A few more hours passed. Casey was done before they bled out of daylight, and Trisha had been able to move out into the main part of the house. There was another sofa and a couple of loveseats nearby the warmth of the gas fireplace for her to study at while Casey let the guys from downstairs wire in the television and anchor it to the wall. 
All the while, sixty thousand bees buzzed in cacophony over their heads, the unstoppable noise of the hive filling the place. The two of them had time to discuss the finer points of the Greenhouse, and Trisha had voiced some concerns about the ideas that The Temple had for her harvesting. With no boxes, it would be an incredibly cursed job as she tried to break into established wild hives high up giant flowers just to get the product.

Plus, from what she made it sound like, the Queen liked to be involved with harvest, and that meant Trisha had to be easily involved. To Casey, this meant hive boxes were necessary, and to get the buzzing of prop-bombers out of his head, he had to get the people responsible involved as soon as possible. Unfortunately for Trisha, that meant one last set of introductions for the day.
Not but thirty seconds after he sent a text to Gin asking about hive boxes, she responded.

He was in the kitchen area, munching on what fruit remained after the bees’ bombarding brunch. Eyes widened as he read the text message.

[color=577d06]”Aw, shit… Babe? I maybe fucked up a little?”[/color] he spoke with a questioning tone.
[color=577d06]”You remember you said you really wanted boxes? I texted Gin to tell her… And now she says she’s, like, on her way?”[/color]
Casey’s phone dinged again.
[color=577d06]”She says… [i]I’ll be there in twenty minutes.[/i] And then she just sent another one saying [i]I was born ready.[/i] Which is… Ominous.”[/color] he grimaced.

[color=d1b300]“Twenty minutes?!”[/color] Trisha dropped the manual that she was still poring over, now mostly figuring out the final details. The bees reacted to her sudden panic with a louder buzzing, a large group of them descending from the rafters to swarm around her shoulders. One hand went to her neck, now crawling with bees. It wasn’t that she was embarrassed about it, just…
[color=d1b300]“I’ve barely started unpacking, I have no idea where my scarf is… maybe I can use the bees… Uh, maybe it doesn’t matter, I don’t know… Twenty minutes? What’s she ready for?!”[/color]

She jumped up off the sofa she’d been lounging on, darting into the bathroom and leaving a trail of bees in her wake. After some barely audible swearing she came back out, dragging herself over to Casey with an expression closer to pained acceptance than panic.
[color=d1b300]”What’s… well how intrusive is Gin? Is she just going to come and magic up some boxes, or will she start questioning me about everything?”[/color]

Casey found himself grinning at a scene he probably shouldn’t have grinned at. She was flustered, worried about her space being invaded, and all he could do was find a giggle in his heart.
[color=577d06]”Well, I… I think I mentioned, but she kind of treats everyone like a specimen before she treats them like a friend? I’m sure she’ll mostly ask about logistical questions between you and the bees. My hope is that she’s too distracted by needing to get boxes taken care of? I’m… Not sure what the fuck she’s going to do about that in twenty minutes; her powers have nothing to do with fabrication.”[/color] 

The accompanying shrug was resignatory, mostly out of confusion mixed with a lack of ability to do anything about it. The two attendants had gone back to their own apartments for the day, leaving Trisha and Casey alone to handle whatever needed to be taken care of.

[color=577d06]”I’m sorry, Babe, I… Just kind of figured you’d want to get the girls settled properly as soon as possible, so I texted her. I should’ve known she’d be too eager.”[/color]

Trisha shook her head, stepping closer and tucking herself against his side with a sigh.
[color=d1b300]“It’s fine, I will be a lot more relaxed when they’ve got somewhere to stay… Sometimes you have to sacrifice your own comfort for your kids,”[/color] she half joked, raising a hand to rub her forehead. At least she’d had a nap earlier, otherwise she wouldn’t be able to handle it at all. [color=d1b300]“If it’s mostly questions about me and the bees, that’s easy. So long as she does sort something out for them.”[/color] 


She leaned into him more, mumbling, [color=d1b300]“I can’t wait for everything to be sorted so it’s really just the two of us.”[/color] 

Casey laughed aloud, but still comfortingly rubbed her shoulders.
[color=577d06]”Oh, dude… Wrong family to shack up with.”[/color][hr]

Twenty minutes rolled around, and there was a buzzing coming from [i]somewhere[i] in the house. Casey didn’t particularly care for that, the doorbell being some aggressive alarm bell hidden in the walls. It made him think of air raids and shit he didn’t want to think about so suddenly. So he elected to head out and down to open the door. 
At least the courtesy was there.

Returning, Casey was accompanied by a short, brown-skinned woman whose hair was impossibly long and tied up into several different loops that dangled behind her. She wore an ensemble of masculine clothing, mostly stylized to resemble some kind of rave fashion. It was all way too big for her, purposefully ripped or half-stitched in a lazy repair. 
Most notably was the laboratory coat she wore over it all, with the sleeves rolled up no less. 


Casey and the woman, presumably Gin, made their way to the Greenhouse to meet Trisha. He didn’t even have time to make proper introductions.
[color=9399b8]”Ooooh, Puh-puh puh pmmpmmm… Puh-Trish-a!”[/color] the young woman stuck both her fingers out into finger guns.
[color=9399b8]”And… What? Sixty… Sixty two thousand, four hundred and thirty-[i]six[/i] bees in the colony. Random guess, I’ve got no clues; hey! Hi. It’s really nice to meet you.”[/color]

It certainly was the same voice from the manual, the one that had given such a professional introduction. She wobbled awkwardly, and certainly didn’t make any kind of direct eye contact. It was easy to feel like she was stealing glances.
[color=9399b8]”Can… I touch them?”[/color] she bluntly asked, nervous energy bubbling over.

[color=d1b300]“The bees?”[/color] Trisha tilted her head, shooting a questioning glance at Casey. Well, he had said she’d that Gin would treat her like a specimen first. There was still a group of bees on her shoulders, gently buzzing. 
[color=d1b300]“No, you can’t. They don’t like being touched by strangers.”[/color] 

She then glanced up towards the ceiling, where the rest of the hive was primed and ready to come down at the sign of an [i]intruder[/i]. It wasn’t like she could explain guests to them, it was always a process of calming them down at the time, which she did with subtle pheromones before continuing.
[color=d1b300]“There’s sixty thousand and forty five. Also, it’s just Trisha… Nice to meet you, Gin, I assume.”[/color] 

She smiled slightly, trying not to immediately judge the other woman. She’d deal with quirky people. At least she was mostly asking about the bees… probably. So she decided just to get straight to business.
[color=d1b300]“Are you going to be able to set up hive boxes, or something similar?”[/color] 

Gin’s hands were very clearly imagining touching the bees as she stared at the moving mounds on Trisha’s shoulders. Her fingers were wriggling, and she slowly but surely grew a big, foolish grin on her face.
[color=9399b8]”G’yad they… Look so soft. Are they? Uh, boxes.”[/color]

Her head, and to a lesser extent her shoulders, bobbed up and down in agreement.
[color=9399b8]”Kinda crazy they need boxes, huh? So you… Well… Come on, you have your key, right? Which biome will you populate first? I mean we’re going to get them all taken care of, but… No natural hives? Can we get natural hives? For testing; I… I’m unconvinced the production will be the same between artificial and natural designs.”[/color] she quickly turned her body, rigidly staring at her creation. 

A grin formed on her face as she looked up at the building. Being shorter than Trisha even, it was like watching a teen see something they’d never seen for the first time.

[color=d1b300]“They’re soft,”[/color] Trisha said, even though the conversation had moved on about twenty steps since that question. She pulled the key out of her pant’s pocket, putting it in the Greenhouse door and turning it all the way to the right. It seemed the safest to start, and it was easier to just show it than explain which one. Once there was no more give she pushed open the door, once again revealing the wild meadow filled with towering flowers.

[color=d1b300]“It’s not that they can’t make natural hives… But there’s a few things that mean it won’t work.”[/color] Trisha reached up to gently touch the bees that had travelled in on her shoulders, obediently sitting there without immediately going for the feast in front of them. 
[color=d1b300]“I need to visit the hive every couple of days. If it’s too high or out of the way I can’t do that. They- the bees and my apparition- prefer that I collect the honey. I could maybe direct them to make natural ones in reachable areas, but it would take them weeks anyway. Also, these bees have been together as a colony for ten years. They won’t separate unless their hive is too small… Maybe if I start getting more.”[/color]

She turned her head to look at Gin, shrugging.
[color=d1b300]“All the honey I’ve produced so far has been from a single hive box in my room.”[/color]

[color=9399b8]”You can’t just [i]make more[/i]? These are… Really finicky. They’re like real bees, God…”[/color]
Entering into the Greenhouse, Gin looked around and smiled widely. At this point, the workings of the “machine” were mostly clear. They called it a machine, as it wasn’t exactly a structure. 

It was, apparently, a small rotating set of tiny manicured gardens made by some of the different Green and Red Adept students. The actual covering for it was a magical housing that emulated a surrounding environment to keep the place temperature treated. 
Coming into it from the entrance on the roof caused one to enter the machine at a miniaturised scale, giving it all the illusion of being a large plot of naturally grown land for the bees to live in. 

Gin took up a walkie talkie from her coat.
[color=9399b8]”Gogo, can you hear me? We’re here.”[/color]
Now the true scale of things became clear. One side of the sky opened up like a sliding roof, a grand noise grating across the top. They could see the workshop of the Temple outside, and it was all enormous like celestial giants staring down into the little world they made.

Many people looked into their world, smiling faces and waving hands creating little gusts of air that  whipped down toward them. Gin raised her hand to wave. There was a giant set of tweezers that descended from the heavens, planting down a large structure that seemed to be some kind of multi-story hive. 
It was even designed interestingly, with carvings and a lacquered finish that gave it a striking appearance.

