The shower was just enough to get the stench of death and vomit off of his body. His clothing had done a fantastic job of keeping him relatively clean, leaving him morbidly satisfied with the addition of the polymer under-layer from the previous iteration. In the end, it was mostly sweat… He wished guilt and shame could wash off, but that wasn't something he could ask for.
In truth, he figured that penance meant sitting with this new weight on his chest.

He didn't expect such instant relief from hearing Trisha's voice again, however. He kept his Channeler close, White Lux enhancing his senses so that even as he showered from below, he could clearly hear her. Not to spy, just… Comfort. He did his best to drown out the concepts. Drown out the voice of the man on the other end that he could also hear.
He didn't blame the guy for being nervous: He was too. Especially now, knowing that something like what he'd just done could be asked of him at any time. The needless slaughter.

Casey hoped then that she'd had a good night. She had to have… Anything else was just a time bomb. Still, he tried to hold off heading up until she was done, but the enchanted loofah was just too good at its job. So, out and dry, a set of clothes from his locker, and he was up the stairs. He opened the front door quietly, stepping in and starting to move down the hall.

“Gotta go, boyfriend's home, I'll send you that honey—"

Casey heard Ezra's questioning voice on the other end before the line went dead. He didn't stop at the doorway to their den, rather turning and heading up the stairs to make way for the laundry hamper. Dirty, sweaty undergarments went in, and for a moment he sat frozen as he tried to get the look of abject sadness off his face. For her. Even though he felt a great deal of relief at her voice and the sight of his beloved Trisha, it was still gruelling. Painful to think about.

He only hoped she wouldn't ask.

It didn’t take long for Trisha to appear at the top of the stairs. The sweater of his that she was wearing practically swamped her, sleeves having unbundled so that her hands weren’t visible at all. It was obvious to her that whatever Casey had been doing either hadn’t gone well, or the job in the first place was shit. Temple business. She didn’t want to know - and she didn’t want to make him explain it. Especially not after all the things she’d already found out tonight… she didn’t want to think about it.

“Hey,” she said softly, hesitating at first even though her feet shuffled towards him. She wanted to hug him, but she didn’t want to risk him pushing her away. Would he? She didn’t know where his head was at. But the bees didn’t share any of her reservations, a couple of them flying from in her hair and onto his shoulder. One was the one that had ‘defended’ her against her phone, wiggling its little body and letting off pheromones that were as close to bragging as a bee could get.

Not that Casey would understand them.
“I take it you’re all done? I just got off the phone with my brother- the oldest one, Ezra.” She stood right in front of him now, pushing away her worries to loosely wrap her arms around his shoulders. The bees scurried out of the way and onto his neck.
“It wasn’t as bad as I expected- aside from him calling me stupid a couple of times. Tansy told him about us… but as soon as he found out there might be some profit involved cause of the honey he seemed to accept everything. Not that he can make me do anything, but it was one of the few proper conversations I think I’ve had with him. Kind of funny now that I’m stepping away from my family.” Trisha offered up a brief summary of the phone call openly - none of what they’d talked about, aside from maybe Ezra’s insistence Casey was honey potting her, were things she didn’t want to tell him. And she kind of hoped by talking about it they could just… not talk about the meeting she’d attended just before.

She'd be able to see Casey's hand clutching his glove. The Channeler he so desperately wanted to put away forever. Whether the association between that and his magical senses would be made, he didn't know. The bee on his shoulder was something bright, and he turned his head to watch it crawl about slightly.

”He… Uh… Shit…”
He was about to try and comfort her about the situation, but there'd be no chance of her not knowing then. For a moment he was frozen stiff, his head slowly but surely turning down to look at the glove. It called back to him. His fist tightened before he flung it off the overhang of the loft, down into the area by the front door.

”God fucking dammit… Shut it off, fucking shut it off…”
Casey brought his empty hands up to his face, clasping and pulling the skin in frustration. Within a moment, he'd slid closer to the top of the stairs and stretched his arm out to scoop Trisha by the hips. He dragged her closer, onto the bed where they could intertwine and become one.

