along. People bringing up their groceries and possibly cleaning if they were busy sure did sound nice. 

[color=d1b300]“I hope she doesn’t, I’m not sure how well I can control them if that happens,”[/color] Trisha pointed back to her car, and the bees quite visibly crawling across the windows. It wasn’t so much a threat as it was honesty. She wasn’t sure what exactly being ‘treated like a lesson’ would look like, but she could imagine it. Not pleasant. 
[color=d1b300]“If we get caught by surprise I’ll just cling under your hoodie like a koala, and you can pretend you gained a ton of weight or something. I’m sure nobody will figure it out.”[/color]

That was a much funnier image, and she tilted her head back to smile at him. She raised a hand to rest over his where it was on her shoulder, lightly stroking it. 
[color=d1b300]“I think after yesterday I can handle any of the other introductions. I already went through the hardest, right? Aside from Ginara the rest sound… nice. So I think I can handle it.”[/color]
She turned around to properly look at him, smile widening and eyes taking on a teasing shine. [color=d1b300]“So long as you have my back and don’t get too distracted remembering this morning, yeah? Serious business from now on.”[/color]

[color=577d06]”Do I get a reward for being a good boy at the end?”[/color] he grinned, eyebrow rising high into the sky.
He laughed aloud, taking her up the side entrance of the building and into the main lobby. It wasn’t anything grand, there wasn’t a doorman or anything. Rather, it seemed like it was once a bar or restaurant turned into a common room where there were postage boxes, bulletin boards, and a bunch of places to sit that varied between private and open, as well as vending machines and a row of phones that didn’t seem connected to any sort of pay system.

On the back wall were two elevators, one closer to the entrance and one much further down near the end of the building. Really, it was like a little hotel, and one could imagine the massive saloon front down here sandwiched under layer upon layer of guest room and suite. 
Casey specifically went to the elevator further on down the hall.
[color=577d06]”This is the one with access to the top floor. The other one doesn’t go up all the way, and you’ll see why.”[/color]
The elevator doors opened, and he stepped inside. The panel for the elevator seemed normal, but Casey made sure she watched him.

[color=577d06]”It needs a little juice. So, pump it with a little energy and hold zero, then press one twice. It’ll detect you’re a magical being, and it’ll take you to the Eleventh floor. Which is actually the tenth, but who has to know that?”[/color]
The door promptly closed shut, leaving them with a moment.
[color=577d06]”Nervous?”[/color]

[color=d1b300]“Excited,”[/color] Trisha replied, smiling even as she looked intently at the panel. It didn’t look different from normal… she guessed most magic things didn’t. Her eyes narrowed in concentration for a moment as she committed the instructions to memory. So long as she could do the magical energy thing, it’d be fine.

[color=d1b300]“Alright, a little nervous too,”[/color] Trisha laughed, tilting herself forward so her head leaned against his chest before she completely slouched against him, her arms loosely wrapped around his waist. She closed her eyes, lips pulling up into a cute little smile.
[color=d1b300]“Recharging first so I have the energy to face all the new people. Need to get my fill before we’re busy sorting stuff.”[/color]

Having carried stuff, Casey’s glove was still on. As he rubbed her shoulder, he smiled and channeled a low effort enchanted material spell. The purpose of it, he figured, was long gone. Probably an ancient form of load bearing material, but it wasn’t strong enough to do much more than gently press into Trisha’s shoulders and neck.

A massage coat.

[color=577d06]”Did you leave a door open for the bees? Well, actually, how do they do in the cold? It’s definitely not bee weather right now, but we can bring them into the lobby or the shop until Gin gets here and sets up.”[/color] he offered, considering how frustrating it must be to be tens of thousands of bees stuck in a metal box with the heat on.

[color=d1b300]“I left the windows open,”[/color] Trisha said, with a shrug. It wasn’t that she wasn’t worried about it - they were her bees, and if they were upset it affected her. Bringing them into the lobby would be difficult… because then there’d just be sixty thousand bees hanging around. 
[color=d1b300]“They’re actually pretty used to my car. When I went to college I just put them in the car and drove them there with me. They can get out and find me if anything happens… But it shouldn’t.”[/color]

She smiled again at him, feeling… content. Any nerves she had felt were massaged away by the coat and his concern over the bees.
[color=d1b300]“Thanks for thinking about them. Keep it up and you’ll be their new favourite.”[/color]

Casey giggled.
[color=577d06]”I [i]am[/i] their new favorite. Who else is going to contest the spot? Seriously, point them out, I’ll make sure they stop the contest.”[/color]
He held her nice and tight to him, smiling down and shaking his head.
[color=577d06]”Now, when you get up near the top, the elevator will-”[/color]
The entire thing rattled as if it would totally come down from its line.
[color=577d06]”-do that. Which is why anything worth keeping safe, we just walk it up the side of the building. The enchantment set is this crazy gyroscopic mindfuck. So, even if you’re walking vertical, it keeps its orientation relative to your feet.”[/color] he grinned.

[color=577d06]”It’s definitely a spell in my Dad’s big book of tricks, but I haven’t really bothered to learn many of his spells since I Kindled. It’s hard when your brain doesn’t work the same way. I think that’s why I never managed to do it here.”[/color] he shrugged his shoulders. 

Trisha nearly jumped out of her skin when the entire elevator [i]shook[/i]. What the fuck? She reactively clung to Casey, glad that he was already holding her tight enough she didn’t have to worry about being shook around. 
[color=d1b300]“Well, I don’t know anything about spellbooks,”[/color] Trisha said, trying to pretend like she hadn’t just been nearly scared to death. [color=d1b300]“But one of my [i]many[/i] talents is studying. Maybe I can study it, then help you learn… through teamwork and all that.”[/color]

He grimaced.
[color=577d06]”Oh, God I wish they were fuckin’, like, math equations. Something simple, you know? No, the Richoux Tomes are these big fucking adventure journals. And each spell is associated to a story, and you’re essentially supposed to be able to harness the fucking story and take the emotion you need from it by channeling it through your dedication to your clan and faith. I… Never really felt a connection.”[/color]

As he finished, the elevator doors made a ghastly hiss before beginning to slide open. Like any other apartment building hallway, this too stretched out before the happy couple as they stepped out and turned right. 
Or, it almost was. There was a bevy of clipboards, filing cabinets and other office supplies and materials that lined the walls, and apartment doors were left either partially open or ajar entirely. Casey looked around for a moment before a gruff voice came from one of the apartments.

[color=de3b1b]”Casey?”[/color]
Casey almost deflated a little bit in Trisha’s arms.
[color=577d06]”Yup… No rest…”[/color] Casey whispered to Trisha before speaking up.
[color=577d06]”Morning, Uncle Fyor!”[/color]
[color=de3b1b]”Glad you didn’t say good. Come here.”[/color]

As they walked, Casey gripped Trisha just a little tighter, like a protective object or some kind of shield. The first door they walked past looked like a very strange room made of metal grates and gates, maybe some sort of secure room. But the one after it, Casey turned in. Furio Natale was sat in front of a computer console the size of a living room, feet swung up onto the big desk that held at least half a dozen monitors.
As he turned, he looked up to see the two, rather than the one. He cleared his throat, finally standing up.

[color=de3b1b]”Trisha. Good to meet you sweetheart, I’m Furio. Forgive our family business, but can I ask you to head upstairs to the new place while I speak with Casey? In the interest of keeping you as separated from our business as I’m sure you’d like to be…”[/color] he offered her.

[color=d1b300]“Good to meet you too, Furio,”[/color] Trisha said, relatively politely. So far it was the most… normal introduction from anyone in the temple. Well, Mia and her friends hadn’t been too bad, unavoidable hug aside. She pursed her lips, looking at Furio for a moment before tilting her head up towards Casey. She didn’t really want to head up to the new place by herself… honestly she’d rather just go back downstairs and sit in the car with her bees. Well, it wasn’t quite by herself, there were a couple with her.

But she also didn’t want to get in the way. Getting in the way was a quick way for Casey to start seeing her as a burden, probably. And staying somewhere she wasn’t wanted was more uncomfortable than being alone for a little while.
[color=d1b300]“Sure thing, I wouldn't want to intrude.”[/color] She spoke softly and without much emotion, though she did smile at them both. She leaned up to kiss Casey’s cheek before slipping out of his arms and back towards the apartment door. [color=d1b300]“I’ll get you up there in a little bit? I’ll try not to accidentally paint the place another bad combination of colours before you get there… are the stairs just along the hall?”[/color]

Furio and Casey both nodded, the two of them pointing in unison down the end of the hall that they’d been walking toward.
[color=de3b1b]”Uhh, the boys are up there still moving things out. Oh, y’know? Gin came yesterday, Case…”[/color]
Casey had a surprised look on his face.
[color=577d06]”Oh, no shit?-”[/color] he turned to face Trisha. [color=577d06]”That means the Greenhouse is actually all set, or should be?”[/color]

Furio gave them both an enthusiastic look.
[color=de3b1b]”Listen, whatever you two are gonna be using that space for? Real fuckin’ impressive, they outdid themselves this time. That kid? Nolan?”[/color]
Casey was all smiles, and nodded along.
[color=577d06]”That impressive?”[/color] Casey bantered back.

All Furio could do was nod.
[color=de3b1b]”Maybe you both wanna see it… Oh, y’know? Trisha, come here. Casey tells us you were lookin’ for an office of your own?”[/color]
He waved his hand, guiding Trisha and Casey toward one of the other rooms. In this particular apartment, there seemed to be a large main section that used up most of the living spaces, then a bedroom with a closed metal door, and another one wide open with a massive desk spanning one of the walls. It was already mostly furnished, having a tower and a few monitors set up, as well as a chair, storage spaces, and even a few potted plants with a little card sitting on the keyboard.

[color=de3b1b]”Just hang out in here for a few moments, I’ll make it real quick, I’m not tryn’a abuse our boy or nothin’. Check the envelope out.”[/color] the very clear New York Italian man’s voice didn’t waver even a little bit. He was constantly charming and friendly, even as he slinked off to leave Trisha alone with her new office and a closed door.

Trisha wasn’t easily impressed by material things, but the setup of the new office was impressive. It had everything she could need and things she hadn’t thought about - namely storage. She was used to having everything in one room, and at a certain point just dumped work stuff at her feet. Having a whole space for it would be nice. An easier separation. It also meant she could set up her current computer in the apartment itself… She’d been thinking about buying a laptop for that, but it removed that need.