[color=9399b8]”Ooooh, I’m glad it came out so good. That lathe thing you made really does the trick.”[/color]
One of the giants was holding a radio, and rather than speak, she held her thumb up. Then, unceremoniously, the door was closed. Gin just turned her head to smile at Trisha.
[color=9399b8]”How about that? A hive bigger than you could ever need, with plenty of stairs and access points. We had originally planned to use these, but someone brought up naturalizing the areas… At some point, for us, it’d be nice to see a variety. To test if the honey comes out any different… I really hope it does.”[/color] 

Trisha bristled at the suggestion that her bees were somehow lesser because they were finicky and like real bees. They [i]were[/i] real bees that lived longer and came with more quirks because of it. They were [i]her[/i] bees, not some worker bees for the Temple’s pet project or honey production. But she didn’t get a chance to say any of this before the roof opened.

She just stared up at the giant people, mouth falling slightly open. Was that how they’d originally planned to get the honey? By just reaching in and plucking out her bee’s hard work? They weren’t going to be watching from up there anytime she was in here, were they? She bit her lip, suppressing a shudder at the thought.

Now wasn’t the time to think too hard about that. Without saying anything Trisha approached the hive, squinting at it. It was… massive. Way bigger than her. Big enough to host a colony of bees likely ten times the size of what she had. And it was really nice. 
[color=d1b300]“It’s good, but it doesn’t really matter how much I like it… they’re the real test.”[/color] She didn’t move or verbally talk for a few moments, instead having a gentle pheromonal conversation with the bees. She didn’t want to command them to go inside. Instead, she told them that it was their new hive. They were hesitant at first, but eventually the ones she’d brought in - only about fifty - flew off her shoulders and inside.

Trisha’s expression changed as the bees explored, going from slightly grumpy to a small smile to a wide grin and laughter. It was like she was having a conversation no one else could hear - she was, as much as was possible with the bees. They flew back to her in dribs and drabs, landing all over. They burrowed into the bun she’d pulled her hair up into, back to her shoulders, across her arms, little bodies gently wriggling.
[color=d1b300]“It passed the test,”[/color] she turned back to Gin with a smile, bees crawling all over her. They were clearly re-energised, and less wary of the newcomer. [color=d1b300]“In the future we can try some natural hives, when they’re more settled. They’ve all just been uprooted at a time of year where they normally just sleep… Just getting honey production going is already a lot to ask of them.”[/color]

As she spoke she turned around and stepped out of the Greenhouse.
[color=d1b300]“We can discuss it some other time… I want to get the bees settled now.”[/color] She tilted her head and closed her eyes for a moment. As she did, a very faint, floral scent filled the air as she sent out a careful, strict command to the bees in the house. The buzzing only got louder until thousands of bees flooded out. Her eyes opened and went to the sky with a tired smile as as many as possible landed on her. The rest hovered around her in a cacophonous, fuzzy cloud. 
[color=d1b300]“Oh… Thanks for sorting the box out so quickly, Gin.”[/color]

Gin was clearly lost in the cloud of bees, her bespectacled eyes reflecting the artificial light beaming down upon them. She stared wordlessly, fingers twitching until a hand grabbed at the bottom of her coat in a death grip.
[color=9399b8]”I… Wanna pet them…”[/color]

Casey was still standing by her, and as he heard Gin speak, he recognized the tone. 
[color=577d06]”Ginara…-”[/color] his voice rumbled, catching her ear and forcing her head to turn in some sort of acknowledgement.
[color=577d06]”-If you try to touch them, they'll hurt you. And if they hurt you, you'll be very upset, won't you?”[/color]

She nodded, still straining slightly against him, prompting him to get even closer.
[color=577d06]”If you're upset, you'll try to hurt the bees. I know you. I don't want that to happen. Because if you do that, and you hurt the bees? You'll hurt Trisha. And you definitely don't want Trisha hurt, right?”[/color]
She shook her head again, sniffling as she became more frustrated at the situation.

[color=9399b8]”B-but… I made bee suits! For people who don't have bees! Or metal skin!”[/color]
He wasn't sure how to defuse her like this. She'd never been his favorite person to deal with, mostly for moments like these where he could tell she was winding up for an episode. It wasn't really her fault, and he did his best to remind himself of it as he found Gin going slowly down hill.

[color=577d06]”Hey, Babe?”[/color] he called, waiting for her gaze before he bit his lip and did his best to subtly nod downward at the woman half tucked into his arms. She was longingly staring at the cloud of bees, very openly teary eyed.
[color=577d06]”I'm… Just gonna bring Gin outside. I think it's probably just uh… Like, overstimulation. I'll see if we can't just say our goodbyes for now.”[/color]

Gin stomped a foot weakly.
[color=9399b8]”I made the fucking… Bee suits.”[/color]
[color=577d06]”I know, Gin, but it's getting late, Honey Lover. We can't all be doing experiments at all hours of the day and night.-”[/color]
Casey turned his back, assuming Trisha would understand the circumstance, and stepped out of the well manicured Eden-esque garden to leave her alone with her bees.

Trisha raised a hand in a half wave, trying not to feel too irritated about the whole situation. The bees weren't like dogs, happy to be petted and enjoying it. They liked the closeness with her and to some degree people that could sense she liked. Anyone else… Well, it was intrusive in a way. The bees were both like her children and an extension of herself. It wasn't like any of them had asked her before making the bee suits. They weren't even necessary.

It was annoying. Why did Gin have to be so unreasonable about it… meaning Casey had to deal with it and leave Trisha alone. On [I]their[/I] move in day. She'd already interrupted them, not she was throwing some kind of tantrum over not being able to touch the bees? Trisha couldn't even imagine being that unreasonable. Gin was lucky Casey was able to handle it or she would've ended up stung by bees… Trisha let out a sharp huff of air, causing the bees on her face to scatter.

[color=d1b300]“Yeah, yeah, let's get you all sorted,"[/color] she muttered, holding out her hand to the bees that had just flown off her. They landed back on it and joined the mass of yellow and black crawling over it. The bees kept swapping out with the massive cloud behind her, darting on and off her body. They followed her as she led them over to the hive, going up one of the steps so she was slightly higher on it. 
[color=d1b300]“This is your new home. Pretty nice, isn't it? Sorry I couldn't provide something like this before."[/color]

Of course, the bees didn't understand what she said. She communicated as much as she could across the pheromones, reaching out to touch the hive box as she lightly bathed the area in her pheromones. Marking it as a safe place and as their new hive. The fifty that had already been in went in immediately, while the others were reluctant to leave the comfort of her. Eventually, the rest started to trickle in. She didn't leave as soon as all of them had gone in, squatting beside the hive box and carefully sensing their pheromones. It was overwhelming when it was so many, bombarding her with a mixture of signals, but concentrating she could pick through it. As the bees explored their mood shifted from hesitant to content, in as much as bees could feel that way. It was only when she was confident they were settled, and prepared to go about their normal bee business, that she straightened back up. Her mood was slightly improved by the pleased scents washing over her. At least the bees were happy. 

After one last check, Trisha turned around and left the Greenhouse. As she closed the door her mind was cleared off the constant signals she'd been bombarded with since bringing the bees in. It left room for other thoughts that she tried not to even start considering. Instead, she turned away from the Greenhouse, eyes quickly skimming over her surroundings.
[color=d1b300]“Casey?"[/color]

Casey was by the entrance to the roof, still talking to Gin. It seemed a lot more casual now, and if they were hanging around by the door it had to mean he was trying to get rid of her. As Trisha said his name, both of them looked up. Casey was all smiles, but Gin’s face curled into a hint of a frown.
[color=577d06]”Hey Pretty Lady!”[/color] he called, waving her over. His hand popped up to gently rub Gin’s shoulder, and she seemed to perk up slightly by the time Trisha made it to them.
[color=577d06]”Sorry, I figured it’d be best if we stayed out here, but-”[/color]

[color=9399b8]”I’m sorry!”[/color]
Gin bowed. Literally bowed, like she was some zealous anime character, with full bodily rigidity like her torso had become a stiff plank.
[color=9399b8]”I… Am sorry. I’m sorry. And-and, I called you Patricia… And I’m sorry. And, I’m sorry that we didn’t put- that we didn’t just put, put the fuckin’... The boxes. In. The Machine. They’re special to you, and… And I’m sorry…”[/color]

She didn’t look up. Couldn’t. She knew what was happening, and that there was plenty of things about her that weren’t like others. But Casey had made it expressly clear that Trisha wasn’t a part of the family like the others were.
So rather than confiding in her strangeness, as Lynette encouraged, she found embarrassment and shame: both tenants that members of the Temple were supposedly immune to. God watched, but she was taught that he did not judge. That he’d resigned from such petty things.

Yet she was embarrassed about herself. And as such, she could not bring herself to look up and see the judgement in Trisha’s eyes. The same judgement that all outsiders gave her.

[color=d1b300]“Huh?”[/color] Trisha was taken aback when Gin started apologising for literally everything. And she [i]bowed[/i]. What the fuck? Suddenly she felt more confused than she did annoyed, looking over at Casey with a bit of helplessness in her gaze, and then back at Gin. There wasn’t the judgement that Gin expected in there - just remaining hints of sullenness. Really, she was taken aback by the apology. Normally her irritation was the thing viewed as unreasonable, even if it really wasn’t.
[color=d1b300]“I don’t care about most of that stuff. Wasn’t like you could’ve known I need to get the honey, or said my full name to annoy me… I just don’t like other people touching the bees. It’s not happening. But the rest is fine. I’m not bothered.”[/color] 

She was reacting pretty reasonably to it all. Really, it was hard not to in the face of an apology like that. There was nothing to react badly to, and… it really didn’t seem like it had been done on purpose. Not that that had stopped Trisha getting pissed before, but… she glanced up at Casey, lips twitching upwards slightly. Yeah, she could be reasonable about this.
[color=d1b300]“But I accept that apology.”[/color] She awkwardly gestured upwards with her hand, hoping that Gin would get the message and stop bowing, because it was uncomfortable. [color=d1b300]“You did a lot for my bees, more than most have.”[/color] 

Casey gave Trisha the warmest, most loving look he possibly could. As if his soul was touched by the act, he took a deep breath and appeared renewed.
[color=577d06]”Ah, see Ginny? Come on, Honey, stand up straight.”[/color]
The woman did, but her neck still craned downward to avoid eye contact that she wasn’t sure she could bear. But she still had questions, and it wasn’t in her nature to leave them unasked.