”Is he nervous? About… Us?”
Us could've been them as a couple, but it wasn't. Us was the Temple. The cult thing. He knew the answer, but he wanted to hear it from her lips: To give her the chance to explain it herself, even though he expected her to avoid it.

Trisha rolled her eyes, though it wasn’t at Casey - it was at the question, and what her brother was actually worried about. She took a moment to answer as she cuddled in closer, suppressing the slight trembling in her limbs from his initial reaction. It hadn’t been at her, it was something else…
“Nervous for his reputation. He doesn’t actually care. He caught wind of the…” she trailed off, frowning. She didn’t really want to go into the details, about how Ezra had gone on and on about how he just wanted her for her name and money. Because there was that deep down anxiety that Casey didn’t actually love her - and she’d been wrong so many times before. But not this time. Definitely not this time.

“He knew about the cult stuff.” Thankfully for Casey, and not so much Trisha, there was still enough alcohol in her system for her to be a little more honest… or at least, a little less able to filter what was in her brain from coming out her mouth.
“He’s convinced I’m going to join and he’ll end up dealing with paparazzi questioning him about it during those stupid press conferences he holds. So yeah, I guess he’s nervous, but only cause he thinks I’m blind to it all and going to do something that’ll negatively affect him.”

”It isn't your fault our society is like that… Not everyone has magical foresight, or tolerance for things outside the norm. I empathize with his position.”
Maybe she wouldn't want to hear that. But Casey knew exactly what kind of risks came from doing business with the Temple.. So, how was he supposed to tell her that he didn’t think what he was asking for was a good idea without saying it?
”Little scandals can cost a lot of money… People go to Andrade’s restaurants at first because they just hear the press talking. Cult Chef this and Goat-Sacrificing Gourmand that. But then they taste the food, and they come back. The rich get a thrill from it. But, for him? What, he runs like… A conglomerate practically. Chairman of the board of whatever? People in his circles are always looking to bring one another down.”

He hugged her closer, partly because he could feel her tensing up but partly because he didn’t want her running from the moment. He needed her, and the distraction of a conversation that wasn’t about how work went. Trisha would be able to hear the disinterest in his voice turn to engagement.
”But, you also can’t tell him that we can cover him, can you? I’m sure he wouldn’t want that even if he did know. Or, maybe he would; I don’t really know him. Maybe magic would be everything he’s ever wished for.” he shrugged his shoulders, dislodging a bee from Trisha’s hair accidentally.

“He’d probably start looking for ways to profit from it,” Trisha snorted. The dislodged bee let out an annoyed buzz, but the consistent, low level comforting pheromones Trisha was giving out stopped it from taking any action beyond crawling back into her hair, nestling in deeper.
“I already know what scandals can do for his business- the ‘family’ business, whatever. Tansy’s caused plenty. It’s always been fine in the end.” Trisha herself had probably caused a few too, but thankfully smaller and more mundane than ‘being part of a cult.’

“I can’t tell him- and I won’t. He wouldn’t believe it… Especially not from me. But you can cover me, right? As long as nothing gets out about me then it’s fine. Ezra’s worries are solved, he doesn’t hear anything, it’s all fine.” It was a cut off, really, from the conversation going much further. She didn’t want to get into it - into the worries she now had, or how she really thought she needed some kind of contract for her business…

”Of course… Whatever you feel comfortable asking us to do, I’ll make sure it’s done. Press, Lawyers, Notaries… I want you to be confident that this isn’t just some crazy… Ploy. I know it probably sounds crazy even for me to say that, but-”
He cut himself off, letting his voice trail off as his head turned to look at her. He was doing his best to not sound like he expected her to react.

Trisha narrowed her eyes at him for a moment, lips pressed together. Why would he think she thought it was a ploy? Was he questioning her feelings- his feelings? No, no, it was just reassurance. She forced herself to push back down the irritation that was so ready to jump out. She just wanted to relax, and cuddle him, and feel fine for a while. It was fine.
“Just the Press. I have my own lawyer- as long as whoever is on the Temple side of the honey business is willing to sign contracts to do with it.” She tried to sound confident and like she knew what the fuck she was doing, and it wasn’t all just stuff Ezra had told her. She’d been too relaxed about it all…

“And I know it isn’t ‘some crazy ploy.’ If it was, you would’ve chosen a better Vanburen.” She continued, meeting his eyes with an almost… joking light in her own. A self deprecating joke, perhaps.