She’d just need to keep everything backed up, in case she had to leave.

The bees that had come with her meandered around the room before landing in the potted plants, contentedly lying on leaves and watching her. She made her way over to the desk, deciding to just bite the bullet and open the envelope. It didn’t necessarily make her nervous, but she was hesitant, with how much prying there’d already been. Well, it was maybe just a card or something, right? She bit her lip and opened it.

It was a card, in fact. A nice, rectangular white piece of cardstock with some very nice cursive written on it.
[i]”Welcome Home.”[/i]
Attached to the card’s back, however, was a thin metal key. Turning it over was a second note.
[i]”The Key to New Beginnings- Lynette, Furio and Clarissa, and the Project Eden Team.”[/i]

Trisha smiled slightly, holding up the key and rotating it in her fingers. Then she slipped it in her jacket pocket. She’d add it to her keychain later. She sat down, picking up the card again and flipping it to the back. It was a bit… disconcerting, if she was entirely honest with herself. Sure, it was nice words. She would love this- with Casey- to be her home and new beginning. But when it was signed by Lynette… Well, it was a bit different. It wasn’t something she wanted to dwell on too much, because she knew she’d have to deal with it properly if they stayed together for a while.

But what the fuck was the Project Eden Team? Like the Garden of Eden? She knew about it of course - it was impossible to avoid learning about ‘creation’ at school, or when her mom decided to give her a lecture about how it was just an allegory and that it was completely possible to believe in both science and God. She’d found it incredibly boring then, but maybe she should’ve paid more attention… but it probably wasn’t anything to do with that. Why would the Temple name a project after something from another religion? It was just as likely to be some important figure’s name.

[color=d1b300]“Hey, there’s nothing to eat there,”[/color] she murmured to the bee that flew over to the card and seemed to start… nibbling on the corner of it. She rolled her eyes at it and put it down on the desk. If her bee wanted to chew some paper then she wasn’t going to stop it, she just made sure to remember her pheromone scent. [color=d1b300]“I’m sure there’ll be plenty of food for you later, be patient.”[/color]

There was a slight moment where the piece of paper seemed to shift slightly on its own, but around that same instant the door opened back up. It was Casey. As the note and the door moved at the same time, the bee climbed back up toward its mistress. It caught Casey’s eye as his vision shifted into focus.
[color=577d06]”Hey, all set Babe. Furio and I have decided there’s not gonna be a lot of hiding what we do around here, so we’re just gonna give you the long and short, and at least make sure you can access the important stuff in case you’re in a bind. Should be enough time for them to get done bringing stuff out.”[/color]

He smiled at her genuinely and with a great deal of excitement in his eyes.
[color=577d06]”Office work for you? It was Clarissas, I guess.”[/color]

Trisha took a moment to reply, brows furrowing as she tried to figure out the pheromones the bee was bombarding her with. Something had freaked her out but she couldn't figure out what. Maybe the card didn't taste nice? Well, it wasn't that important. She was planning to just throw it away later anyway.
[color=d1b300]"So you shut me in here for nothing?"[/color] Trisha teased, raising a finger to gently stroke the bee that had landed on her neck. [color=d1b300]”I… I guess I'm glad you trust me enough to not keep it all hidden."[/color]


She smiled warmly back at him, getting up from the comfortable chair and quickly making her way to his side. She reached out for his hand, threading her fingers through his and gently swaying them.
[color=d1b300]“It’s way more than I expected… I've seen some big offices, like my brother's, but I didn't really expect to have one. It's not the same but- well I'm going to be able to work much better. It'll be nice being right next door too, so long as you can tune out the occasional swear here and there."[/color] Occasional was a very generous way to describe how she got when coding was going particularly badly. [color=d1b300]“It's pretty perfect. They even provided a computer, so I can set mine up in the apartment. Maybe we can plug it into a TV and use it for movies or to play games or something."[/color]

She grinned up at him. [color=d1b300]“Either way, it's exciting. It makes it all feel real."[/color]

Nodding, Casey wrapped his arm around Trisha’s shoulders and rubbed them gently. 
[color=577d06]”Some conversations are just things you don’t want to hear. You’ll get used to it as things go, but right now…-”[/color]
As the two of them stepped back into the office, Furio was waiting with a grin.
[color=de3b1b]”-The faith is freaky, my girl. You don’t want to hear about some [i]Righteous Left Hand[/i] bullshit, right? Best you get used to wearing headphones and keeping doors closed in that office. Casey’ll show you around, I’ll be upstairs waiting.”[/color] he finished, shrugging his shoulders and making way for the other end of the hall. Casey and Trisha were alone again.

[color=577d06]”Thank God he’s not the stick around type. Love that man.”[/color] Casey’s body shook as he giggled.
[color=577d06]”So, there’s six apartments per floor. Up here, two of them are offices. There’s actually usually a lot more people working, but they’ll know to just leave you be; you’re not working with them.”[/color]

[color=d1b300]“Yeah, I like him,”[/color] Trisha said once Furio was gone, with a half smile. [color=d1b300]“He didn’t try to bullshit me about anything- I guess I’ll have to invest in some good headphones.”[/color]
She then pressed her lips together thoughtfully. She wasn’t really used to being around a lot of people, generally having her own space - but she supposed that her office had a door, and if it was closed no one would come in. Still, she had to ask. [color=d1b300]“How many people, normally?”[/color]

[color=577d06]”Probably like twenty?”[/color] Casey questioned for a moment before nodding.
[color=577d06]”There’s three people in the Cage-”[/color] he explained, hand pointing at the closed metal door. [color=577d06]”-But they don’t really leave their whole shift. Then I have a personal assistant, who I actually don’t know yet, but they’re usually in here with me.”[/color]

His head nodded, guiding her back toward the elevator they’d come through. The room with the metal mesh door and other cages. Casey put his Channeler on and pressed his hand against the door. Loud metal grinding led up to the door popping open with a bit of a jolt, and it opened up fully.
Within were cages full of boxes. Metal boxes with thick padlocks, and in the middle of the apartment was a big table.
[color=577d06]”This is mostly a storage unit. Like, half the building is storage units, but this one generally has important shit, so we keep it locked up tight. Magical products we use or make here get packaged up and distributed from this room and a few others like it around the city. It’s usually another couple people working in here, but on days that we get more complex orders out, there could be ten.”[/color]
He looked around, moving to the master bedroom door and swinging it open to reveal [i]even more metal boxes[/i].
[color=577d06]”I could read the inventory, but honestly I don’t want to think about it yet. There must be at least a dozen unresolved orders going on right now while we try and figure out some sourcing issues.”[/color]

Closing the door again, he nodded her back out of the room. Across the hall directly was another door, and he opened it up to reveal a very dark apartment with all of the windows covered over by different machines. It was icy cold, and the hum of electronics was strong.
[color=577d06]”Main server. Technically Junior’s office, but he’s almost never actually here. Again, thank God. There’s plenty of computer shit in here, parts and units that are getting worked on. Some people send their computers to us to hook up directly to our systems rather than using, like, basic internet from cable companies. There’s like three guys who work under June, but you know tech types. Quiet, tame. Not like you…”[/color]

[color=d1b300]“Well, I am way cooler than most people in tech. Almost all of them, perhaps,”[/color] she smiled brightly at him, glancing over the machines with more interest than she’d felt towards the rest. It was a lot of equipment. [color=d1b300]“Oh- don’t tell my friends I said that when you meet them, two of them are developers too… Not the quiet, tame types, but just not as cool as me.”[/color]

Casey returned a laugh.
[color=577d06]”What if I say it because I believe it?”[/color] he cuddled her tightly before continuing down the hall.

[color=577d06]”Now, you’re probably asking yourself what we make here. It’ll probably be no surprise that we do a lot of processing of raw materials. You remember those deer on the Temple property? Or the glitter from the Moth?”[/color]
At the end of the hall, the last two apartment doors were both wide open. In the right, there were refrigerators, and the entire thing was tiled and pristine like some sort of operating room. 
[color=577d06]”So, this ends up being a butchery. We store meat here, and in one of the back rooms we actually tan the hides and collect any other sort of raw material. The other one is for specialty materials, shit that you’d pull that we don’t experience here in the Shimmer.”[/color]

The last apartment’s door opened into a box. Just a black metal booth.
[color=577d06]”This one you probably wouldn’t be able to get into without approval, but I’m going to register you with the door, because there’s a day where you may have to use it as a safe room. It’s the most secure room in this entire building.”[/color]
In the same way he opened the door to that storage room, he pressed his hand against one of the walls. Grinding, churning, and the door popped open. Swinging, it opened up into another apartment full of metal cages and lockers and-

Stepping in fully, there was a large wall full of racks on racks of firearms. There were tables with machines and presses, different tools.
[color=577d06]”This is the Temple’s secondary armory. There’s a one-way portal from here to the Temple, meaning any assault on us can be reinforced through a secondary stage. This… This is my baby. My actual work. From here, we can modify and enchant arms and equipment, develop actively destructive spells in a safe environment, forge and manufacture our own patterns of guns and even pack ammunition for distribution.”[/color]
He proudly walked up to one of the lockers and patted it.
[color=577d06]”This one’s mine… I’m gonna keep my toys in it until I find a good place upstairs.”[/color] he grinned like a child.

[color=d1b300]“By toys you mean… guns right?”[/color] Trisha asked, already knowing the answer, looking up at him with a smile. She had never been a gun person, would never be a gun person, but Casey’s joy was infectious… enough that she decided not to ask about the [i]distribution[/i]. She didn’t want to know about that, actually. 
[color=d1b300]“It’s… cool, I think. Don’t know much about this stuff. Do you enchant them yourself?”[/color]

He nodded happily.
[color=577d06]”First spell I ever actually learned to cast was on some bullets, not even the guns. But, yeah, sometimes I can spend hours in here just loading ammo. Probably a luxury I won’t get to experience much anymore, since my seat will get cold if I’m not in the office.
I know I’m weird for it, but I guess tedious simple tasks are good. To me.”[/color] he added punctually.
[color=577d06]”I know the whole magic thing may seem like it makes these things useless, but honestly they’re just more powerful magical delivery systems.”[/color] 

Casey’s hand waved at the wall of guns, and he walked over to pull one down. It was short, and almost looked like a toy in his massive frame. But for a normal person, it’d be a normal sized gun.
[color=577d06]”Like, every bit of this is a mass-produced magical artifact. We make dozens of them a month, and each one is exactly like the last one until we come up with something better.”[/color]

Shrugging, he put it back up on the wall. His smile remained, however.
[color=577d06]”But what I really mean is like, I kind of… Want you to learn how to use one?”[/color] he let his voice squeak at the end.