[color=9399b8]”I… Can I… Come back? For inspections, I mean, I may need to come back. And, maybe I can come back other times, like to see them… And I can put the bee suit on, so they can’t hurt me, and maybe… Maybe they’ll touch me?”[/color]
She had to see honesty, or at least whether or not there was any, so the risk had to be made. She looked up finally, eyes meeting Trisha’s.

[color=d1b300]“Well sure, I guess,”[/color] Trisha said, after thinking about it for a bit. It wasn’t like it would be a problem for someone else to see the bees, so long as she wasn’t trying to get into the hive or touch them herself. And if Trisha was going to be in Casey’s life for a long time, like she really hoped to, she should make an effort with the people he cared about at least a bit. 
[color=d1b300]“So long as you put the bee suit on. It’s probably fine if I’m there, but I can’t guarantee it when there’s so many. Maybe I can show you how I get the honey… and yeah, if you spend enough time around them, they might eventually land on you. They’re not like dogs or anything, you can’t just touch them unless you’re me or-”[/color] she coughed. [color=d1b300]“Smell enough like me.”[/color] 

Her cheeks heated up a bit at saying that, and she glanced away. It was less smelling like her in, say, the genetic sense as much as being doused by pheromones that only the bees could smell.
[color=d1b300]“I’ll probably need your help to figure out everything with the Greenhouse anyway.”[/color] 

There was another buzzer coming from the house. It was loud enough to hear outside, which was both concerning and frustrating for Casey. He’d have to ask for a better option later on, but for now-
[color=577d06]”What the ever fuck? Come on, Gin, I guess I’ll swap you with-”[/color]
She held her hand up.
[color=9399b8]”It’s Leon. And the girls. They have… Flowers, and wine, and-”[/color] her brow furrowed. [color=9399b8]”-Both spirits are withdrawn. The Queen and The Doll have been suppressed for the time.”[/color]

Casey nodded. His face turned up to Trisha and his head shook.
[color=577d06]”No peace. No fuckin’ peace, Bee. Stay here.”[/color]
He opened the door and slipped through, closing it behind him to leave Trisha and Gin alone. The odd woman just stared at the door. But, then she managed to look at Trisha again. She hadn’t felt the judgement she expected, and she found herself a bit more comfortable.

[color=9399b8]”Casey said you’d, or that you do, play games? Do you have a Turbine account?”[/color] she asked.

Trisha was also staring at the door with an increasingly irate look, snapping out of it when she realised Gin was talking to her. Obviously. Who else would she be talking to when Casey had just left. 
[color=d1b300]“Oh yeah, I do. I normally just play occasionally with friends, whatever they’re into, or the occasional Sims for stress relief. I’m not particularly good at it, but it’s pretty fun.”[/color] She shrugged. [color=d1b300]“When I’m not getting cursed out for dying to a zombie.”[/color] 

She nodded to herself. It was hard to hold back and assess the first statement that came to her mind. But she knew from dealing with some of the others in the Eden Project that calling someone’s tastes [i]basic[/i] wasn’t a nice thing to do.
[color=9399b8]”Well, if… I come around, and you like me, maybe we’ll be friends who play games together too. I’m uh, trying to work with some of my crew on this new machine. One day maybe you’ll have one to replace your computer. And when the End passes, we’ll still be able to play games.”[/color] she grinned proudly.

The door opened to the sound of talking and giggling. Mia’s lanky frame was the first through to the roof, and she looked between Trisha and Gin.
[color=ed145b]”Damn, Casey, the Lord let you have [i]two[/i] of my favorite people?”[/color]
Gin was surprised, like she didn’t know exactly who was coming, and clung to Mia like a child clings to an older sibling. Mia clung back, but didn’t try to rope Trisha into it. Rather, she gave a big wave as best she could.
[color=ed145b]”We brought some housewarming stuff… I know you must be tired, but we figured we’d try not to be too bothersome.”[/color]

As Mia spoke, the others funneled in. Hari, Eddy, Leon; each carried a bundle of something or another. Leon was actually carrying several cases of wine on his shoulders. Casey came last, pushing past them all.


[color=C67C12]”Hey… Happy surprise housewarming…”[/color] Leon said, his deep and bass-filled voice rumbled. Gin immediately clung to him, and he laughed in return as his tall frame swayed with the boxes on his shoulders.
Casey cleared his throat as an arm wrapped around Trisha’s waist.
[color=577d06]”Only if [i]you[/i] are okay with it.”[/color] he pointed out.

[color=0072bc]”Totally true! Like, we know you guys have probably been working all day. But, we just figured we’d come up and do something low-key.”[/color]
She held up a cloth case, probably some sort of insulated bag for food.
[color=0072bc]”Buttload of sushi- I mean, a boatload. A few actually, like have you seen those things?”[/color] she smiled.

It was a lot all at once after a day that had already been a lot. The girls were fine, if overwhelming. She’d gotten along well enough with Mia so far, and figured it would be the same with the other two that she hadn’t talked to as much. But then there was Leon. She bit her lip, looking up at Casey and leaning against him slightly. Sure it was only if she was okay with it, but he might be disappointed if she said no.

Also, she really should have a talk with Leon… as much as she didn’t want to.
[color=d1b300]“Sure, it’s fine, I guess a housewarming is the done thing, right?”[/color] she forced a smile, gaze shifting to Hari and the probably food filled bags. She very awkwardly and obviously avoided looking at Leon. [color=d1b300]“That doesn’t look like a boatload- don’t tell me the bags are larger on the inside? Right, of course, magic.”[/color] She laughed lightly at that, looking back up at Casey. [color=d1b300]“But we don’t have a big enough table… or a proper table. I guess we can sit on the couches, like a TV dinner?”[/color]

Eddy raised her hands with two more matching bags.
[color=66bb6a]”We usually do body sushi, so I think eating wherever is chill.”[/color]
Hari elbowed her, laughing.
[color=0072bc]”Excuse you, [i]what happens at home?”[/i][/color]
[color=66bb6a]”Is usually pretty fuckin’ awesome, yeah!”[/color]

Mia groaned.
[color=ed145b]”Ooooooh my Lord you two. Come on. Lets get this stuff inside, and nobody tell Trisha about the bags or anything.”[/color]
[color=66bb6a]”Shit, forreal, unload them bitches, ‘fore she has a heart attack.”[/color] Ed cracked up, feeling the extra weight of the magically stuffed bags.

Rolling his eyes, Casey’s head shook and he called out to them.
[color=577d06]”Yeah, go be useful for a change, bring me my fuckin’ gifts.”[/color]
[color=0072bc]”Shut uuuuuuuup oh my God you’re so annoying!”[/color] Hari cackled.
The three women chatted until the door to the house closed behind them, and probably continued on after. A silence grew, with Gin still clinging to Leon like a barnacle.

Casey looked at his brother, then down at their old friend with a smile.
[color=577d06]”Recharging, Ginny?”[/color]
[color=9399b8]”Oh, I’m pretty good now!”[/color] she said loud and clear, despite her face buried in Leon’s gut.
[color=C67C12]”That’s great, G’s and P’s… Are you hungry, have you eaten?”[/color] Leon asked in his best big brother voice.
[color=9399b8]”I could eat some rice. But, uh, does that mean I can stay, Trisha?”[/color] she finally turned her head back to look at Trisha from the safety of the totem pole.

[color=d1b300]“Yeah, you can, sounds like we’ll need help with the food, anyway,”[/color] Trisha nodded, smiling slightly at Gin - appearing genuinely fine with it. The smile dropped as her eyes creeped upward to Leon, gaze turning flinty. [color=d1b300]“You’re not the person I’m uncomfortable having in my house.”[/color] 

Leon’s face turned a bit mugged, his bottom lip curling into a frown as he furrowed his brow.
[color=C67C12]”See? Easy. Go on, get you some food, eh?”[/color]
Gin spun to hug Trisha, but Casey’s hand shot out to grab her by the lab coat. 
[color=577d06]”Hey, hey… You go wash first, and take this dirty ass jacket off. We’ll wash it before you go.”[/color]
Standing caught, she looked back at Casey.
[color=9399b8]”You can’t, it’s covered in a special microbe we’re developing… But I will take it off.”[/color]

He vaguely directed her toward the house, letting her go like a pull and release car toy. Now it was only three of them, and a bit of tension. Casey stared up at his older brother expectantly.
[color=577d06]”Do I need to be here with you both to settle this? Or are you both gonna act like Covenmates?”[/color]

Leon shook his head.
[color=C67C12]”Oh, dude I have nothing to say that I wouldn’t say in front of you. I totally leave that up to Trisha’s discretion.”[/color] he replied.