Casey couldn’t help but giggle, shaking his head.
”You’re the best Vanburen to me.”
His hands slowly slipped up to her face, both hands cradling her cheeks. He placed a tender kiss on her lips, letting his forehead rest against hers. When he finally pulled away, he looked at her with dreamy eyes and a slight smile.
”Coming home to you will always be worth the price of living in this nightmare world. You’re a blessing in my life.” he did his best not to break down.

For a moment, he saw Mary’s face. Her fury and rage. The face that nearly killed him… Because he hesitated. He gave himself up, because he hoped they’d run.
This nightmare world.
Clearing his throat, he turned his head into his own arm so he wouldn’t accidentally cough on her, then sniffled.
”B-but… Yeah. Contracts. I guess none of that ever got settled. I’ll call Elise tomorrow and we’ll schedule something. Negotiate or whatever. I doubt it’ll be too much of an issue.”

Thoughtlessly, the next question left his lips.
”Speaking of honey and bees and issues… Did you talk to Tamara and Dadonda?” he asked so innocently, as if he was a child who hadn’t set her up.

Trisha let out a light huff as the topic moved on from things she didn’t particularly want to talk about, to another she didn’t particularly want to talk about. But it was the one question she was alright to answer. The one good thing that came out of going to that meeting - aside from maybe the strange revelation that Layla wasn’t so awful.

“Yeah, I did. Gin was pretty insistent I talk to them to see if Dadonda could get the Queen to come out. It was almost like someone planned it all out.” She paused, tilting her head up and narrowing her eyes at him again. It was more teasing this time - because it was fine, he’d been doing something nice for her. It wasn’t his fault all that shit had happened in the run up to it. After forcing him to wait a little bit, just staring at him, she eventually relented.
“It worked. She came out for a bit as an extra big, ghost bee. She’s promised to help me more too… but no, she won’t come out now. I asked earlier. She’s gone back to sleep. She said that she’d help me with my magic too, so… that was nice. That went well.”

He was suddenly grinning from ear to ear.
”I fucking knew it! Who else but Dadonda!? Yessssss!” he subtly pumped his fist before pulling Trisha extra close. His body rocked back and forth slightly.
”God damn, I’m so fucking proud of you…”
And then he turned his head slightly to look at her chest, poking her in the sternum gently.
”And you! In there! Thanks for fuckin’ showing up, Lady! You made Trisha happy!”

Beaming, he started trying to pull away.
”This calls for fruit! Fruit party for the bees, come on! We’ll get to chopping, then bring it into the hive for them!”

“Babe, it’s the middle of the night. Most of them are asleep. We can do it tomorrow.” Trisha tried to say gently, because he was happy for her, but there was a hint of harshness in her tone that suggested she wouldn’t really take any arguments against it. At the same time, she enacted the Trisha special - arms and legs wrapping around him to prevent him from pulling away like he was trying to.
“And I’m tired too. I’ve had to deal with a lot today.”

Casey didn’t really hear Trisha when she said she had to deal with a lot. He felt a slight lurch in his brain that hung him up on a thousand questions… But he settled for one, because ultimately he couldn’t fathom what’d been so hard that she didn’t want to celebrate such a great thing.
”Like… What?”
The tone was all wrong, like he couldn’t keep the sensation of skepticism out of his voice.
”Did you kill someone today?”

“Do I need to kill someone to be tired?” Trisha went tense immediately, limbs around Casey loosening as they started to withdraw towards herself. She didn’t really get the implication there… had he forgotten what had happened that morning? Even without all the shit that happened at the meeting, it was still enough.
“I fought with Lila, remember? Then I had to deal with Leon being a dick- twice- and Alizée being a dick- also twice. So yeah, I’m tired, but you can go give the bees fruit yourself if you want.” Her tone and body language screamed bitterness and irritation now.