[color=d1b300]“Huh?”[/color] Trisha’s eyes widened, head snapping around from looking at the guns to looking at Casey. Her… learning to use a gun… Just the thought shocked her a little. She wasn’t against it, but she also was really sure of it either. What if she was awful at it and shot someone accidentally? Or shot a bee- wait, she’d have to be a good shot to do that. 
[color=d1b300]“Why? Because of Father Wolf? I’m willing to try, I think, it just seems like. Well. I feel like it’d be like pool.”[/color]

[color=577d06]”Well, like, I can make a gun that aims for you. I can make a gun that reloads itself. I can make one that requires zero maintenance. I guess in that sense, yeah it is like pool. But, yeah. I just don’t want you walking around without at least vaguely understanding how things like that work. Like, say you need to run and you lose the gun I give you. You may need to use a different one, and if it doesn’t do all that special shit, you’ll be fucked.”[/color] 
Casey shrugged his shoulders, considering what she said a bit more deeply.

[color=577d06]”It’s… Yeah. Mostly Father Wolf, but the Temple has plenty of enemies. Maybe you being associated with me could make you a target. I’d rather you be a dangerous target, so the only thing I can think of that’s more dangerous than sixty-thousand bees is sixty-thousand bees and one gun.”[/color] he giggled.

[color=d1b300]“Can you not make all the bees little guns too? Then its sixty-thousand bees and their little guns, and one proper gun,”[/color] Trisha laughed, pushing past the sobering thought of being targeted by the Temple’s enemies. If they were Apparitions, she knew how to handle them - had the experience with the Snake. But humans? Anything that could be hurt by a gun? She didn’t have any.
[color=d1b300]“If the bees can’t shoot for me, I guess I’m willing to learn, so long as you're patient. There are things they can’t handle… and if they get hurt, I do too. I’d rather be as safe as I can be.”[/color] 

Casey's mind went wild at the thought of sixty thousand assault bees. There were component shrinking orange spells, and plenty of different enchantments that could be used in tandem to maintain their combat effectiveness. He thought about the harnesses, the fact that bees were already too fat to fly, and his mind wandered about the possibilities that were, frankly, endless with the right amount of tweaking.

The entire idea, and the fact that she so casually presented her utter genius, flustered Casey. He stared at her, cleared his throat, and then glanced up at the door before looking back at her.
[color=577d06]”It would take a long time to hand make sixty thousand tiny guns… With all the magic that would go into it?”[/color]
He took a step closer, arms gently wrapping around her waist, or as low as he could get them.  His gaze was intense.

[color=577d06]”W-would you… Would you do that? Keep weapons for them, I mean… I'd be honored to t-try and…-”[/color]
The reasoning for his stammering wasn't openly clear, but he was desperately trying not to put Trisha off.
[color=577d06]”-An-and… Did… Anyone, has anyone I mean, did I…-”[/color]

His face was beat red. He couldn't look her in the face, so his embrace tightened. He pulled her so close, to whisper in her ear.
[color=577d06]”Sixty thousand assault bees… So fucking hot, Trisha.”[/color]

Trisha was confused about Casey’s reaction to what had been a joke on her part. Giving her bees guns just seemed ridiculous - there was no way they could use them! How would that even work? Would she have to train them… could she train them? Why was she even properly thinking about it?

She reached up to put her hands on his shoulders, leaning in as the mood began to change, head tilted as she easily met his gaze and waited patiently for him to finish whatever he was trying to say. What about making guns for the bees was so hard to talk- Oh. [i]Oh[/i].

[color=d1b300]“That’s a new one. Nobody’s ever found my idea of arming my bees hot before,”[/color] Trisha replied in a low, teasing tone. It was really difficult not to laugh and ruin the mood. [i]Really[/i] difficult, when the start had been so ridiculous. She didn’t want to ruin it, however strange the cause had been. 
[color=d1b300]“If you make the guns, I’ll arm them… then we can train them to use them together.”[/color] She twisted her head round so her lips lightly brushed against the corner of his. [color=d1b300]“So long as you keep telling me how hot it is.”[/color]

Her lips curved up into a smile, face so close to his that their lips were practically touching, but not quite closing the last bit of distance. Waiting to see how he would react.

Possessive hands grabbed places they probably shouldn’t have, gentle finger tips slowly digging into Trisha’s thighs.
[color=577d06]”You keep talking like that and I’ll go insane.”[/color] he grinned and almost growled in her ear. 
For the first time, he felt like he was being prompted to do a little digging, and took the time to lock them up in another kiss. It was a few moments before he pulled away, forehead brushing against hers.
[color=577d06]”I’m… I’m a fucking weirdo, I know. It’s… Your willingness. Whatever action, you know? You’re just… You seem so [i]down[/i] for anything. Makes me want to say the word.”[/color]

[color=d1b300]“It’s a bit early for that,”[/color] Trisha said softly, slightly breathless, her expression not seeming to change much at the prospect. She smiled at him, eyes contentedly narrowed and her body still pressed against his. Physical attraction could come instantly, liking someone could happen fast, but loving someone? Not genuinely… or without the risk of everything falling apart. But the selfish part of her, the part that was desperate for someone who would hold onto her no matter what, was happy for him to think he felt that way towards her. 

[color=d1b300]“I knew you were a weirdo from the moment you were interested in me when I was covered in blood. I still chose to go out with you,”[/color] she lightly teased. Her arms moved to properly wrap around him, fingers pressing into his back. She leaned in to kiss him again, a quicker one this time, as if rewarding him for… feeling that way about her.
[color=d1b300]“There’s very little I’m not willing to try… And I find it pretty hot that you like that about me. It isn’t the thing that people normally… appreciate about me.”[/color]
There was a hint of emotional vulnerability in her eyes as she spoke.

Casey shrugged his shoulders, still holding her tightly by the ass. 
[color=577d06]”When I signed on, I was a Marine first. The big lesson you’re supposed to get from training is that things are always gonna suck, and you’ve just gotta make due with what you have on hand. Thinking about someone who can adapt in situations like that, like I think you can? It gets me riled up like I don’t usually get.”[/color]
Finally, his hands let go and he kissed her one more time, gentler of course. Though, his fingers lingered for just a moment longer, like he didn’t really want to let her go.

[color=577d06]”We’ll talk about the bee guns when I have a prototype. I don’t doubt you’ll need to do some work on controlling them to get it to work on both our ends, but… It’s not such a stupid idea. Goofy, sure, but still doable.”[/color]
He took a deep breath through his nose, head listing slightly to the right before fully regaining his composure. He nodded toward the door.
[color=577d06]”Alright, let’s go. Before I force you to dress up in uniform and march.”[/color] he laughed, knowing full well that one day his deepest desires could maybe be met. 

It made him really want to say it. But she was right, and he knew he couldn’t. Not now.
[color=577d06]”Unless you want to look around here, like I said. It’s mostly a place that you can run to and seal up, the walls and doors are magically warded, so it’d take some pretty intense magic to get in.”[/color]

[color=d1b300]“Don’t get ahead of yourself, you couldn’t handle me in a uniform yet,”[/color] Trisha joked, smiling brightly at him. She took another quick look around the room, just in case something jumped out that she would want to take a closer look at. Not really. It wasn’t like she knew anything about guns. 
[color=d1b300]“Intense magic… So something the Stygian Snake’s level?”[/color] she started to head towards the door as she asked, indicating that he could answer while they walked.

Casey wasn’t sure, but he wasn’t going to make her feel like it wasn’t an impenetrable fortress. A little fib to make her feel better.
[color=577d06]”It actually turned it away, if I’m not mistaken. They had to do a bunch of construction on the roof of this building after the big battle, but apparently the room itself was safe. Buckled into the next floor like a safe box crashing through a surface.”[/color] he grinned, rubbing her arm and leading her out before closing the black box door and then the real door behind it. 

At the end of the hall, there was another door. It didn’t have a window or anything, and Casey opened it up to reveal a mostly bland room with some empty coat racks and a staircase leading up to what was clearly a rooftop access.
[color=577d06]”This is technically storage for the office, but storage for the office is also downstairs? So, this is like our basement. It’s ours to use how we want, since nobody but us and the on-site guys are supposed to be on the roof ever. So, if there’s someone up there? And Norm or Theo aren’t around? Treat it like the whole roof is your yard, and extricate them from the area as you see fit. Make sense?”[/color]

[color=d1b300]“Who can even get up here? It’d be people who work on this floor right… and I can just tell them to fuck off? Sting them with a thousand bees if they don’t?”[/color] She glanced around the mostly empty room, before looking back at him. It did make sense, but she also wasn’t that confident she could remove someone from the roof if they’d gone up there knowing that they shouldn’t. Because if it wasn’t Temple members, it would have to be someone who could fly, which was much less of a risk.
[color=d1b300]“Uh, yeah, it does make sense. How likely is that to happen?”[/color]

[color=577d06]”Like, not. That’s why if it does happen, you treat it like it’s a problem. And, obviously, why I want some magical firearms upstairs too. We’re lucky to have this place, but it’s an exposed ass position and not-so-enchanted. Furio and Clarissa will both tell you that they’ve had to improvise some defensive manoeuvres over the years.”[/color]
He really couldn’t stop himself from continuing the statement until a point where he realized that he probably killed any good his previous white lie had done.

[color=577d06]”B-but, yeah! I mean, it really won’t happen. I’d expect Sycamore members looking for you to show up before I expected one of our faithful to break a rule like crossing into hallowed ground without permission.”[/color] 

[color=d1b300]“So not likely unless they really want to kill me, like half the Sycamore members might, right,”[/color] Trisha shrugged, clearly joking. While it sounded like… an actual risk, if she knew anyone on the roof that wasn’t them, Norm or Theo was a threat, she could just take it as such. 
[color=d1b300]“I can handle that.”[/color] 

[color=577d06]”Fuckin’ Christ, I hope that many people in the Sycamore don’t hate you like that. I mean, Edict is just… Like that, isn’t he? Leon said he was always a dick… Heh… [i]Eat-a-Dick’t.[/i]”[/color] he laughed, remembering the day before and thinking about how cute Trisha was when she was defending herself.