[color=d1b300]“If we act like covenmates we’ll start fighting as soon as you’re out of sight,”[/color] Trisha managed to joke, still staring coldly at Leon. She’d rather just avoid this all together. She wasn’t one for civility but… she needed to force herself this time. She put one hand over Casey’s, squeezing it, and looked up at him. Her expression instantly softened, eyes turning warm instead of cold.
[color=d1b300]“I’d like to talk to Leon alone if that’s alright, babe? Not because it’s anything I don’t want you to hear just…”[/color] 

Casey threw his hand up.
[color=577d06]”No questions asked, Babe. You’re a grown woman, right? I trust you. And, I trust my Brother to not do something stupid.”[/color]
He held up a finger.
[color=577d06]”But if I hear yelling, I’m coming out.”[/color]

He then motioned toward the boxes and waved for Leon to pass them off, which he did. Casey made way to kiss Trisha, and whispered in her ear as he did so.
[color=577d06]”You’ve got this. Brave as fuck.”[/color]
He planted another kiss on her neck for good measure, then sauntered off toward the house leaving them alone.

For a moment the silence hung.
[color=C67C12]”Do… You want to start? Or…”[/color]

[color=d1b300]“I’ll start.”[/color] Trisha tilted her head back so she could properly stare at Leon, eyes still cold but more emotionless than anything. [color=d1b300]“I don’t like you, and I know you don’t like me. But I [i]do[/i] like Casey, so I want to be civil. I’m not fourteen anymore, I have matured. But…”[/color]

She trailed off, frowning, folding her arms with her fingers digging into her biceps. 
[color=d1b300]“Stop spreading shit about me. To Casey, to that b- people in the Temple. It’s been ten years… and you know it’s really fucked that you’re talking about all of that stuff, with that nickname, about someone who was fourteen when you were [i]nineteen[/i]. You don’t have to like me, you can go do whatever with the rest of Sycamore, but I’m not going to break up with Casey, as much as you might want that.”[/color]

It was clear as day, watching the man before her practically deflate.
[color=C67C12]”Dude…”[/color]
He tried to start, but his own thoughts grabbed at him.
[color=C67C12]”You know, I really didn’t feel too bad until I tried to get into my apartment and you were there. Honestly, I thought… I… Damn.”[/color]

His big hand went up to rub his eyes and the bridge of his nose.
[color=C67C12]”I’m… A dick. I’m a big dick, and it’s not your fault. The blame’s mine. I should’ve tried getting to know you and helping you rather than giving into those moments of being a lesser person. It’s not fair to you. Ultimately, I can’t take back what I said. But, I’m more than willing to do what it takes to show you I mean it when I say that I’m sorry.”[/color]

By the time he finished, he was looking at her with full eye contact and a genuine look of remorse on his face.
[color=C67C12]”I was embarrassed by our Mother when I got back yesterday… She really dragged me for quite a few hours. She feels I gave her the wrong impression, and I think I did.”[/color]

[color=d1b300]“Yeah, the impression that I’m some shallow rich girl who sleeps around,”[/color] Trisha intoned, expression unchanged and gaze unwavering. While it was true she jumped between relationships, it wasn’t her fault people kept breaking up with her… but she was surprised Leon was admitting that he was to blame. She’d expected, and geared up for, more of a fight over it.
[color=d1b300]“It’s fine, you probably just thought you were protecting your little brother from scary, [i]promiscuous[/i] me.”[/color]

She frowned, looking away for a moment to take a deep breath before she got more riled up over [i]nothing[/i]. She was trying to be civil with him, to talk things out, and he wasn’t being shit about it.
[color=d1b300]“Let me make it clear, I don’t need help… and I didn’t then, either. But for Casey’s sake, I’ll put it all behind me. Get to know me as your brother’s partner, get rid of what you think you know about me and… I’ll try to do the same. I don’t want this, and the coven, to get in the way of something… really good.”[/color] 

Leon grimaced, and his hair rippled for a moment as a gust of wind whipped up. He was listening for a little song that he could almost always hear. At least where they were, it was faint enough that he knew he could speak freely.
[color=C67C12]”I’m gonna get you both out of this…”[/color] he said very ominously.

Trisha furrowed her brow, not saying anything as she tried to figure out [i]what[/i] he was going to get them out of. Not Father Wolf, because he wasn’t targeting Casey. Then… it didn’t take much to figure it out. There wasn’t very much that they were in.
[color=d1b300]“Of the cult?”[/color] Trisha didn’t bother censoring herself, following Leon’s lead on that. [color=d1b300]“Well, if you think you can. I don’t-”[/color]
She grimaced.
[color=d1b300]“Well, I don’t understand the faith thing. You’d know better than me… it’s Casey who’s in it, and I can’t do anything about that.”[/color]

[color=C67C12]”Just… Please don’t eat the food. Not now, but… Well… Just, eat out. Don’t eat the groceries from the Temple. Don’t drink their free water bottles. Don’t go to the banquets. Because Casey’s had a long time to detox, and you’re not part of the family… But, Me? Mia and the girls? Ginny?...”[/color] he grimaced.
[color=C67C12]”It’s not good, Trisha.”[/color] he finally frowned. [color=C67C12]”I don’t want him or you getting hooked in like us.”[/color]

[color=d1b300]“The food has something in it? Shit- fucking magic,”[/color] Trisha raised on hand to her forehead, pressing against it. She suppressed a shudder. Really, she shouldn’t be surprised, but everything she learned about the Temple just made her like it less. The self protective part of herself was telling her just to cut and run, but she ignored it. They weren’t properly [i]in[/i].

[color=d1b300]“Alright. Far as I’m aware, neither of us can cook, so that’s easy. I’m also an expert at avoiding events I don’t want to go to. But…”[/color] she frowned. It all sounded shit, but she didn’t care to try help the others out. What would she be able to do anyway? [color=d1b300]“He’s not going to just leave you all. I’m not selfish enough to force that.”[/color] 

She was selfish enough to force that, but she was also selfish enough to not do something she knew wouldn’t work.
[color=d1b300]“I’ll keep us away from the food.”[/color] 

[color=C67C12]”We’re gonna have to work together. I don’t know every single detail myself; Mom’s a steel trap. But, maybe I’ll be able to get us all out of it, and we’ll be able to live without…”[/color]
He stopped himself, shaking his head.
[color=C67C12]”For now, just be leery. He’s a soldier, he takes orders well. If you need to be forceful, be forceful. But, don’t hurt him. Not too bad, at least. He’s already hurt…”[/color]

Leon stuck his hand out for Trisha to shake.

[color=d1b300]“I don’t plan to hurt him at all.”[/color] 
She reached out to shake his hand, though it was kind of difficult when her hand was so much smaller than his. But it was done, and she pulled her hand back, stuffing it in her pocket.

[color=d1b300]“I’d say let's work together like old times, but I’d rather it wasn’t like that.”[/color] Trisha laughed, relaxing slightly. [color=d1b300]“You can get my number off Casey, or I’ll give it to you later… For now, let’s go in. It’s been a long day and I need some of that sushi.”[/color]

Assuming the conversation was over and that he’d follow, she turned around and made her way back to the house. As she got to the door she paused, one hand going to her neck. She’d only gotten away with it so far because it was dimly lit outside, but in the bright indoor lights? Trisha grimaced. Shit. Why did people keep appearing without warning? She raised a hand to undo her bun, letting her thick hair fall down across her shoulders. She quickly moved it to cover as much of her neck as possible… it would have to do. 

Then she pushed open the door and stepped inside, smiling. [color=d1b300]“Is there any food still left? I’m kicking you out if you ate it all.”[/color] 

As Trisha entered, there was a commotion as the four young women bustled about the kitchen island. They’d laid all sorts of sushi rolls and different tempura fried things out on the big counter.
Casey was suspiciously missing, but the boxes of wine were stacked up against one of the walls, and there were a couple of bags next to it. Ginny was standing off to one side with an entire takeaway container full of white rice, smashing it into her face with a pair of chopsticks. She took the time to wave at Trisha with a smile.

[color=ed145b]”Hell nah, girl! Dig in, there’s honestly way too much.”[/color] Mia called, waving her into the melee. 
Getting closer, Hari was hard at work chopping up a few whole sushi rolls and dumping them into a bowl. She grinned goofily at Trisha as she came close.

[color=0072bc]”Hey… Do you love your boyfriend enough to chop up his fucking sushi rolls for him because he won’t eat them whole?”[/color] she snidely commented, a laugh escaping her nostrils. [color=0072bc]”-God, he’s a pain in the ass…”[/color]
Her tone was very clearly humorous, and she was talking loud enough that the joke clearly wasn’t just between the two of them.

[color=577d06]”Nobody asked you to chop my fucking sushi up, Harison Ford.”[/color] Casey called from the other room.
[color=0072bc]”Oh, who made the comment about being useful?”[/color]
He came down the stairs from their loft and into the main room in a pair of comfortable shorts and a t-shirt.
[color=577d06]”Yeah, useful. Not busybody work bullshit.”[/color]

Casey pulled Trisha into his arms and kissed her head. Nobody’d really looked up at the two of them long enough to notice, but as Casey jostled Trisha, it left most of her neck exposed to a beam of light. 
The actions of their morning were in clear view as black and blue leopard printing all across Trisha’s neck and upper chest.

Of course, Eddy grinned.
[color=66bb6a]”Shit, so Trisha? Leon’s a werewolf, right? You know, but, I didn’t… I didn’t realize Casey’s a vampire too; that’s kinda crazy.”[/color]
Mia looked up, furrowing her brow at Eddy before looking over and immediately laughing.

[color=ed145b]”Oh, oh! Oh [i]damn[/i] girl!”[/color]

The hair covering had worked [i]perfectly[/i] until Casey started moving her- well that wasn’t true, it was never going to last. She turned bright red, just wanting to disappear right there. She wasn’t embarrassed about it, it was just… really fucking awkward. She grabbed one of Casey’s arms and pulled it up to cover her face, pressing her nose into it with a groan. 
[color=d1b300]“Next time I’m putting on a turtleneck right after in case we get more unexpected guests,”[/color] she muttered into his arm.