Casey felt her getting colder almost instantly. He tensed in return, not only in body, but in speech.
”Yeah, right Trisha. Like me, wanting to do something nice, is asking a lot of effort out of you. Christ, I figured you’d be game; you don’t even have to cut the fucking fruit.”
Swearing probably wasn’t the greatest method of de escalation. Pushing himself up, he sat with one leg pulled close and the other dangling off the bed.
”I know for a fact that the keylime you ate should’ve given you plenty of extra energy for the day… So why don’t you just come out and say that it was fucking horrible and that you never want to go again. Spare me the excitement that you maybe actually met people who you want to see again… And what about Leon, huh? What’d he say to you now that I need to make a fucking problem over? I know he’s still awake, I’ll fucking go and make it a problem right now if that’s what you want!”

Trisha sat up too, knees pulled in tight to her chest and arms wrapped around her legs. Her hidden hands clenched into the fabric covering them. She scowled at him, all that pent up agitation that had barely been taken out on Leon and Alizée coming right back up.
“It’s not the people at the meeting. They were fine!-” Bar Alizée and the weird Sycamore Fanfiction circle-
“-Yeah, it was fucking horrible, but not because of them. Do you really want to know what Leon said? Which one, the first or second time? Let’s start with the second time. Because yeah, I want to make that a problem- but not with him.”

As she spoke her voice got colder - though her tone didn’t get any louder. She wasn’t shouting like she had been with Leon. Her entire body was tight, and she was angry, but it was cold vitriol that came out of her lips.
“You’re eating the fucking food, Casey. He told me to keep you away from it when he knew you were eating it- and then used that to one up me and piss me off. Because I do what I want and- and you know what it does. Why are you eating it? Why do I get shit for not preventing it when I can’t.”

Casey’s whole torso reeled back slightly, surprise setting in on his face. His brow furrowed, and he tried to think about what that implied. That… Leon had told her to keep him away from…
”A fucking crescent roll is not going to kill me! Look, I get it, right? Fucking, yeah- Surveillance Cult! Sure! Everyone’s got eyes on everyone! But fuck that, how dare he try to make decisions for me, and how the fuck could you just play along with it!? Like, after dealing with the whole… Y’know, when you first met my folks? How you felt about people seeming to “know” you without ever asking anything in the first place?”

The irony wasn’t lost on him. It was a great big cycle of spy and be spied on, and it was almost endearing to see Trisha so easily slip into it when her interests were on the line.
”But you don’t even ask me? You don’t even think to question what my brother has to say, because you’re so willing to be skeptical about how we do things? Fuck that! Y’know-”
He stopped himself from saying something truly regrettable…
”-I just didn’t picture you being so hypocritical. The only thing I can think of is that you love me, and you’re worried, and you don’t want to see something happen to me. But I’m a big fucking boy, and I grew up eating this fucking food. It’s not a death sentence like they want you to think, Trisha. You can come clean of it, it’s just a matter of not being a fucking pussy like Leon is!”

“Then why did you go back to it?” Trisha hissed, breathing quickening as he managed to poke so many sore spots at once. She wasn’t a hypocrite, she didn’t quite love him yet- didn’t she?- it wasn’t the same.
“Yeah I’m worried, you think he told me and I jumped to do it cause it was Leon- or because I wanted to control you? I haven’t even stopped you from doing anything! I don’t care if it’s not a death sentence- I don’t want to eat it, I don’t want to see you trying to come clean of that shit. I don’t want to start finding black patches inside your mouth! If it’s hypocritical to care, then fine, I’m a hypocrite. Because me subtly making sure we eat takeaway and going to a normal fucking grocery store is the same level as finding out someone’s whole life story without ever talking to them. I’m just a controlling hypocrite who’s doing all of this for myself when I should just trust that everything’s fine.”

She let out a short, bitter laugh and tilted her head back.
“Sorry for being so skeptical about the fucking spying, oppressing cult.”

Oppressing… He trembled. A whole shot ran up and down his body, and every single face of death he’d seen that night crashed into him all at once.
”Oh… Oppressing. So that must’ve come up. How they feel wronged and put down, because we’d just as quickly eat their fucking caspers as we would put them to work doing useful shit? Don’t worry, none of them care when an Adept makes a problem for the upper crust just to have their entire families wiped out. They’d never tell you that we just kill, and kill, and kill up here; and how we do our absolute and ever-loving best to make sure that we don’t have packs of frothing Abcised monsters running around St. Portwell without culling them like rabid dogs!”