He didn’t let the thought linger too long, however, and led Trisha up the stairs to the next door. It opened outward into the cool late Autumn morning, the grey skies condensing as the threat of rain rolled through the bay. Standing out on the roof, there were canopies that kept a clear path from the door directly to the structure of the house. The whole front of it on one half seemed to be glass sloped down like a greenhouse roof. Looking in, one could see green plants hanging from various hangers, filling the windows with a verdant canopy. Otherwise, it was brick, and made to match the outer aesthetic of the building on which it sat as much as possible.

On the other side of the roof, an equally large structure stood in a mysterious fog-like haze. It was an actual greenhouse, make no mistake, but the many windows seemed to be either painted over or covered by some kind of shade. At its front were some planter boxes, and despite the temperature around them, they were full of beautiful flowers. There was also a table, which seemed to have a few things laid out on it.

[color=e0c4ff]”There they aaaaaaaare!”[/color]
Clarissa’s voice directed attention to the rear of the building, on which sat a rooftop reservoir for water that supplied the upper floors of the building with pressure they otherwise may not get. There was also a stack of furniture and boxes still being carted down the side of the building bit by bit.
[color=e0c4ff]”Hello my beautiful Bambinos!”[/color]
She was upon them in an instant, one arm wrapping around Trisha and the other around Casey before pulling them both in tight. 

She was seriously strong. Stronger than a woman her size should be naturally. A single flex brought Trisha tight to her.
[color=e0c4ff]”Happy days, happy [i]DAYS![/i] God I’m so ready to move into that big ol’ house! God in Heaven, Casey, you’re really doing us a favor stepping up in a big way like this Baby.”[/color]
She gave him a big smooch on his cheek, then turned her focus to Trisha.
[color=e0c4ff]”Girl… You are [i]so[/i] spoiled right nooooow…”[/color] she intoned, nodding toward the greenhouse.
[color=e0c4ff]”That shit? Should. Not. Exist. It’s crazy, and I think you’re gonna love it.”[/color]

The roof was… much nicer than Trisha had expected. Not that she’d expected anything horrible, she’d just expected… a roof. But it was actually nice. She was drawn to the house first, eyes widening a tad at the open glass outlooking the rest of the roof. A window that spanned a wall wasn’t unusual to her - in her mom’s place there were two, that slid out to a small balcony. But they had felt [i]cold[/i], looking out on a minimal, neat garden. This didn’t feel cold at all.

She barely got a chance to consider the Greenhouse, head tilting in confusion, before Clarissa grabbed her in an inescapable hug. She didn’t bother struggling against it, though she didn’t particularly return it either. She was still conflicted about Clarissa - she liked her, and she was warmer than many people were to her, but it was difficult to forget yesterday and what she knew about Trisha.

But there was the mention - well nod to - the Greenhouse again. Trisha peered past Clarissa at it. Blooming flowers in autumn… Was that possible with a Greenhouse? Well, they’d clearly done some sort of magic with it. Did it imitate the effects of summer, or something? Trisha couldn’t quite wrap her head around it. She hadn’t grown up around magic, and hadn’t interacted with it much since the coven either. Really, the year or so with Sycamore was the only time she was around it consistently.

But she really didn’t want to seem stupid by asking what the fuck they all meant. She would see it, and it would be fine.
[color=d1b300]“Is it me or the bees that are getting spoiled?”[/color] Trisha asked, with a laugh and a smile. The few she had with her, who’d landed on her neck after lazily following her up here, were already wanting to go to the flowers. There was a slight conflict in their little bee minds between staying with her, keeping her safe, and following their instinct. With a gentle command she let them follow their instinct, the ten or so bees buzzing over to the flowers and shoving their fuzzy faces into them.

She looked up at Casey, grinning, then back to Clarissa.
[color=d1b300]“... Can we go inside, then? I feel like I’ve been waiting to see this Greenhouse [i]all day[/i].”[/color]

[color=e0c4ff]”You got your key out of your office!?”[/color] Clarissa asked. 

[color=d1b300]“That was for the Greenhouse?”[/color] Trisha shoved a hand into her coat pocket and pulled it out, waving it a little bit. [color=d1b300]“Just to check, it’s a normal key, right? I can just… go right in?”[/color] 

Clarissa smiled.
[color=e0c4ff]”Oh, no, that's definitely not a normal key. But, that don’t mean it don’t work the same. So, I guess? It’s a not-normal normal key.”[/color]
As they got closer to the Greenhouse itself, Clarissa pointed at the work table built into the side of it. There was a binder labelled “Operations, Instructions and Emergencies” as well as a manila envelope and a box with little bees designed on it that was about the size of a floor safe.

[color=e0c4ff]”All that shit, Gin said you should look through it. There’s also a few magical bee suits. Not, not like a bee cosplay, but you know with the nets and shit. Bee [i]keeper’s[/i] suit. That’s right.”[/color] she tapped her temple with a grin.
[color=e0c4ff]”But, since you ain’t doin’ nothin’ crazy, just go ahead and get in there.”[/color]

Trisha gave Clarissa a bit of a confused look. Why would she need a bee keeper’s suit? There wasn’t… some kind of gas in there that would make her bees go crazy, was there? Sure, she’d lost control that one time, but that generally didn’t happen. She bit her lip, trying not to dwell on it. It probably wasn’t about that. 

[color=d1b300]“So I shouldn’t have called up all my bees?”[/color] Trisha joked, to forcefully alleviate her own mood. She glanced over the binder, which she’d have to read over multiple times later, before holding out a hand towards Casey, making a grabbing gesture with it.
[color=d1b300]“I want to see it for the first time with you.”[/color]

Casey grinned back at Trisha, grabbing her hand and planting a kiss on her head.
[color=577d06]”Let’s get in there, then!”[/color] he said excitedly, getting close to the door.
[color=e0c4ff]”Ginny said to start by turnin’ it all the way to the right! She said that’s the most comfortable one for everyone involved.”[/color] Clarissa said from behind them, also a bit curious to see what it was. 
Not that she was going to rush in with them or anything, she could hold the anticipation in… [i]Right?[/i]

[color=d1b300]“Alright, all the way to the right.”[/color] Trisha said as she got to the door, mostly to herself. She squeezed Casey’s hand, half out of excitement and half nerves. The nervousness came from not quite understanding it all - why was all the way to the right the most comfortable? Did that mean it was like… some kind of portal to different Greenhouses? That some were dangerous, or something? Just in case, she ordered her bees to stay outside in those flowers.

There was no use thinking about it, rather than just doing. She didn’t want it to look like she was worried about it, anyway, not in front of Casey who’d just earlier been talking about how much he liked her willingness. 
[color=d1b300]“Here goes…”[/color] She put the key in the lock on the door, turning it as far right as she could before she didn’t feel any more give. Then, she pushed open the Greenhouse door and stepped inside, making sure to tug in Casey with her.

She froze within the first step, mouth falling open.

In front of her was a large field, far larger than it should have been within the constraints of the Greenhouse. But just the size alone wasn’t enough to shock her - certain amounts of magic she was used to witnessing. No, it wasn’t that. It was what the field contained. 

The grass came to her knees, and it varied - from typical long and green, to wheat coloured and feather like. There were flowers throughout it, brightly coloured patches among swathes of green. Some, she recognised as local ones. Large shrubs of Blue Blossom’s caught her eyes, before they moved on to ones she didn’t recognise. Flowers she wasn’t even sure existed. There was one that seemed to be so many colours at once, shimmering in the artificial sunlight, that she couldn’t figure out which ones made it up at all. 

[color=d1b300]“Wow, it’s amaz-”[/color] As she talked, Trisha tilted her head upwards towards what she’d assumed were strange, green trunked trees. The words immediately died in her lips as her eyes only grew wider.

Towering above them were [i]flowers[/i]. It was beyond the normal, and less normal, ones that scattered the floor level grass. These ones were the size of trees, bright purple, blue and pink petals spreading out and offering some shade. They varied too - some looking like large daisies, others like lilies. 

Trisha just stood there, staring, for what seemed like minutes. She was slowly processing it. How much magic had gone into something like this? How did you even make something like this? Was there… more of them? How many? She shouldn’t be so shocked when it came to magic, but she’d never witnessed anything like this. Not even in the strange spells some coven members had used together.
[color=d1b300]“It’s…”[/color] Trisha trailed off again, belatedly realising she’d been squeezing Casey’s hand like she’d been trying to break it this whole time. She loosened her grip, still looking around in awe. It was difficult to process how she was feeling when there was so much to take in. Excited to bring her bees in, scared… overwhelmed. 

[color=d1b300]“I honestly don’t know what to say,”[/color] Trisha said weakly, still looking up at the tall flowers. [color=d1b300]“The bees are going to love it… well, I’m not sure they’d even know where to start with flowers that big. I’m a bit worried they might drown in the pollen. I don’t think they’ll ever want to leave.”[/color]

She finally smiled, snapping out of the shocked state she’d been in, and shuffled in close to Casey. She lowered her voice in the hope that Clarissa (if she’d followed) wouldn’t be able to hear her as well.
[color=d1b300]“I honestly didn’t understand why you were all so excited about the Greenhouse,”[/color] she said softly. [color=d1b300]“I don’t really have magic like this around me. It’s amazing… It doesn’t feel real, honestly. Like this is a dream or some shit.”[/color]

There was a long moment where Casey was just shocked to see such a thing be captured in their little greenhouse. He’d come up here for years, and until now it’d just been a rinky-dink little greenhouse with gaps in between the glass and the frames, and it’d rattle when the wind blew too hard. 
But the majesty of Project Eden’s little “Educational Experiment” was so much greater than anything he’d come to expect.

[color=577d06]”Jesus fucking Christ, forgive my blasphemy Lord…”[/color] was the only thing he said as he looked up at the splendor of God’s childrens’ hands. He had some vague idea about how the structure was built, and it made him shake at the amount of energy and material they must’ve had to expend to make it happen.