Blushing a little less, she peered over Casey’s arm at Mia and Eddy.
[color=d1b300]“If Casey was a vampire then I’d be dead,”[/color] she said very bluntly. [color=d1b300]“Just- we weren’t expecting guests! It’s only… well… new home and all…”[/color]

She tilted her head back and up to shoot a playful glare at Casey. 
[color=d1b300]“You are so sleeping on the couch tonight.”[/color]

Hari lifted her arm and tugged her sleeve to show a stretch of bruising down her side.
[color=0072bc]”Oh, dude, don’t even worry about it. You should see where else I’m black and blue, seriously.”[/color] she said, smiling at Trisha.
[color=66bb6a]”Yo, forreal. Coo-”[/color]
Mia’s hand darted to Eddy’s mouth to stop her from following through with the worst of the worst. Laughter rolled across the island, and Hari finally held up a big bowl of chopped sushi to Casey.
[color=0072bc]”There. Eat, Beast, eat!”[/color] 

They were very clearly trying to be genuine, and Leon piped up from the side.
[color=C67C12]”It’s no problem, Trisha. It’s really to make fun of Casey; like, dude, you can’t get the blood through the skin. You need to bite.”[/color]
Casey groaned, putting the bowl down and holding Trisha tighter.
[color=577d06]”Jesus, please take me, I can’t deal with this.”[/color] he giggled alongside her.

Trisha burst out laughing at Leon’s… well she couldn’t tell if he was joking or being serious. But it was just, wow, she really couldn’t hold back at that.
[color=d1b300]“Do [i]not[/i] get any ideas from him,”[/color] she said through the laughter, wriggling in his arms to just about pull out an arm and point a finger at Leon. [color=d1b300]“I’ve seen your room, I really don’t want you giving Casey any advice. No thank you.”[/color]

She pulled her arm back into the tight hug, tilting her head back again and managing to stretch up enough to kiss his chin… before very lightly biting it. A warning, maybe. Her lips curved into a smile as she pulled back, head moving back to a more comfortable position.
[color=d1b300]“Do I get to eat, or I am going to be stuck in a sushi-less hold the rest of the night?”[/color]

Casey giggled, contemplating whether or not he was just going to hold her and feed her sushi. But looking down at the hunks of red and pink meat within made him queasy. So, he let her go with a smile.
[color=C67C12]”To be fair, he couldn’t learn anything from me that our Mom hasn’t mentioned at least once.”[/color]

The entire room gagged in unison at the prospects.
[color=ed145b]”Lee, we’re [i]trying[/i] to eat.”[/color]
He was laughing hard, shaking his head.
[color=C67C12]”Thinking about sex ed or something?”[/color]
Casey’s hand flew up, smacking Leon in the arm.
[color=577d06]”Sex ed is that picture that was in the living room.”[/color]

Mia only groaned louder.
[color=ed145b]”Do we need to bring that painting up so fucking much?”[/color]
[color=577d06]”Are you [i]not[/i] traumatised by it?”[/color] Casey asked.
[color=66bb6a]”I’m not.”[/color] Eddy grinned and giggled.

[color=9399b8]”Okay… I’m ashamed to say I’ve seen enough hentai to know where this dinner is going.”[/color]
Gin pushed off the wall she was eating her rice on and put the empty box down on the counter.
[color=9399b8]”Eden calls me.”[/color]
Hari nearly spat the sushi she was eating out.

[color=0072bc]”O-oh?! I mean, probably not going there?”[/color] Hari managed to reply through grains of rice.
[color=66bb6a]”Etienne is [i]always[/i] willing for things to go there.”[/color] Eddy cackled, sticking her tongue out.

[color=d1b300]“No way, absolutely no way is that happening,”[/color] Trisha said before it got any further. She really wished she [i]didn’t[/i] know the implication here. It wasn’t so weird to her that they were openly talking about this stuff, but rather that they were joking about it. In her family it was all jabs, open or hidden, or the hushed comments from outsiders (and some of them) about their dad. About how many ‘took after him.’
[color=d1b300]“Not in my house. You can take that downstairs.”[/color]

She picked up a piece of sushi, nibbling on it for a moment. Pretty good, but she didn’t really have much of an appetite. Then again, when did she?
[color=d1b300]“My sex ed wasn’t nearly as ‘fun.’ If we’d all learned from my dad there’d be another hundred or so Vanburen children running about the place. If there’d been a painting… he’d have to change it every few months.”[/color]

Trisha shrugged, speaking lightheartedly, munching on the sushi some more.
[color=d1b300]“Dunno, which is worse, crazy BDSM or getting dozens of women pregnant?”[/color]

[color=ed145b]”I’d say the kids, probably. I’m not super worried about carbon emission or anything, but more people definitely take up more resources, right?”[/color] Mia intoned in a questioning fashion.
As the discussion continued, Gin poked Trisha on the shoulder.
[color=9399b8]”Next time I do maintenance, I’ll call ahead. The schedule is in your manual, though. So, don’t be surprised. Thank you for letting me stay for now.”[/color]

Hari turned.
[color=0072bc]”Aw, Ginny, I’m sorry honey, I didn’t mean to make you feel uncomfortable…”[/color]
[color=9399b8]”Naw, it's… A calling, y’know?”[/color]

Trisha turned slightly to face Gin, smiling at her. She really… wasn’t so bad. There was a logic in what she said, sort of, that Trisha could follow.
[color=d1b300]“Yeah, I’ll make sure I have the schedule memorised. Maybe next time, after you’re done with maintenance, you can help me with a game I’ve been struggling with?”[/color]

[color=9399b8]”Oh, Hell yeah. You can just text it to me… Even if I don’t know it, I’ll play to help you.”[/color] she smiled.
[color=9399b8]”Can… I ask for a hug?”[/color] she questioned, arms not moving or anything to indicate that she actually wanted what she said.

Trisha hesitated, but… she’d already denied her touching the bees. It was just a hug. Not much.
[color=d1b300]“Sure, that’s fine.”[/color] She held up her arms awkwardly, but didn’t really move otherwise.

Gin jumped for it, nearly smacking Hari with one of her arms too far outstretched. There was laughter, and Mia gave a great “Awwwww” as they merged for the hug. When she pulled away, she had a bright smile.
[color=9399b8]”One day, maybe we can use my projector to study Her Royal Highness. But, until then-”[/color] she pulled away fully and made way for her nasty lab coat on the rack.
[color=9399b8]”-Eden caaaaaaaaalls!”[/color]

The group unanimously said their goodbyes, and were left with a hushed atmosphere.
[color=0072bc]”Does she really watch hentai?”[/color] Hari broke finally, clearing her throat.
[color=ed145b]”Get your filthy mind away from that pure, innocent pervert.”[/color] she laughed.
[color=577d06]”She is an adult, after all.”[/color] Casey retorted.
[color=0072bc]”Yeah, I mean… Well, whatever.”[/color]

Mia pointed outside at the Greenhouse.
[color=ed145b]”How is it, Trisha? The crazy Eden-in-a-Box shit they’ve got going on? I saw Sayne working on it last night.”[/color] she questioned, doing her best to steer far and away from the topic threatening their sanctity.

[color=d1b300]“It’s honestly amazing. Kind of hard to put into words, but I’m not really used to magic like that.”[/color] Trisha smiled, subconsciously reaching out for a hint of pheromones from her bees. There was a light scent that she could always sense, the tether between them, that let her know they were alright.
[color=d1b300]“The bees are still settling in, but once they’re done, I’m sure they’ll be happy to have something to do. They get bored over winter… you don’t want to deal with bored bees.”[/color]

She forced herself to pick up another piece of sushi, taking a tiny bite, quickly swallowing it.
[color=d1b300]“I’m glad Gin got a normal hive box in quickly so I don’t have to scale any tree sized flowers trying to collect honey.”[/color]

Ed poked her head around the island to look outside.
[color=66bb6a]”What is it?”[/color] she asked with confusion in her voice.
[color=C67C12]”Mia already said. EIAB.”[/color] Leon responded, using the phonetic acronym for the project.
[color=66bb6a]”Oh shit! That thing, with… Like the little gardens, right?”[/color]
Harri nodded in confirmation.
[color=0072bc]”Yeah, the last trial was for long term residency, so we know that living things can live in there pretty much like normal. Now it’s kind of like, just dealing with the casing and stuff. Sayne says its crazy that they’re doing all this for some honey, but you know Gin.”[/color]

The Templites nodded in unison, the boxes of sushi slowly but surely emptying as they continued to stuff their faces. Casey was almost through his bowl, and was visibly leaning back to fit the last bit.
[color=0072bc]”We, or at least I, think it’s super fucking awesome, Trisha. Any sort of modifications that need being done can be done by hand remotely. It’s a pretty interesting looking thing, maybe we can go in sometime.”[/color] Hari tossed the idea about, seeing where it’d land.

Trisha had only gotten through two pieces of sushi and a tempura, before she stopped eating. She’d swapped from holding food to rubbing Casey’s shoulder, as if that would somehow help him in his goal of eating everything in his bowl.

At Hari’s suggestion, she glanced over at Leon for a moment, then over to Hari.
[color=d1b300]“I saw that earlier. Made me feel a bit like I was in some movie…”[/color] Honestly, she hadn’t liked it at all. Practical, but intrusive, they could just open up the Greenhouse roof anytime to look and reach inside.
[color=d1b300]“I’m the kind of person that likes to stay down on the ground, honestly. I didn’t grow up around magic so I’m not… so used to it. Maybe once I adjust more, but if you guys go up there, I can wave to you from inside.”[/color]

[color=0072bc]”Oh, man… You know you can’t actually talk between the two areas? The box is in this, like, weird sleeve that sucks the sound up. I guess, if any noise from the big area got transferred through to the area that your bees are in, it turns it into this crazy compressed noise that could ruin it.”[/color]

Leon pushed air through his teeth, shaking his head.
[color=C67C12]”Gin’s going too far with that shit. The Richoux Tomes are [i]not[/i] production manuals.”[/color]
Casey’s brow furrowed, and he put the bowl down. Hands reached back, finding a comfortable spot on her lower back.