Casey stood now, taking a deep breath.
”Or that I’d be happy to let them all do it if it meant they’d shut the fuck up about it. Honestly, I mean congrats to you; you’re either-”
No. No. No.
”-I… I fucking love you. Goodnight, and I’ll see you tomorrow.”
He turned, made way for the stairs. He’d already said too much.

As Casey stood, Trisha had pushed herself back further onto the bed. Then, as he turned away, that harsh, acrid scent of her fear pheromones filled the air. They weren’t strong enough to get through his emotional field, but he’d felt them hitting up against it just as he smelt them.
“No, no- you’re not just allowed to leave,” Trisha grit out through the panic and anger clutching her at once. See you tomorrow always meant the same thing - a text the next morning ending everything. But it might be worse this time. Would he come back to end things with magical memory erasers and apparition suppression needles because he no longer-

She shot forward to the edge of the bed, hand reaching out to try and grab his wrist. The bees were buzzing agitatedly, clinging to her as her flight pheromones bombarded them. Just ask him to stay, apologise-
“Why didn’t you tell me about the fucking needles?! You think I care about anything else? I can’t lose them- was it so I wouldn’t know before it was too late?!”

Casey turned slowly, a look on his face that Trisha had only seen when he got particularly upset at Leon… When he learned that Leon was talking about her behind her back… The second day they even knew one another.
”Oh… So I could die a thousand deaths as long as you’ve got your bees? Nice… You could’ve said anything else, you could’ve asked me any other way… But that’s the qualifier you decide to make a big note of? You think I care about any- Yeah! Actually, I thought you cared about me, since you want to make a big fucking deal about the fact that I prefer eating bread because the sight and smell of cooked meat makes me fucking sick. And the only way I know I can get enough calories and micros in a day to keep myself in fighting condition without feeling like I want to rip my guts out is Andrade’s fucking bread!”

He didn’t leave… He just stood there, her hand still holding his wrist, and a more and more disgusted look formed. Waiting.

“I- I- I didn’t mean it like that!” Trisha choked out, the bitter smell in the air growing stronger. He hated her, he hated her, he hated-
“I didn’t know! Nobody tells me anything then they get pissed off when I find out and get upset!”

”Because you don’t ask questions, Trisha! You just fucking wait and then get upset at what you don’t know! So, fuck it! I didn’t tell you about the fucking spikes because I know for a fact that if anyone ever so much as got close to you with one of those, I would rip their fucking arms off and feed them to them!”
His other hand gripped the one that was still clinging to him, prying it away before cupping it in both of his massive hands.
”I have zero patience for this right now. For you just assuming that you know how things are going to go… I can feel your anxiety and your nerves, and I understand that you’re under duress. But if you can’t accept the truth that I’m dedicated to you? Then I don’t know how I’m supposed to convince you. You said you didn’t want Temple information, so I don’t provide it. I don’t tell you, because you don’t want to know. You don’t ask questions, so I don’t answer them. I tell you to stay on a set path, you deviate and you get into a fight with some fucking stray pigeon!”

He got real close, crouching next to the bed and leaning in.
”I. Love. You. Nobody is going to hurt you on my watch. But I cannot deal with this right now, because maybe you had a tough night? But I’ve killed to come back home and be excited with you. And you throw it in my fucking face like doing something together isn’t worth the effort. So, congratulations: You started a fight, now you’ve earned the consequence.”

He let her hand go, standing back up.
”Now, am I allowed to go to a different part of the house we share? Or do I have to stand here like you tell me to? Because I’m a fucking moron, and I will just stand here.”

As Casey had gotten close to her, Trisha flinched back slightly- automatically- and her eyes squeezed shut. She heard everything he was saying without really hearing it. He loved her, he wanted to protect her, but he was still leaving- of course he was leaving. All because she’d wanted to just cuddle in bed rather than drag herself back out. Unlike Casey, Trisha didn’t quite have the luxury of an emotional field that protected against her pheromones - in an enclosed space like this she just hit herself with them over and over again.