His free hand trailed through the tall grass, and for a moment he saw the green fields of France like he had as a child. Before the bombs, before two World Wars, before he’d seen them awash with the blood of man. As the two walked, Casey’s eyes grew wet with tears.
[color=577d06]”It… It’s certainly a feat, my sweet Trisha Bee… God [i]damn[/i]! I mean, look! It’s like an entire fucking range! And it’s all so…”[/color]

He pulled out his glove and put it on, then took his shoe off. Yarding backward, he chucked the shoe and watched it tumble through the air for a good minute before it finally seemed to hit some kind of invisible barrier. Tugging on nothing, the shoe quickly came back as if it were attached to a rope in space.
[color=577d06]”You’re so right. It honestly doesn’t feel real.”[/color]

Clarissa didn’t interrupt them, but she was nearby having her own religious moment. With her, Furio had wandered in, and the two took in God’s splendor between the incredible plantlife and the blossoming love in front of them.

[color=d1b300]“It’s a lot to do for some honey,”[/color] Trisha mumbled, gaze moving in an arc with the shoe that flew through the sky and then got pulled back. It was so big, and it was beautiful. She could imagine just lying in the fields, watching her bees going about their days. It was lovely.

But it also came with a certain amount of pressure she couldn’t ignore. If they’d put all of this effort into making a magical Greenhouse of proportions Trisha hadn’t even thought possible, how much were they expecting from her? Her bees would gladly make honey all through the year - it was in their nature. But how quickly would she need to grow their numbers? What if it wasn’t good enough? 

Because this obviously wasn’t some everyday Temple feat, judging by Casey’s reaction. She didn’t understand the exact logistics, but it was clear a lot would have to go into something like this.
[color=d1b300]“It makes me wish we had a picnic, or something,”[/color] Trisha smiled, swinging their joined hands, acting as if she wasn’t on an internal spiral towards anticipating a failure that hadn’t even happened yet. [color=d1b300]“How do they even do something like this? Is it… like those spells Adepts can do together?”[/color]

Casey shook his head, not entirely sure of the details.
[color=577d06]”That would be something to ask Gin? As far as I’m aware, it’s… Well, alright, think about a diorama? Or, like, those little zen gardens therapists get? And then like, a rolodex. You make your little garden, do whatever to it, then attach it to the rolodex by one side, and enchant the building to be, like, a big magnifying glass.”[/color] He laughed.


His hand came up, and a big smile cracked across his face.
[color=577d06]”Actually, y’know that movie we tried to watch the other night? We should’ve paid attention, I guess the movie is kind of centered around a premise just like that. Because when I texted Gin about it, she was like ‘Oh iss gunna be like BEETLEJUICE!’.”[/color]
He reached into his pocket and pulled his phone out. Opening it in front of Trisha fully would reveal that he didn’t even have any kind of lock on it. Just swipe to open. His text message box was anaemic, and seemed to be full of delivery confirmations with the occasional personal text.

But he pulled up the conversation with “Ginger”, and lo’, it was exactly as he said. Upon showing her, he giggled like a kid. 
[color=577d06]”She’s always on like, every single new movie that comes out, games and shit, I think when you do meet you guys will hit it off. Soooo long as you don’t mind her being quirky.”[/color] he laughed.

[color=d1b300]“There aren’t going to be any of those worm things, are there?”[/color] Trisha automatically looked at the ground. She really didn’t remember much about the movie, but she remembered those things. She’d been fucking fixated on them when high… and she still had no idea why they were there, or what they were. It being like that movie, or a diorama on a rolodex (which she’d never heard of), didn’t really help much. But that was fine, she’d understand it the more she used it.

She leaned over to read the message, honestly… not shocked he didn’t even have a password. She tried not to pay too much attention to what else was in his messages - even if he was showing her, it seemed rude. A trust and privacy thing, really. 
[color=d1b300]“So after she treats me like a plastic skeleton for a while, we can talk about more normal things? If she knows all the latest games… maybe she can help me get better at this one my friends made me play with them online. They always get [i]pissed[/i] because I’m bad at it. It’s not my fault I’m not really a gamer like the rest of them! I don’t tend to call my friends to get cursed out…”[/color]

Trisha trailed off, waving a hand in front of her face, looking a little awkward. Just like software development, gaming was another one of those things that didn’t really go with her [i]image[/i]. In such a short period she’d gotten comfortable enough to let slip these things by choice… it was almost scary.
[color=d1b300]“I can deal with quirky. There were some people in the old coven that… were really weird. I wasn’t really friends with them, but I was fine with them.”[/color] Though she’d been quicker to snap then. Really, people like that - who talked about mostly their interests - were easier for her to handle. They tended not to prod at her in ways that set her off. 
[color=d1b300]“Just wait till you meet my friends, anyway. Some of them are… yeah, maybe not that same level, but they’ve all got their oddities.”[/color]

Casey thought for a moment about her friends. As far as he remembered, she only seemed to mention one being sensitive to the paranormal. 
[color=577d06]”Oh, yeah, cover story for your blind friends? If they come up here? This is all just storage. If you [i]just[/i] open it, it should be like, just a bunch of boxes and like shit furniture. It only activates when you put the key in.”[/color]

Slipping his phone and his glove back into his pocket, Casey took a long deep breath, still admiring the giant flowers.
[color=577d06]”I’m kind of excited to crack open that manual… I think Tristain was probably in charge of writing everything down, so it’ll be a bit more animated than you’re expecting. Moving pictures and magical recordings, so you have whoever was in charge of the feature telling you how it works. The few times I’ve gotten pamphlets from ProEd, I can’t help but try and figure out the fuckin’ spells he uses to embed it all into the paper.”[/color]

Casey paused for a moment, thinking about his extended family and the things that they were all capable of doing. The good natured and kind people that they were, putting their hearts and souls into a project that they all believed in. It hurt that their faith was seen as ironic or harmful by other Adepts, especially ones he’d met in the Reserve. Like it couldn’t be real.

[color=577d06]”There’s… There’s a lot of good people, by the way. I know you got the worst of it the last couple of days, but I promise. The further down the totem pole you go, the less crazy things get. They’re just nice people who… Y’know… They believe in the things my Mom has to say.”[/color]

Trisha nodded along to the cover story for her friends. She wasn’t sure if she’d bring them here at all… it required going up a semi-magical lift, and bringing people over the second day of living together didn’t appeal all that much. But it was good to have a plan, because if she did they’d be nosey as fuck.

[color=d1b300]“A magical recording explaining how something works… Kind of like a video lecture in paper form?”[/color] Trisha gnawed at her lip a bit as she processed that. It sounded cool, but if it was all magical recordings rather than words that just meant [i]she’d[/i] have to write it all down as she watched them. Well, that wasn’t necessarily a bad thing. Maybe she’d have to read it over a few less times to understand it all. [color=d1b300]“That’s… something my university would’ve loved to have. They’d try sell it to us for a ton of money too, magical talking textbooks.”[/color]

Her brow furrowed slightly at Casey’s affirmation about the goodness of people in the Temple - she’d never thought otherwise. Every place had nice people, even if the person at the top was like Lynette. She wouldn’t necessarily trust any of them less than someone she met otherwise… Since she didn’t tend to open up to anyone, until they were close enough it was no longer a risk.
[color=d1b300]“I’ll keep an open mind, don’t worry. I won’t judge all the followers based on the leaders. And Clarissa’s been nice, even after… that.”[/color] She waved a hand, before her mind jumped back to what he’d said before. [color=d1b300]“Oh- is ProEd short for Project Eden?”[/color]

Casey nodded, smiling at her own affirmation toward his feelings.
[color=577d06]”Yup! Project Manager is Ginara Rasmussen. Then, yeah there’s a whole bunch of other people, but they’re… Like, our bleeding edge Wizards. Like, during the War, I was able to get a couple of furloughs in order to coordinate between government Paras and uh… Aiden was still PM then. Not such a good guy, and also not around anymore.”[/color] he grinned.
[color=577d06]”But yeah, they wanted some more spells under their belt, and at the time the Temple needed cash to help defend the homefront, so we coordinated the trade. Mostly Gin and I.”[/color] 

[color=d1b300]“Right,”[/color] Trisha nodded as if she completely understood everything. It didn’t really tell her anything more about what exactly Project Eden was… cutting edge magic, seemingly used to make a very fancy Greenhouse? She supposed if it was related to the Garden of Eden, this might be what it was like. But this was probably just one of the many things they did. She didn’t want to outright ask, because that was probably prying into something she shouldn’t. She wasn’t sure if she wanted to.
[color=d1b300]“So they… make really cool Greenhouses and help in World Wars? That’s some range. It’s… really impressive. Really fucking impressive.”[/color] 

She tilted her head back up towards the towering flowers, and smiled. 
[color=d1b300]“Do you think I need to read the manual before I bring the bees in?”[/color] 

Casey couldn’t help but grin and smile at Trisha’s line of questioning. It did sound a bit ridiculous, but here she was. Magic wasn’t typical. Even as a kid, even if he couldn’t see his Sister’s dolls coming to life, he could observe the effects.
He couldn’t hear the cats chattering in his brain, so they made it a point to make sure he knew they knew that [i]he knew.[/i] It was a nightmare. And a nightmare he couldn’t do anything about but cower in fear of. But even at that, it still left him more ready for the strangeness.

Not that he minded. He figured that he was already living his life with minimal magic, but maybe Trisha and he could give one another balance in that aspect.