[color=577d06]”Why not? Nobody ever said two of the same artifact can’t exist. If you can make ten, why wouldn’t you?”[/color] he asked, his voice sincerely begging the question.

[color=C67C12]”The Order never used the exact same enchantments. This ‘Standard Template’ stuff just isn’t natural magic.”[/color] Leon shrugged.

Hari cleared her throat after having slammed another dozen pieces from the boxes.
[color=66bb6a]”Blech, can you guys talk about cool shit for once?”[/color] Ed piped up, a bit of a giggle in her voice.
[color=66bb6a]”Trisha? Can you tell us a story about normal life? Like, I know that sounds crazy, but-”[/color]
[color=ed145b]”Oh, she’s right. It is totally weird, but like, we… I guess what’s normal for us is probably really weird for you, right?”[/color] Mia included, appreciative of Ed’s abnormal tact.

[color=d1b300]“Oh, yeah, I didn’t even know about magic till I was thirteen,”[/color] Trisha shifted herself to better face Eddy, while leaning more into Casey’s side. A story about normal life… it was like being put on the spot a bit there. Childhood was a no go - it was all studying and fighting with half-siblings. Thinking about it, suddenly her whole life felt pretty boring to talk about. 

[color=d1b300]“Well… So when I was in college, for my twenty-first birthday my friend’s decided we were going to go to twenty one bars to celebrate, have a drink at each. I was the last to be able to legally drink, so it was like a big celebration kind of thing. The plan was to go to a club at the end of it… It started out alright. My one friend, Nadiyah, had written out this entire schedule, down to the minute when we had to leave, and how long it’d take us to go between them. So it was like sit down, get a drink, drink it as fast as possible type deal. We started midday… It quickly went to shit. I think it was the fourth bar? I was already pretty drunk at that point because I kept just getting [i]handed[/i] drinks, and another friend, Reyna, suggested we get food. But Diyah got all pissy about it because food wasn’t on the schedule for another two hours, and we couldn’t deviate from the schedule. Reyna isn’t really the type to fight, but Diyah wouldn’t let it go, and ended up just not talking to any of us. But she was the only one who knew where we were meant to be going, so… Oh yeah, well, I’m getting stuck too much on the details. We grabbed some food, then went to the another bar- except the one someone chose was down this creepy alley. It was- i dunno- weird. We didn’t stay long, moved on again- except when we got to the next place we realised we’d lost one of the guys, Sal.”[/color] She paused to take a breath, raising one hand to rub the back of her neck. [color=d1b300]“Sal’s like this loud, obnoxious guy who’s pretty hard to lose, but we managed it. We tried to phone him… but he’d given his phone to Reyna. We were all kind of hammered at that point, so we just kind of… assumed he’d died in that alley and continued. I don’t actually really remember what happened after that, but I was told that had one shot, keeled over, and just kept saying no to everything. The next day, totally unprompted, Sal turned up to our flat - he was fine, not dead or anything, obviously. He’d gone to the toilet when we all left and ended up hanging out with this group of middle aged men, who bought him a ton of drinks, took him to some kind of weird rave thing at one of their apartments, and then… slept in the middle of a parking lot cause he also gave his keys to Reyna. He didn’t even go home once he got them, instead he beat us all at mario kart first.”[/color]

As she finished, her gaze moved away from anyone as she realised she’d… really not told that story well at all. She didn’t even know how to tell stories. 
[color=d1b300]“That was… pretty boring, wasn’t it?”[/color]

If they were bored, they were great at faking it. Leon was a lot more interested in polishing off whatever food he could. Casey’s face was obscured by a portion of his chest, and it looked like he was staring off into space; but the occasional smile or breathy chuckle were good tells that he was still engaged
The girls, however, were all leaned in. Mia had a tempura shrimp hanging from her mouth, and throughout the entire story Ed was wholly engaged. She pointed, or made little gasps. When Trisha was finished, she was the first to speak up.

[color=66bb6a]”Nah, Dude. That’s all, well… Like it’s a long one, but its all shit we take for granted.”[/color] Ed offered.
[color=0072bc]”So true, like… Even Emancipation, y’know?”[/color]

Mia and Ed both leaned back, groaning.
[color=ed145b]”Fucking Lynette, man…”[/color] Mia growled, frowning. Hari put her hand on Mia’s thigh and gently rubbed it.
[color=0072bc]”I know, Booboo. But, y’know,-”[/color]
[color=66bb6a]”Yeah, I mean, it could’ve been anything else, right? We had a good time.”[/color]

Hari cleared her throat again, looking at Trisha. She gave a weak smile.
[color=0072bc]”We’re just uh, y’know. Surveilled. Amazingly, this place is clean right now.”[/color]
Mia nodded.
[color=ed145b]”We’re still sorry. It’s uh… Well, not a cool situation to put someone in. We’ll protect you.”[/color]
[color=0072bc]”Yeah. I think it’s worth insulating you. We’ll fail, obviously, we’re not miracle workers. But, we’ll meet you half way, at least.”[/color] Hari offered.

[color=C67C12]”What happened to talking about cool shit? C’mon, Emancipation story.”[/color]
Ed waved her hand.

[color=66bb6a]”Alright, so we’re still in Las Vegas at this point, right?-Oh, context, we ran away once. It’s a long story, we were gone like six month, we made a demon- But things weren’t that bad yet. We still had, like, cash. And we were just trying to live like normal people.”[/color]
[color=ed145b]”No bank account, no fucking State ID-”[/color]
[color=0072bc]”Shitty broken Van-”[/color]

Ed waved her hands at the other girls, throwing them up.
[color=66bb6a]”-Yeah, context there, so like we’re trying to get our Van fixed. We’re at this fucking gas station, and they only use… The fucking, like, debit card? Or credit? But, like we had nothing. Like, of all places? We roll in there and he only takes cards?”[/color]
[color=0072bc]”Mind you, we’re not Amish, right?-”[/color]
[color=66bb6a]”Yeah, like I said we had REAL dollar bills and this dude would not fucking budge.”[/color]

[color=ed145b]”So some fuckin’ old Blind woman saved our asses.”[/color]
[color=0072bc]”Yeah! Like, we thought it was fucking Lynette in disguise bro!”[/color]
[color=ed145b]”And I hadn’t used my magic in like a week, so I was fuckin’ tweaking. Like blasting this old woman with White Lux, I didn’t even have my Channeler with me.-”[/color]
[color=66bb6a]”And her head is fuckin’ [i]smokin’[/i], right? Like fumes, me and Hari are trying to be subtle about it.-”[/color]
[color=ed145b]”And like, it’s the middle of the desert, there’s no AC, I’m hot I haven’t showered, my hair’s nasty, and she goes [i]’Oh dear, you need to dry your hair better in this weather, Sweetheart, you’ve got steam coming off your head.’[/i]!”[/color]

All three of them were giggling like school children, and Mia subtly reached for both their hands. Their fingers idly played between one another, and for the first time Trisha would be able to see the matching tattoos on their hands. It was some kind of design that crossed between all their fingers like bands. Wedding bands, or other kinds of rings, on every single finger.

[color=0072bc]”That was uh… That was pretty much when things started going down hill, right?”[/color]
Mia shrugged at Hari’s question, trying to savor the good moment instead of returning to the bad.
[color=ed145b]”Past is the past, right?”[/color]
[color=0072bc]”And the future, hopefully, is right in front of us.”[/color] she smiled at Trisha and Casey warmly.

Trisha had paid attention through the whole thing, silently listening, mostly her expression changing at various moments. She automatically shifted closer to Casey, taking one of his hands in her own. She’d kind of understood the surveillance before, but not really… the extent. Maybe she’d downplayed it internally. For all that her life had sucked, she’d never thought of running away like that.

[color=d1b300]“Yeah, hopefully… well, if you want to run away again, I’ve got more than enough credit cards to go around,”[/color] she tried to joke, tilting her head up towards Casey with a smile and lightly squeezing his hand, before looking back at the three girls. Her gaze shifted down to their hands, and her smile got slightly warmer.
[color=d1b300]“I can’t say I’m someone with loads of money of my own, but between inheritance and the jobs I do… I’d say there’s enough to last at least a few months in Vegas if you don’t hit the casinos… A week if you did. Either way, I’ve got it all - identification, credit cards…”[/color]

She trailed off, laughing lightly. It wasn’t like anything she said could change the situation, so she didn’t bother with all the sympathy stuff. Just… moving onwards.
[color=d1b300]“And if I ever really need the funds, I’ve got an easy way to get them.”[/color] Trisha tapped the side of her face like she had some kind of underground fund rather than just perfecting kicking down Ezra’s door and forcing money out of him.
[color=d1b300]“Maybe in the future when me and Casey travel, we can take you all along wherever we go first… just dump you there, collect you at the end, all get a fun trip out of it. What do you think, babe, you could tolerate them for an entire flight?”[/color]

Casey cracked up. He was thinking about how quickly the three of them would die without a support system. From what he heard, the Lady in question was a Blind member of the Temple, and that she was put up to it like a dozen other people in that city were. Accounts were from Furio, who rarely lied. It was he and Clarissa who brought them back eventually, in typical fashion.


[color=577d06]”I’d like to see a day we can trust them that long!”[/color] he chided. Leon snorted. Mia took a deep breath, shaking her head.
[color=ed145b]”You know we love our Girl, Case.”[/color] Mia replied somberly.
Ed looked cagey immediately, clearing her throat. But before she could say anything, Hari read the room.