But he’d let go, he was leaving- no, not leaving, going somewhere else in the house. Or just standing there. But she couldn’t make him do that, no matter how pissed off she was, or how scared she was that he’d leave and come back only to kick her out. But if she made him stay he’d only get more upset at her. It’d just make things worse- weren’t things already at a point of no return? She didn’t know how to explain to him that her believing him and accepting it were two different things. It’d been proved time and time again how unloveable she was. People said one thing, and did another.

“I- I’m not going to control you,” she managed to whisper, opening her eyes again and forcing herself to look at him. She raised a hand to push away the tears that had started to form in her eyes, rubbing at them as if to stop it. She didn’t like crying when it was real.
“You can do what you want.”

Seeing her like this made him want to stay. To sit and resolve it and work things out. But at the same time, he wasn’t sure how he was going to come back from some of the things he said. He wasn’t sure if it was just a matter of time before-
”I wanted to go and chop up fruit and have a nice night with you. But it feels like that was asking a lot, so I’ll make this short and sweet: Do you want to be up here where there’s nothing but you and your thoughts? Or are you going back downstairs to the den where at least you can entertain yourself?”

Trisha sat and stared at him for a moment, as if the question wasn’t directed at her. Her hands were still at her eyes, fighting a losing battle of trying to block a biological function. She’d wanted a nice night too, here. She didn’t understand why that had been such a problem. Why did people always think she just never wanted to put the effort in?
“Downstairs. I have some research to do on my laptop.” An unnecessary explanation to show she wasn’t just going to be having fun or anything. She slowly uncurled her legs to stand up, gaze dropping to the floor.

Casey stepped to the side. He desperately tried to force himself statuesque, but he could feel her pain. Every ache radiating from her half-shattered morale made him feel like he was stuffing the nails into the coffin with his bare hands. So, he simply couldn’t.
His arm reached out, scooped her by the bicep of one arm into his embrace, and held her tightly. Not aggressively tightly, but enough that she couldn’t just sprint away from him.
”I. Love. You. One day you’ll trust me, and you won’t have to ask fucking questions… But it’s important to cool off. Please, think about what you want to really say when we talk again. I’ll think about how I can apologize too… Because we’re not over.”

Trisha trembled lightly in his arms. She couldn’t stop herself from crying now - her hands were at her side, so the tears flowed freely. And she hated it. She was so scared, so attached. She’d done it again, she’d fallen in so deeply that she’d drown before she could crawl out. We’re not over, we’re not over, we’re not over, we’re not over. She repeated it herself, like a mantra to stop herself from lashing out again or just completely breaking.
“Okay.” All that she was able to get out was one quiet word of agreement.

He softened his hold until his hands were just barely touching hers.
”Go on… I’ll get the pillows and blankets.”
It helped him to care… To make sure that it didn’t end with angry shouting. That’s how he’d always seen it end… Angry shouting, then a calm week after. Never resolution. He wondered if his Father had been this way, or if their relationship’s dynamic was different… He’d have died to ask.

---

---

Trisha had tried to do what Casey asked - think about what she really wanted to say. She’d even pulled out one of the notebooks she had stashed in the den after she’d stopped trembling and crying in a blanket bundle, trying to make a list. It wasn't that she couldn't write anything, but that nothing she wrote was right. Too vulnerable, not vulnerable enough, worries about being abandoned poured onto paper before being scribbled out, crumpled up into a ball and thrown into the corner of the room. She knew what she wanted to say but she just couldn't get it out right now.

So she gave up writing it down. Instead she found some video lectures on running businesses, and started watching those - the man somehow more boring than Ezra droning on and on at the low volume she'd set it to. Going back to what she knew, making notes upon notes as she tried to take in knowledge she didn't quite understand, calmed her down a bit. And eventually, the boring videos helped her fall into a light, restless sleep.

It wasn't peaceful.

She was in a dark, empty space. It was cold and lonely. There were no bees. Nothing. She was locked inside. But she could see from it. She could hear. It was her mom. Berating her, calling her a failure. It was all things she’d heard before - but harsher. How she would amount to nothing. Unloveable. Destined to die alone. You deserve to be abandoned. Failure, unable to do a single thing right.