[color=577d06]”Well…-”[/color] he started, taking a long look around. [color=577d06]”-I definitely don’t see, like… Hive boxes or anything. So, I’m gonna have to say, yes?”[/color] he giggled. 
[color=577d06]”Or, at least don’t wait too long if you do. Maybe there’s something we’re missing about it.”[/color]

[color=d1b300]“Yeah, I don’t see anything,”[/color] Trisha also took a proper look around. [color=d1b300]“I suppose they could make their own hive, but that doesn’t just happen overnight. It could take them weeks… They need to build up the honeycomb once they’ve found a spot they like. If they have to build the hive they probably won’t start producing honey until they're done, so we’re probably missing something.”[/color]

She hoped so. Otherwise, she’d end up with a fair amount of the bees trying to sleep on [i]her[/i]to take breaks.
[color=d1b300]“I was hoping to take my time reading it later… Ah, I guess the bees can always hang out inside with us until I figure it out. They’ll live so long as there’s places for them to sit and fruit for them to eat.”[/color]

Trisha nodded, making up her mind that she wouldn’t rush too much. If she rushed and did something wrong then that would have more of a negative impact on the bees.
[color=d1b300]“I guess we should go get everything else sorted? I feel a bit bad now, thinking about all my bees just sitting in my car while we’re enjoying this.”[/color]

Casey considered the bees and the situation. Without more knowledge on how the structure worked, he didn’t feel comfortable with leaving the door open for them to freely go in and out. Which, of course, meant sixty thousand bees in their rafters.
[color=577d06]”Yeah, I mean it looked like the indoor collection is getting left to our discretion.”[/color]
He turned, nodding his head toward the exit.
[color=577d06]”Just bring ‘em in and we’ll let ‘em in the house. I’ll have someone go get us some groceries and shit. And there should be some wood, I can get that stove goin’ while we’re taping down spots for the furniture.”[/color]


[color=de3b1b]”Nah, special surprise my man.”[/color]
Furio’s voice was a surprise. His face hadn’t looked pressed for speech, but it practically echoed from his foghorn of a chest.
[color=de3b1b]”Swapped it out for a nice clean burning gas. So, it’s just heat now.”[/color]
[color=577d06]”Oh, geeze… I’ll [i]really[/i] miss having to bring wood up here and chop it by hand.”[/color]
Furio put his hand up, playfully pointing back.
[color=de3b1b]”It was a good chore, and it helped us out! Kept you fit!”[/color]

Casey seemed to take it in stride as they got a bit closer.
[color=577d06]”So you guys are leaving the plants?”[/color]
[color=e0c4ff]”Well, nah. We’ll come back for ‘em later on though, since I’m not sure how that green room is gonna fit ‘em all, I may have to give them a different home. Buuuuut, don’t worry! We’ll clean up when it’s all set.”[/color] Clarissa smiled, leaning slightly into her husband as she spoke.
[color=577d06]”You mean [i]Theo[/i].”[/color] Casey laughed
[color=e0c4ff]”Well duh, Psycho over there loves vacuuming.”[/color]

The three of them laughed like it was a joke Trisha wasn’t in on. Casey didn’t bother to explain it. 

Trisha stood awkwardly as they all laughed at a joke she didn’t understand. Nobody explained, so she didn’t ask, trying to ignore the irritation at being left out. Her lips pulled into a thin line, the hint of a grumpy expression that she couldn’t quite control before she pushed it down.

[color=d1b300]“Uh,”[/color] she awkwardly cleared her throat. [color=d1b300]“Let’s go figure out where to put the furniture? Then I can get the bees before they get too upset…”[/color]

She half ushered them out of the Greenhouse, and towards all the work that waited for them.

[hr]

There wasn’t much Trisha had to help with after they’d taped down all the furniture spots. She wasn’t really built for manual labour and she couldn’t start unpacking her own things until the furniture was all in and it was moved up. There were a few things that kept her busy - a trip downstairs to get her bees, and a less fun trip back up with them… but she didn’t want to call them all up and risk them going into attack mode. After taking the time to get them settled, most of the bees resting in the plants hanging above their heads. It wasn’t ideal, but she felt a lot more relaxed having them inside with them.

With the bees sorted, she was back to feeling pretty useless and just a bit in the way. 

So as soon as she saw the opportunity to, she took the Greenhouse manual and squirrelled away into the smaller room they were going to make their ‘den’. The large, forest green couch had been put in and set up early on - before it would have to be carried around loads of furniture boxes. It took up a large space in the room, but it meant it felt cosy… safe. Trisha preferred spaces like this to massive, open rooms.

At first, she’d only meant to do a quick flick through - to find what she needed [i]now[/i] and give the pages a brief glance over. She’d grabbed a notebook and pen from her car when she got the bees, just to make a few notes of the important points, so she could get the bees settled as quickly as possible.

It didn’t take long for her to start treating it like studying. The manual was well laid out, with all the information she needed right away at the start. It was incredibly detailed, and she was only on page one - no moving pictures yet, just informative text and clearly laid out instructions. She was glad there were no ‘magical recordings’ to start with, because then she’d really have to properly write out her own notes.

She’d just read through this page once or twice, maybe take some notes on it… then she’d move onto the next one. There was no point going through quickly if she didn’t properly understand the material at the beginning. If she was quick, she’d get through everything she needed right now in a few hours. That wouldn’t be so bad. 

She moved from sitting up to lying on her stomach, manual open in front of her and notebook to her right. The pen went to her mouth as she chewed on the cap, face scrunching up as she started to read. Her eyes moved across the page slowly, pen moving from her lips to the notebook to make scrawling notes, before she immediately went back to chewing it as she concentrated. 

The manual itself was a bespoke tome masquerading as a simple office shelf insert, even from the first few pages. It was addressed formally, but still as if it were some sort of planned one on one tutoring program where she was the sole focus. There was a small forward by the purported project manager, this Gin character. 
[color=9399b8][i]”Welcome to your personalized guide to navigating the latest and greatest advancement in magical horticulture: The Plentiful Garden. It is a privilege to have the opportunity that we’ve been presented with - Allowing magically influenced creatures native to our Heavenly Domain of Shimmer to develop in conditions that we expect to see in the next Epoch.[/i][/color]

Casey swung into the door frame. He had a bowl in his hand and a smile on his face.
[color=577d06]”Heyyyyy… Busy? I can leave the fruit and go, but I cut you up some melon, aaaand some strawberries, and there’s grapes too. I cracked a few watermelons for the bees, I think they’re chowing down with Theo.”[/color] he giggled.

It took Trisha a moment to even realise someone was talking to her. Her mind was just filled with [i]words[/i], eyes moving at a snail's pace across the page. Even the foreword was something she had to read a couple of times to properly process. So Casey’s words entered her ears and just sat there at the top of the stack of other things she was thinking about, until she finally reached them.
[color=d1b300]“Oh- no, I was just taking a quick look at the manual,”[/color] Trisha turned her head towards him with a smile, acting as if it had just been a casual look. As she did she opened her mind back up to the pheromonal signals she’d been purposefully ignoring, sensing that what he said about the bees was true. [color=d1b300]“Oh yeah, they’re really enjoying them. I can feel it through the walls.”[/color]

She shifted slightly, patting the couch next to her while subtly closing the notebook already filled with a hurried scrawl with the other hand. 
[color=d1b300]“It’s really sweet that you brought me all this fruit… I’m not the one doing any of the manual labour.”[/color]

The large man returned a gentle chuckle and put the bowl down on the wooden insert that turned the corner of the couch into a table.
[color=577d06]”Well, for one? Studying’s hard work. I can still recite like thirty five stories from the Richoux Tomes; I used to study that shit until my eyes hurt.”[/color]

For a moment, he thought about being a kid and knowing for certain magic existed, but not being able to do any of it. To not feel how his siblings felt. But looking at her face made him brush the pain aside. It was a good day, and he didn’t want to ruin the mood.

[color=577d06]”And, two… I’m barely doing anything. Check this shit out.”[/color]
One of the first things he’d done when the furniture arrived was change into a different pair of pants. It hadn’t been obvious then, but now he demonstrated a keen feature: Rather than sitting on the couch, he simply bent his legs into a squatting position, then readjusted for a moment until it looked like he was literally sitting on nothing. 
He had no strain in his face, no struggle to keep the posture, no shaking or anything.

[color=577d06]”Enchanted pants and boots, dude. Like exoskeletons, they hoist and stabilize all at the same time. You could easily be doing this shit with us, I just don’t want you to have to. Because I’m a chauvinist like that.”[/color] he laughed aloud, hoping she’d take it as the joke it was.

[color=d1b300]“Oh yeah, you’ve relegated me to doing the only thing us women can - studying,”[/color] Trisha laughed, shaking her head half in disbelief as she stared at Casey, then at the pants. He really wasn’t struggling to stay like that… 
[color=d1b300]“All this item enchanting just feels like a life cheat code. Next thing you’ll just be letting your clothes do everything for you. Is there something that can do the work of my brain for me?”[/color]

With a smile, she rolled over towards the corner of the couch. It would be easier to sit up and move, but she couldn’t really be bothered to. She reached out for a piece of melon first, putting it in her mouth and quickly chewing it. Normally when she got properly into studying something she wouldn’t even bother to eat. Having someone bring her food was… really nice. 
[color=d1b300]“How’s it going out there?”[/color] she asked, munching on another piece of melon. Then she shuffled across on her stomach so she was right next to him, gently pressing her head against his arm. 
[color=d1b300]“I think I can get through everything I need to set up the bees if I don’t-”[/color] take any breaks. Right, that wouldn’t be feasible at all. [color=d1b300]“-Get too stuck on the details.”[/color]


Casey shifted so he was actually sitting on the couch with her. Leaning his own head, he pressed it up to hers and took a deep breath.
[color=577d06]”Oh, we’re just about done, it’s gonna be stuff that the other two can bring up. Clarissa and Furio are officially out, but you can expect to see him at least for the next couple weeks while we transition the role fully.”[/color]
He pointed out to the hall.
[color=577d06]”The massive fucking television I wanted is actually in the hall, I just didn’t want to install it and everything while you’re in here trying to intake information. Thankfully one of the guys from the IT office is going to be coming later to hook everything up for us; the cable, get the wifi taken care of, all that shit.”[/color]

He grabbed a few grapes and popped them into his mouth, laying back a bit to look at the manual with her. As his eyes tracked across the page, he started to get a strange and tingling feeling on the back of his neck.
[color=577d06]”Wow… I really hope they don’t go super heavy into the whole faith thing. I don’t want you reading this and feeling like they’re trying to convert you…”[/color] 
His brow furrowed as he began to shuffle through the pages. Each new one, or at least once every few pages, a voice leaked out like a person stuck in a book before being shut up again by the fold of another.

[color=d1b300]“Honestly? I don’t entirely understand all the faith stuff in it, and I’m used to ignoring things like that to get the information I need,”[/color] Trisha shrugged. She leaned over to watch as he flicked through it, trying not to get too twitchy about how he was just [i]skimming[/i] and not even bothering to read anything properly, and he wasn’t understand the earlier things first- but he wasn’t studying it, he was just quickly checking it wasn’t too religion heavy.
[color=d1b300]“My mom’s Catholic so she used to always get me these ‘Faith and Science’ books, I got good at reading around those parts. Didn’t work so well when she quizzed me on that too… But basically, I’m used to it, so don’t worry too much about it.”[/color] 

She reached out to place a hand on his shoulder, gently rubbing it. Honestly, she did find it a bit annoying, but she also didn’t care if they were trying to convert her through some manual… she wasn’t going to convert, and that was that. She wasn’t someone who was so easily influenced.
[color=d1b300]“Maybe it’ll help me learn a little bit more about you?”[/color]

[color=577d06]”Well, sure… But…-”[/color]
He bit his lip, hitting the end and reading through a paragraph. He cleared his throat before speaking again.
[color=577d06]”Its just, y’know, a Catholic will tell you Jesus died for your sins. A member of the Temple would agree, but they’d also tell you that he came back. And that he’s not far.”[/color]

He shook his head, closing the book.
[color=577d06]”It seems fine. No little quotes from the book, or any of my Mom’s poems. They’re probably gonna start talking about Eden and about the Bible, so its shit you already know. But, they’ll probably give the magic spin on it, if you’re interested in hearing. I guess, long and short, we… Believe that with enough unity, we’re be able to reclaim the gift of Eden. Since… Y’know, Jesus died for our sins already and all that.”[/color] he shrugged.