[color=0072bc]”Still, I think that’d be awesome if you wanted to help us like that, Trisha. Maybe someday soon we’ll take you up on it. Once, y’know, everyone’s done a bit of proving to one another. Gotta know we can trust, right?”[/color]
Casey gripped Trisha’s hand like a lifeline in a storm.
[color=577d06]”Sure. We’re all making concessions these days.”[/color]

Leon pushed away from the table, moving to the boxes of wine and bending down to pull one out. He looked at it for a second, then took another box from within the endless food bags.
Coming back, he pushed some of the sushi boxes away to open what he brought. From the styrofoam package, he began to slide beautiful crystal wine glasses across the counter toward each person.

[color=C67C12]”These were brought from the Estate in Lyon. Like, years ago. I thought I was going to use them for something, but I figured they’d be great to give to you guys. And the wine is from the Elder collection.”[/color]
Casey’s head snapped back at the box of wine bottles.
[color=577d06]”What the fuck, all of them?”[/color]
[color=C67C12]”Six bottles, my Man. Mom approved, obviously.”[/color]

Casey leaned into Trisha.
[color=577d06]”Six [i]hundred[/i] year old wine.”[/color] he whispered.

[color=d1b300]“That’s… really old…”[/color] Trisha whispered back, brow furrowing as she tried to figure out just how much that’d be worth. A lot. [color=d1b300]“Tansy once bragged for weeks about getting a hold of a bottle just over a hundred years old… I’m definitely rubbing this in her face the next time I see her.”[/color] 

Trisha giggled just thinking about how much it would annoy her pretentious half-sister. 
[color=d1b300]“It’s not stronger than normal wine, is it?”[/color] she then asked, louder. She then looked at Casey with a grin, gently scratching the back of his hand with the tips of her fingers. [color=d1b300]“Guess it doesn’t matter since you can just carry me to bed if I drink too much.”[/color]

[color=C67C12]”Oh, nah. Ain’t nothin’ left to ferment, really. Plus, well… Hey, guess what? The bottle’s fuckin’ magic; imagine?”[/color] he laughed. The girls laughed. Casey laughed.

[color=577d06]”It is fuckin’ pathetic isn’t it? Some rich wizard, probably just like us, decided he wanted his descendents to be able to taste the he made literally any time they wanted in history. So what’s he do? Makes a fucking enchanted bottle. With the coolest uncork that exists on planet Earth I’m pretty sure.”[/color] Casey explained to Trisha.

[color=66bb6a]”Oooh, can I do it, Lee?”[/color]
Leon smiled gently at Ed, passing the bottle over the island to her. She looked excited. Almost actually alive.
[color=66bb6a]”Whose is it?”[/color] she asked with a reverent tone.

[color=C67C12]”Alphonse Dumonde Richoux. The one who-”[/color]
[color=66bb6a]”-Oh, fuckin’ sick. Yeah, the… The Butter guy.”[/color] she chuckled back at Leon.

Casey laughed again, remembering the story of Ol’ Dumbass. 
[color=577d06]”Oh, alright, so the Landlord responsible for this wine was a dude who essentially died because he fucked around with an enchantment for an endless butter crock. Imagine being not drowned, but not exactly buried because it’s that weird gelatinous-”[/color]
He immediately started gagging. He turned his head, then half his body toward his older brother as he dryly wretched. 

He was thinking about the way butter looked… The meat and the goop. There was still sushi on the table, and it only made things worse.
But he did his best to play it off.
[color=C67C12]”Mon Dieu, Casseu!”[/color]
Casey was actually laughing a little bit by the time the fit was over. Despite that, his heart rate was still through the roof. He just had to get his throat cleared, and then he could get back to her.

[color=577d06]”Sorry, sorry! I was… Yeah, bad place. My bad. Uh, can we get this all cleared off if we’re not gonna-”[/color]
Hari was on it immediately, but Casey didn’t slack as he began pulling plates away.
[color=577d06]”Babe, I’ll put a bunch in the fridge for you. You didn’t have a lot.”[/color]

Leon’s hand stretched out as Casey moved toward a plate.
[color=C67C12]”I got that, Big Fella.”[/color]
[color=577d06]”Oh yeah? You got any others?”[/color] Casey teased, stretching his free arm out, careful not to look down at the fish.

Leon started giggling, leaned back, and opened his mouth. Casey laughed immediately.
[color=577d06]”Oh, this old routine.”[/color]
Mia and Ed, the latter still holding the ancient bottle, started laughing as Mia began making machine noises with her mouth.
[color=66bb6a]”Trash compactooooor!”[/color] Ed laughed aloud.

Trisha really felt like she was watching a joke she didn't quite understand, but for once she wasn't… actually too bothered by it. It was… nice? To watch. Nice with a hint of jealousy, really. But still, she couldn't help but ask.
[color=d1b300]“Trash compactor like… he's going to finish it all off? Not the boxes too, right?"[/color] She laughed. 

[color=577d06]”Oh yeah. Guy’s a trash compactor, seriously. I guess it must just be Lelou, like you never used to eat like this.”[/color]
Leon’s head shook as Casey began to dump the plates of sushi into Leon’s mouth, remembering the ones Trisha had previously eaten in order to save them.
When enough had been disposed of, Casey brought his hand away and slid it across his throat, causing Mia to make a loud buzzer noise like the machinery was being switched off.

Such an audacious act of gluttony… Yet they cheered like it was no different than the chug-off at the party. Leon laughed like it was nothing as he chowed down, and Casey was happy to see the food eaten. Nobody was going to complain in that room… The strangeness never would’ve struck a chord that hit all of them at the same time.

[color=C67C12]”There’s a few reasons, but yeah when I adjoined Lelou I was dropping muscle like crazy. So I started upping my macros, upping my macros; I’m eating like eight to ten thousand calories a day.”[/color] Leon giggled like it was nothing.
[color=C67C12]”Sometimes, I feel like I can hear the food hit my stomach and just fuckin’ burn away, y’know?”[/color]
[color=577d06]”No, I fucking don’t.”[/color] Casey laughed again, bringing the remains around to Hari.

While the two of them were wrapping the food in plastic to be put in the fridge, Ed held up the bottle.
[color=66bb6a]”Alright, enough distractions!”[/color]
[color=C67C12]”Right, right. I think Casey was explaining our man Dumonde?”[/color] Leon smiled at Trisha, genuine friendliness in his voice. 
[color=C67C12]”Well, the bottles themselves are kinda jokes. The spell is in our family’s books: The seal can only be opened by a member of the bloodline. [i]But[/i], to open it, a member of the Bloodline has to give a passcode that each bottler sets up during the process of casting. For Dumonde, his Daughter was actually the one who bottled this. And because his dumbass drowned in butter-”[/color]


Ed held the bottle with both hands, putting it out in front of herself and staring intensely. 
[color=66bb6a]”Le beurre est prêt, Papa! Give me your wine, you fuckin’ moron…”[/color]
The seal around the cork sputtered into orange flames that were hastily put out by the cork blowing them away on exit. The whole group cheered, even Hari and Casey who were toiling away.

Mia began handling the glasses for Ed to pour, passing them out around the island while Leon continued.
[color=C67C12]”You get to tell the bottle that the butter is ready in French, and it gets excited and explodes. Classic parlor trick.”[/color]

[color=d1b300]“Right, classic, we did that all the time at family dinners,"[/color] Trisha commented drily, though it was offset by eyes nearly as wide as saucers just staring at the bottle. It was so unnecessarily dramatic with the fire and the explosion, but it was also… Fun. Definitely a parlor trick if not a classic one for her. 
[color=d1b300]“Le beurre est prêt,"[/color] Trisha mumbled to herself a few times, getting the pronunciation right after about the second one. She then nodded, laughing. [color=d1b300]“I’ll remember that for if I'm ever in France making butter for some reason."[/color]

As a glass finally got to her she took it, swirling the wine in it and smelling it like she'd been lectured to do the few times she'd been unable to escape some charity gala or family gathering her least favourite sister organised. As much as it had pissed her off, doing things wrong irritated her more. Though she honestly didn't know what she was looking for smell wise, it just smell acidic and like wine. 
[color=d1b300]“Do they all… explode the same, or do they get to choose that with the phrase?"[/color]

[color=C67C12]”Nah, they all do that. The seal burns off, forces vapour to form in the bottle, it blows the top off.”[/color] Leon explained in a very casual manner.
[color=0072bc]”Sometimes they explode!”[/color] Hari added as the fridge door was closing. They were done it seemed, and Casey was just going over everything with a wet cloth before he finally made it back to Trisha’s side. This time she was fully in front of him, and he draped his arms over her in a warm embrace.

[color=577d06]”Yep… Shitty bottlers, imagine enchanting shitty glass.”[/color]
As the stragglers gathered back up, Mia held her glass high.

[color=ed145b]”All that aside… Toast to Casey and Trisha?”[/color] she asked around the table. 
Leon was quick to stick his up as well.
[color=C67C12]”For sure. To the two of you, and to some genuine happiness.”[/color]
 
Trisha smiled, genuinely, at them both. One hand rested on Casey's arm as she leaned back into his embrace, the other raising her own glass. 
[color=d1b300]“To us,"[/color] she laughed, tilting her head back so that she could look up at him with warm eyes. [color=d1b300]“Feels a bit weird to toast to myself, sort of… Hopefully we'll be happy, not get too annoyed by all our little habits when living together, and be able to start a new life together."[/color]

It felt a bit sappy, and perhaps too open, to say something like that. But she'd been caught up by the atmosphere, and they weren't particularly unusual wants, were they? She wasn't quite showing how desperately she wanted that life with him to work out, with genuine happiness and everything else that came with it.
[color=d1b300]“Toasting with a six hundred year old wine guarantees success, right?"[/color][hr]

With the evening folding into the dark cold night, the Richoux clan polished off the expensive wine and left as swiftly as they came, heels promising a replacement bottle as they tottered down the stairs and into the apartment building. 
Casey had shown them out, spending a moment reveling in the quiet cold. It was over. And maybe, for a short span of time the next day, they’d have nothing to do. He could even do his exercising up here. 

The light from inside his new home bathed the roof in warm orange, the slight tint to the windows effecting their hue. It was a wonderful moment in his mind, made only better by knowing there was still someone inside who he didn’t mind spending time around. On enlightened feet, he practically danced toward the door. He felt the knob, and the bulk of the door against his shoulder as he pushed it open and closed it behind him.

Trisha was curled up on one of the loveseats, legs pulled into her chest and side leaning into the arm. In the time that Casey had been seeing his family out she'd gotten some of the sushi he'd put away for her, eating it with a lot more fervour than she had done earlier. Her eyes were squinted sleepily, and she twisted her head around at the sound of the door, smiling.
[color=d1b300]“They all gone?"[/color] she mumbled around a clump of rice, quickly chewing and swallowing it. She'd managed to pace herself with the wine, drinking only a glass and a bit over the time they'd finished the bottle. It was enough to make her a bit light headed and tired, but not properly drunk. [color=d1b300]“There aren't going to be any more unexpected visitors, are there? No night owls swooping in?"[/color]

She finished off the piece of sushi she'd been eating before stretching out her arms in his direction, hands making cute little grabby motions. 
[color=d1b300]“I’m spent, battery dead, recharge required."[/color]

[color=577d06]”Well, the cats, but we… We should be safe.”[/color]
He couldn’t know when they’d show up, but he knew full well they were capable of getting out of Leon’s apartment. Especially with how sloppy the others were. At first he was walking, but quickly clambered down and scooted forward to her with his knees like stilts.

Casey practically fell into Trisha’s grasp, his head resting against her legs and his arms wrapping around her in an awkward position. There was a twist as he unseated her, legs unfolding for him to resume standing at full height.
[color=577d06]”You and I have a cuddle date scheduled pretty much right now. I’ve already chosen a venue, so you don’t have to think about it.”[/color]

Trisha let out a quiet squeak when she suddenly found herself without a seat underneath her, legs uncurling and wrapping around him tightly. She bent her upper body forward so her head could rest against his shoulder, making the most of the somewhat awkward carry.
[color=d1b300]“Oh, a surprise date? That’s exciting, don’t tell me where, I want to be surprised by that too.”[/color] 

She tilted her head so her face pressed into his neck, lips gently brushing against it.
[color=d1b300]“I’ll let you take me there… Do you want me to close my eyes?”[/color] She giggled as if it wasn’t obvious where they were going.

Casey laughed as he adjusted the weight of Trisha’s body, curling himself into her as much as he could.
[color=577d06]”You can. It’ll be pretty quick though.”[/color]
Looking around, he tried to figure out if there was anything he should do before heading up. The wine was gone, still sitting on the island with the empty glasses. That was fine. The drapes were gonna be a while, so there was nothing to put down. Fine.

His torso turned and looked up at their little loft, then the lights. Remembering correctly, the other set of switches in the hall controlled them, so he simply made way for the destination. His elbow flicked the light switch, casting their glassy home into the darkness of the city’s skylight. The moon was over the city, and in this part of town they could look out at the bay as they lay together in their bed.

Getting up the narrow staircase was a tight squeeze with Trisha in his arms, and he was struggling not to whack her head off the wall. At the apex, he looked out and saw the moon over the Greenhouse, and the shimmering of the Pacific Ocean beyond it.
Scooting his body up onto the freshly made bed, he released Trisha to sprawl out as she pleased while he adjusted the pillows.
[color=577d06]”Would you look at that majesty?”[/color] he crooned, a smile on his face, gaze turning to Trisha as he leaned back on the pillows.
[color=577d06]”I mean the moon’s nice too.”[/color]

Trisha giggled, eyes curving pleasantly as a pleased smile curled up her lips. She shuffled her body up the bed, rolling over to curl up against Casey's side with her head resting on his chest. She had to tilt her head slightly to look out at the moon as she cuddled in contentedly. It was comfortable, and it was really nice. Their bedroom in their house. 
[color=d1b300]“Mm, yeah, the moon's almost at the same level, isn't it?"[/color] she joked, gaze flickering from out the windows up to him. 
[color=d1b300]“Pretty nice date location, you picked well."[/color]

He smiled, hand moving up to run gently through her hair. He did his best to match her breathing as they settled in.
[color=577d06]”Oh, great. I’m glad you like it.”[/color]
He was already starting to nod off. Most of the time, he found himself standing, or sitting up on hard surfaces. Something this plushy, or the couch downstairs, those were clearly made for sack time. Sleep. Rest.

Having begun his career in the Marines, switching to the Army as he was recruited into the Special Services, he’d been a near decade long member of the “Sack Challenged”. The few members of the service who, after rucking and busting ass for days on end, would simply eat their meals and ask for more. 
It got a lot worse after his Kindling. Mostly because of what happened.

Slowly, surely, Casey curled into Trisha as it slowly came back. Very slowly, and he could feel her touch being something he could focus on. The same feeling as when it all came crashing down. He felt hands on him in that moment, who cradled him and kept him safe from harm. Like no arms had before.
[color=577d06]”Thank… you…”[/color] 
His body gently shook as the tears flowed, and he began to weep without noise.

Trisha was confused. What was there to thank her for? What was there to… cry about? She awkwardly tilted her head up, small frown playing on the corners of her lips as she tried to figure it out. Was it happy tears? Was it the… something to do with what had happened in the war. She really wasn't sure. Being not sure of the cause meant that she wasn't entirely sure what to do about it. 
[color=d1b300]“It’s alright,"[/color] she said softly, meaning it in response to the thank you.

She twisted around so that she was properly lying on top of him. Her delicate hands moved up to his face, thumbs gently wiping away the tears, even if it was a bit pointless when they kept flowing. She shuffled herself up so that her face hovered over his, leaning down to kiss just below his eyes. 
[color=d1b300]“Am I so pretty you couldn't help but cry?"[/color] she lightly teased. Of course she knew that wasn't the reason, it was obvious she knew that wasn't the reason, but she wasn't about to start questioning her on it. He'd tell her if he wanted to, and this was the best way she knew how to deal with it.

Casey did laugh, and started to nod his head before looking up at her and sniffling.
[color=577d06]”Yeah, God, I got so fucking caught up in it…”[/color] he giggled as much as he could.
[color=577d06]”It’s just… Everything’s so hard all the time. You’re soft. And nothing’s been soft until now.”[/color]
How could he properly explain to someone who wasn’t crazy that being in her arms made him feel closer to God? Like the moment where he’d been able to save his own life at the expense of a lot of other good men? The survivor’s guilt mixed with the genuine belief that God was not just a friend, but a very close guardian. He was safe because the woman who barely held him as a child decided to finally look at him with her magical stare, and to protect him in her loving arms.

[color=577d06]”You… Make me feel safe.”[/color]

[color=d1b300]“Really? I'm… well, normally I'd associate safeness with strength, I guess."[/color] Trisha smiled. She stayed where she was, face hovering just above his, looking down at him with a soft and warm expression. She still didn't entirely understand but, she guessed if he'd been through the war coming home and… being in a place without that, with someone like her, would feel like safety. 
[color=d1b300]“I’m glad. I'll keep being here to cuddle you and keep you safe, then."[/color]

She leaned forward and kissed the tip of his nose, before moving back to rest her head against his neck, tucked up right under his chin. 
[color=d1b300]“I guess this does mean I should abandon my plans to work out and become really buff…"[/color] she joked again. It wasn't that she was bad at talking seriously about things, just that she still didn't really know what to say in the face of something like this. Yes, she was physically soft, and appeared it so far, but later there was the risk she'd lash out and he'd realise she wasn't so safe after all? That feeling of safety might not continue… but she didn't want to dwell on that at all. 

[color=d1b300]“I feel safe too, with you, so I guess that makes two of us. Not that I've had it so hard since the Snake just… not stable, I suppose."[/color]

Casey cleared his throat trying to find the words to use. He wanted to make sure she knew he was going to be there no matter what, but he didn’t know how not to be direct about it.
[color=577d06]”Buff is soft too. I’m soft. I can just flex it.”[/color]
Focusing less on the idea of her and more on the interaction was good. He did his best to joke, flexing his chest and rocking her about slightly. He giggled, still a hint of emotion in his voice.
[color=577d06]”But, I mean… If you don’t feel stable, I know where to pick up slack.”[/color]

He stopped, puffing his chest so it was like a slab.
[color=577d06]”We’ll be solid together. Keep me safe, I’ll lift you up nice and high.”[/color]

Trisha giggled too, poking his rock solid chest. Her finger lingered for a moment before her hand moved up to rest on his shoulder. She did feel more stable than she had for a long time. Like there was actually some direction to her future. That someone might actually stay for once. But her fears were too deep to just be fixed with some comforting words. It did… help.
[color=d1b300]“Yeah, nothing will be able to stop us together. Us and sixty thousand bees. They really help."[/color]

She smiled softly, pulling up her legs  so they tangled in between his. As if there was some way to get even closer when she was already lying on top of him, she snuggled in, pressing a light kiss against his neck.
[color=d1b300]“But you really are the best of both worlds… soft when needed, strong when needed. Very nice to cuddle. I can lie wherever I want without worrying about crushing you."[/color]

He found it funny that before her, the last time someone else laid on top of him like this, they were already dead. Not that he’d tell her that, it’d ruin the mood he figured.
[color=577d06]”Mmmm… Wherever, however. You’ve got me, I’ve got you.”[/color]
His brain was drifting, staring at that moon outside with Trisha in his arms. Slower and slower.
[color=577d06]”Need… A fan up here.”[/color]