[color=577d06]”But, just like you, I want to be the one to go through it with you. Not them.”[/color]

Trisha pressed her lips together to clamp down on her initial reaction that it was all ridiculous. She already found the Catholic thing, with God and Jesus dying for their sins, stupid as anything but fiction. It did in part come from having it forced on her when she was young, and the resentment that came from being shunted to a Sunday school when she could've spent that day with her mom. But that he’d come back? That they'd be able to reclaim something that probably wasn't even real? It was hard to wrap her head around believing it. 

But Casey believed it, and the last thing she wanted to do was upset him over something she wasn't really bothered by. She disliked having things pushed on her, but she'd never had a problem with other people's faith. Being with him was more important than any lack of belief she had. It wasn't a real problem.
[color=d1b300]“I want to hear it from you too… when there's less things happening, and you want to tell me,"[/color] Trisha said softly, before laughing as a thought crossed her mind. [color=d1b300]“Then when I'm an expert I can write a textbook about science, faith, [I]and[/i] magic."[/color]

She pushed herself up slightly, only to practically burrow against him, mostly lying on him rather than the couch. She looped her arms around his torso as best she could, snuggling in closely.
[color=d1b300]“We can slowly tell each other these things… About ourselves, and our lives. Then by the time I tell you my deepest, darkest secrets you'll be too invested to leave."[/color] Her voice lifted up into a joking tone towards the end of the sentence, and she smiled contentedly at him. Of course… it wasn't really ‘secrets’ she was worried would cause him to leave her. She never got close to truly letting someone in, yet they left her all the same. It was just her. [color=d1b300]“I’m looking forward to it. Learning everything about each other until nobody knows us like we do."[/color]

She smiled warmly at him, like everything was going to be perfect. She really wanted to believe it would be, for once.
[color=d1b300]“We haven't even finished moving in and this place already feels more like a home than anywhere else I've lived."[/color]

[color=577d06]”Hey, who says I’ll ever wanna leave? I could be like one of those fish… Latch onto you like a leech and grow into you. Amoebaaaaaaa…”[/color]
Holding her so close, he easily tucked backward to lay on the massive green couch they’d bought. [i]He[/i] bought, though he didn’t ever consider it. Not once had the thought crossed his mind the entire time that it was anything other than their furniture. 

It wasn’t so much that he knew she had money, moreso that it didn’t matter. It was all fake, and they were living unreal lives among magical prestige. Even if the Vanburens weren’t magical in their entirety, Trisha was. And sometimes vast wealth grants one better spells than genuine magical study.
No, none of it mattered. He was there with her, on the couch that was in the apartment that, for the moment, he was sure of being clean. They were alone as someone could be in the Temple.

His hand reached into the fruit bowl from a distance, bringing a piece of melon up to Trisha’s mouth.
[color=577d06]”Buzz, buzz. Open up.”[/color] he giggled, his other hand creeping about her exposed bits, pressing and poking until he could find a decent tickling spot to use. He wasn’t rough or digging about it, just putting enough pressure to get a reaction.

Trisha liked the thought of Casey becoming a fish permanently attached to her more than she should. Then he wouldn't leave her and she wouldn't have to worry about being lonely ever. Sure, the concept was a bit disturbing, but… well it would be nice. 

She parted her lips to take the melon, unable to resist lightly kissing his fingers at the end. As he tried to tickle her, though, she demonstrated a pretty impressive stone face, barely seeming to react beyond a languid smile. She really wasn’t that ticklish and if anything she just enjoyed the feeling of Casey’s light touch all over.
[color=d1b300]“Did you really think it would be that easy? I've been trained by thousands of bees crawling on me, this is nothing-"[/color] Trisha's confident words were cut off by a fit of giggles when his hand lightly pressed into her side. She jerked her body to try to get away without actually getting off him, pressing her face into shoulder and muffling her constant laughter. [color=d1b300]“Hey, hey, stop!"[/color]

She wriggled up so her head was at his neck, reaching down to grab the offending hand. She tried to trap his fingers to stop them from pressing into her sensitive side, but didn't actually try to move his hand away, keeping it at her waist. Her other hand snaked up to his chest, just resting there. 
[color=d1b300]“Now that you've found out my weakness, I can't let you live."[/color] Trisha's attempt at a low, ominous tone was ruined by a giggle at the end. Her eyes creased playfully and she pursed her lips to gently blow on his neck. At the same time her fingers pressed into his chest to tickle him back. 

Every time Trisha tried to tickle him in a new spot, he just laughed like it was nothing.
[color=577d06]”Nerve damage. Scar tissue. Not ticklish there. More nerve damage.”[/color]
It took getting up under his arms, hands crammed into his armpits, for him to start scooting and hopping. His giggles and the situation only caused him to fight back with equal fervour. 

Eventually, the two of them were a writhing mass of giggles and laughter, with Casey finally giving up getting her back and simply grabbing both her wrists.
He spun, playfully pinning her to the big open section of the couch. He was panting, trying to catch his breath after being tickled half to death himself.

His eyes stared down at her, hair sprawled out to frame her face against the darker colors surrounding it. Hands released hers, slowly moving down but still keeping him looming over her.
[color=577d06]”D-do… Is this when I kiss you again?”[/color] he asked quietly.

Trisha laughed, smiling softly up at him. There was a light sheen of perspiration across her forehead, her chest rapidly moving up and down as she tried to slow her breathing back down. But she couldn’t stop more laughter swelling up, eyes half closing. It was just so… cute how he had to ask. 

[color=d1b300]“It is,"[/color] she replied softly when she stopped giggling. She reached up to loosely wrap her arms around his neck, one hand resting on the back of it and the other threading through his hair. They lightly pressed, encouraging him back down towards her. [color=d1b300]“You’re learning quickly, I’m [i]really[/i] lucky to have such a good student."[/color]

She didn’t move to close the gap, just once again waiting for him to take the initiative with an inviting smile. 

He was more than happy to let himself go like a greyhound at the track. An hour or so later, Casey's shirt was gone and half wrapped around Trisha's neck as he dried her sweat and his spit off with it. They were tight together, legs locked between one another. He was playing with her hair, staring half into space.
[color=577d06]”I always knew I was gonna like kissing.”[/color] he giggled.

The manual for the greenhouse, as well as Trisha's notes, ended up on the floor long ago, but he wasn't in a position to return them to where they were… Nor did he want to. It was his time, for however long or brief it'd end up being.
[color=577d06]”I guess it's satisfactory, huh?”[/color] he grinned smugly.

[color=d1b300]“Mhm, you got way too good at it way too quickly,"[/color] Trisha laughed weakly, still panting slightly. She was happy and content, but also [i]tired[/i]. She was definitely going to have to actually start going to the gym with him and do some… stamina training or something. It wasn’t even like they’d… well, when they got to that she’d definitely need it. 

[color=d1b300]“It helps that I’m a good kisser too, of course you enjoy it with me,"[/color] she smiled, tucking her head in against him. As she did her gaze went down towards her own neck and collar - all the skin that was exposed by just wearing a tank top. Her eyes widened slightly, as if she hadn’t experienced all of the kissing, and she playfully pushed at his chest.
[color=d1b300]“Oh my god, this is going to be so obvious tomorrow… My friends are not going to shut up about it. [i]Caseeeyyyy[/i]."[/color] It was obvious from the way she still smiled and snuggled close to him that she wasn’t actually upset, just jokingly complaining. [color=d1b300]“I’m not going to protect you from all their questioning."[/color] 

Casey gave a hearty laugh at the implication.
[color=577d06]”We spent some time in the psych office taking tests to make sure we wouldn't spill government secrets under interrogation. I'm a steel cage: you just tell me how to respond and I'll do it.”[/color] he grinned.

His neck craned and he planted another sucking kiss on her neck.
[color=577d06]”But, I kind of like the evidence… Is that weird?”[/color]

[color=d1b300]“Not really, I- uh- well I like it too. I would’ve stopped you if I didn’t,"[/color] Trisha blushed slightly while saying that. It wasn’t that she was inexperienced at all, but vocalising something she liked? Generally not something she’d do.
[color=d1b300]“Butttt I’m not sure that psych office has anything on my friends, they just have this way of annoying you so much you give in just to get them to shut up. Well, it’s not anything you need to lie about, they’ll just be intrusive."[/color] 

She paused, lips pressing together and dropping from a smile to a thin line. Thinking about her friends, and everything they’d ask and say, and being with him like this… She had to say. While it was just them, and she had the opportunity. 
[color=d1b300]“About my friends… there is something you should know, but you have to promise to stay calm about it, okay?"[/color] 

He was about to ask if he was ever anything other than calm, but she’d already seen him blow his stack a bit.
[color=577d06]”Unless something is hurting you, I promise you I’ll keep my cool. I’ll never ever yell at you, or anything like that. So, what’s up?”[/color]

[color=d1b300]“Alright,”[/color] Trisha nodded, taking in a deep breath. Well it would be fine, wouldn’t it? Sure, there’d been other men she’d been with who found out she was friend’s with an ex, and a girl at that, who’d changed just like that. But Casey wasn’t like that. She trusted him.
[color=d1b300]”So one of my friend’s- Reyna, I mentioned her before, the White-Pink adept- we sorta, well yeah we did, we dated before. She was the one that lasted four months… but it was over four years ago, and we’re really just friends now. There hasn’t been anything there since she broke up with me. But just, I wanted you to know before you meet them- her."[/color] 

If it affected Casey, he didn’t show it. Truthfully it didn’t; the disconnect was so strong that not a lot was going to overpower it. He was just confused as to why she was making anything out of it at all.
[color=577d06]”Al-right? I mean, I appreciate you being honest with me and I love that, but like… Is that something normal people worry about in a relationship? I guess, like, because people cheat?”[/color] he asked, just trying to wrap his head around it.
[color=577d06]”But, like, it was only four months. Four years ago. You guys just made better friends, I get that. Well, I mean I understand. I’ve seen the scenario in, like, movies and television. But is that really something normal people would get pissy about?”[/color] he asked her.

[color=d1b300]“Yeah, they do.”[/color] Trisha visibly relaxed as he talked, the slight tension that had appeared in her frame completely drained away. 
[color=d1b300]“I’ve been with people in the past who found out and made a big deal about it. One even broke up with me over it… I think, because she’s a girl, guys I’ve dated just assume I’ll need both? I’ve [i]never[/i] cheated and never will, but sometimes people just jump to conclusions.”[/color] She shook her head, smiling slightly at him. 
[color=d1b300]“I’m glad you’re not like that about it- not that I thought you would be. Probably seems a little silly I got so worried about it, huh?”[/color]

Silly? Sure. But people were silly, they did silly things. Having been involved with the Temple just about all his life, he was used to that sort of thing. Quirks, oddities, weird ticks. It didn’t get any better in the Military, either.
[color=577d06]”Well, if I got worried about shit like that, I probably would’ve died. There was this… Guy. He was in my squad, and he… We were close. He tried to come onto me, and I didn’t really know how to feel about it. He got offended, ran off… Fucking shadow monsters invading our position ripped him apart, poor guy. We were on watch duty, we didn’t even know that we-”[/color]

His voice trailed off. Describing it invited the memories back. The visual of it. 
[color=577d06]”I didn’t really have time to be sad. It was confusion into fight mode. No time for getting overly emotional.”[/color] he finished, his voice no longer warm. He got quiet, almost distant.
[color=577d06]”I… Couldn’t even stop him. It was totally unprofessional. We were… Supposed to be on watch. Why couldn’t he wait? I’ll never know.”[/color]

[color=d1b300]“I’m… sorry,”[/color] Trisha said softly, shuffling herself slightly to loop her arms around him and rub gentle circles against his back. While it would probably come across that way, she wasn’t so much saying sorry for it happening like others might when told something like this… That wasn’t her fault, what would her sorries do? But she was sorry that what she’d said had led him to remember it. 

[color=d1b300]“That really is worse than anything I’ve-”[/color] As she spoke, the image of someone being ripped apart by shadow monsters really settled in. She could see it. It was almost too real as it flashed across her eyes… She had seen that. [i]Everyone[/i] in Sycamore had seen people die, but… She closed her eyes to try get the image out of her head. Something she didn’t want to remember. It didn’t help, but she pressed closer to him, hands still rubbing circles in his back - as if it was all to comfort him.

[color=d1b300]“I’ve never seen someone die like that. I can only imagine…”[/color] Trisha lied awkwardly, but it probably just seemed like she was struggling with the whole person being ripped apart thing. [color=d1b300]“It wasn’t your fault but… I guess sometimes we regret things that weren’t our fault.”[/color] 

He wasn’t exactly listening to her talking. He was looking for something else to bite into. Casey’s mind twisted and turned to a conversation he’d had just a couple of years back, when he and Leon had spoken about their own situations involving traumatic events. It was mostly about Casey’s refusal to seek magical assistance with it. 
Leon had explained the process, and what he’d chosen to have done about it.

[color=577d06]”Did… Have you had a memory adjustment?”[/color] his voice echoed. [color=577d06]”Or, were you… Not a fighter? I know Edict messes with people’s memories, he’s the one who cleared my brother’s condition. But, from what they both say, things got… Real bad. You’re telling me you never saw anything like that?”[/color]

He tried to sound like he was excited for her, but there was a… [i]Tension.[/i]

Trisha’s head snapped up, eyes widening as she jerked back slightly. She wasn’t able to hide her reaction, her face visibly paling. How could she be so stupid? Of course Leon talked to Casey about what happened… but she’d gone and forgotten about that in her stupid attempt to cover up a perceived vulnerability. She’d lied and he knew and he was just trying to pretend he didn’t.
[color=d1b300]“I… My memory’s a bit fuzzy.”[/color] That was true. There were bits she didn’t remember - or had forced herself to forget, perhaps. A self protection thing. But not enough. [color=d1b300]“But I haven’t had a memory adjustment, I couldn’t- don’t want to… I did see… I…”[/color]

She stumbled over her words, squeezing her eyes shut so she didn’t have to see whatever reaction he had, breathing quickening. Closing her eyes just meant she saw all [i]that[/i] again, but that was better than rejection. It was in the past.
[color=d1b300]“I was there. I fought Apparitions and the Stygian Snake. I- I just don’t like talking about it. I try not to remember it. I wasn’t always on the frontlines, I missed some of it. I didn’t want to make it about me.”[/color] Rapid fire excuses, one after the other. [color=d1b300]“It was ten years ago.”[/color]

Casey got concerned once her eyes slammed shut. He recognized the reaction in some of the other soldiers he’d met when he tripped something accidentally. Most of his issues came from associative visualisation. It took a lot to get him going heavily without actually seeing something in front of him. But she wasn’t doing well with it based on memory.
He nodded his head, taking a deep breath.

[color=577d06]”Trisha… Look at me. Casey. I’m here, Trisha.”[/color] his voice was gentle, trying to be subtle and calm as possible. He’d been taught some techniques to try and help with flares. Connection and consistency were important.
[color=577d06]”Nothing’s gonna hurt you with me around, Trisha. Nothing. I won’t let it. I’m right here with you, and I’m going to be as long as you want me here. I’m sorry… I know it’s hard to remember that kind of thing, but I promise you it’s never going to happen again. Not here with me.”[/color]

[color=d1b300]“Really? You’ll- you’ll stay?”[/color] Trisha’s eyes slowly, hesitantly, opened. Her fingers dug into his back as she tried to get rid of the deep feeling of fear that had come out of nowhere. She didn’t normally get like this- she didn’t normally remember. But it wasn’t that, was it? It was the fear of him leaving after she’d lied, right? She didn’t have problems with- with-

She winced, chest tightening again as she just brought back up more memories she’d tried to suppress. The apparitions… the claws and teeth that ripped people apart. The Stygian Snake worming its way into her mind, the hallucinations. 
[color=d1b300]“I’m… I’m fine. It wasn’t like I- well I- I only nearly died once. Just once. I know it’s fine. It’s not that. It’s really not that.”[/color] She shook her head, eyes darting all over the place as she tried to deny to herself more than anything. She hadn’t had problems in so many years since? Just the first few, that was to be expected. [color=d1b300]“You’ll really be there to protect me?”[/color] 


This was difficult for him. He didn’t want to make it seem like this was the end of the world; she’d lied, and so had he. Just a few hours ago, totally unprompted and about something that he hoped would never even come up. But, what was she so afraid of that she was lying about having a condition like that? 
Casey slowly brought his hands up to her face, gently cradling her chin and cheeks.

[color=577d06]”We’re gonna talk about this again. Not in a day, maybe not in a week… But I certainly intend on being here to talk about it with you again. And again, and again. Until one day we’ll both feel better about what we’ve seen.”[/color]
His face got close, kissing her on the forehead, then rocking his own into hers to look at her directly in the eyes.
[color=577d06]”I’m not leaving you, Trisha. We’re doing things together, starting with living here together and sleeping in our own bed together. Hanging on our couch together. Talking like this together.”[/color]

His eyebrows rose up, making sure she could see his expectant gaze.
[color=577d06]”Do you understand me? It’s us. Us.”[/color]

Trisha bit her lip, slightly tilting her head into what seemed to be a nod. She really, really wanted to trust his reassurance. He probably wouldn’t leave her… yet. But it was impossible to get those words any further through her walls, to all the anxieties she’d locked up deeply for years. She didn’t talk for a while, slowly processing his words, trying to let them sink in. Trying to calm down. Eventually, she felt like she could talk again.
[color=d1b300]“I understand. You’re not leaving, and I’m not leaving, so I guess it is us.”[/color] She took a deep, but still shaky, breath. It was easier to calm down as she looked into his eyes, that expression, foreheads pressed together. The warmth of his skin against hers helped her push away the doubts and the memories that had been brought up. Things she didn’t really want to talk about again, if she could help it. 

[color=d1b300]“Thank you,”[/color] she said softly, expression finally relaxing, and chest no longer heaving up and down as if she was struggling to breathe. Now, she really just wanted to curl up in his arms and sleep.
[color=d1b300]“I don’t know what happened, really, I don’t normally get like that. I guess it’s all part of living together- this couch has already seen so much, it’s only been a few hours.”[/color] She laughed slightly, tilting her head slightly to rub her nose against his. Her mind was still slightly fuzzy, trying to figure out how to move the conversation on, but only coming up with awkward ideas. Well, better than nothing.
[color=d1b300]“I’m glad we got it, it's comfortable for just cuddling up like this.”[/color] 

Casey couldn’t help but smile, feeling Trisha calming down directly in his arms. He’d long since released her to take whatever position felt most comfortable, and was cradling her as best he could between his massive arms.
[color=577d06]”I’m sure Big Green will see a lot more in its life. Lets just hope the cushions don’t get all caved in from us being here too long.”[/color]
He adjusted slightly, a nervous tick to avoid the scenario of the cushions getting ruined in his head. Why? Even he didn’t know. Not like it couldn’t be fixed.

[color=577d06]”You get nice and comfy… You want me to have them finish up for me? I’ll sit here, make sure you feel safe as long as you want me…”[/color] he offered to her, whispering sweetly as his hand twirled a little curl in her hair.

[color=d1b300]“Only if you think that’ll be alright,”[/color] Trisha replied softly, curling up in his arms and resting against his chest. After that episode she felt drained, even as the little voice in the back of her mind that sounded awfully like her mom’s started berating her for wasting so much time when she could be studying. But she was tired. She tilted her head up, eyes half closed.
[color=d1b300]“Maybe just for a bit… let’s stay like this, then I’ll get back to reading the manual.”[/color] 

[color=577d06]”Oh… Yeah! You just chill out, Babe. I’m here with you. Maybe try and fall asleep? Get some good rest.”[/color] he smiled down at her, hand running through her hair as he thought about what was next.