Then she saw Casey. He didn’t say anything. He just looked at her. It was a look of pure disgust. Like he didn’t even want to see her. He didn’t have to say anything for her to know it was over. She was trapped in here alone, unable to do anything but cry and shout for him to not leave her. But he just shook his head, turning his back on her and walking away until he disappeared.

The scene shifted. In the car with Casey, and he kicked her out at Sabrina’s place. Another shift. The park, him breaking up with her. The apartment block gym, him not even looking at her. It shifted and shifted, place to place, none quite like reality but all close enough, and him breaking up with her in every single one. Constantly being left, again and again-

A dark forest. Vaguely familiar, but not at the same time. Somewhere she’d been… a buried memory… dark shadows flickering around her, hunting her. The thick smell of blood hung in the air, and each breath felt like she was choking on glass. There were no bees, just her.


Something close to Casey’s voice whispered in her ear, repeating what he’d said early - but it was distorted, cruel.

The shadows got closer. Sharp claws, dark tendrils that could pierce and choke. She was going to die, she was going to die, she was-

Before the claws sliced through her chest someone jumped in front of her- blocking them, saving her. She could only see his back but she knew him. Casey. Casey was here to-

Short lived relief. Shadowy tendrils pierced through his chest, coming so close to her face without touching it. Blood dripped from them onto her- his blood. He didn’t even make a sound. It was unnatural, but it was- it wasn’t real, right? No, it felt real, the blood sticky on her hands as she tried to catch him even as he slumped onto the ground.

“No, no, no, Casey- Casey please, say something, anything.” The hoarse whispers from her lips were met with silence. He was smiling up at her, even as the light in his eyes started to dim. Tears spilled down her face uncontrollably- no, no, not again.

Casey faded in front of her. Like he was slightly see through, his body overlapped another. Someone else, someone much smaller - someone similarly dying right in front of her. His face was blurry and his features indistinct. Trisha didn’t recognise him, but she knew him. She couldn’t remember, she didn’t want to remember. She refused to remember, this hadn’t happened, it wasn’t real-

Casey-Stranger’s lips moved in sync, mouthing silently.
’At least you’re safe.’

“No, don’t leave me alone, please, don’t-”

---

Trisha woke abruptly, panic still clutching her. She sat bolt upright, curling over herself as she tried to calm herself down. The blankets that Casey had brought down for her were thrown to the side, almost falling off the large couch. The lecturer’s boring voice was still droning on in the background. She reached out to slam her laptop lid shut, silencing it.

What time was it? When had she fallen asleep? Was Casey- no, he wasn’t dead. That was just a nightmare. It had felt so real… but it hadn’t been. Trisha’s hand went to the scar on her abdomen as she tried to calm down. Deep breaths. Look outside. It was just getting light. It was fine. Just a dream.

Casey was probably awake by now. She’d go out, and they’d talk, and it’d be fine. It was all just a dream. One that could become reality… it could all become reality. Trembling slightly, she forced herself to the edge of the couch. Her legs shook as she stood, the floor cold even against her socks. Did Casey not turn on the heating? That was fine, he was tired, they’d argued… Remembering the fight set Trisha off panicking again. She froze, hands clenching and unclenching at her side. She didn’t want to go out. But she had to, she couldn’t stay in here, he’d said he loved her. That they weren’t over.

It would be fine. Taking another deep breath, she pushed open the door and stepped out into the hall. She didn’t see Casey right away. But he appeared as she stepped out, coming from the loft as if called by her waking up. He’d probably heard her, they could-
He had a suitcase in his hand. It was put by the door beside others before he turned around.

Trisha’s blood ran cold. He was looking at her with that look. The one he used last night, the one he used when he was upset at Leon. It lacked any of that warmth and love she normally felt.
”Perfect timing,” he said casually, pointing to the suitcases. ”Get out. We’re over.”

No, please, don’t kick me out, don’t leave me like everyone else, you said we weren’t over, don’t-

---

Trisha woke with a jolt, feeling hundreds of little feet crawling all over her and panicked pheromones bombarding her. She sat up, hands gripping the fabric of Casey’s sweater that she was still wearing. How did she know this was real? The last one seemed so real. What if she just walked out and Casey was there again with the suitcases telling her to leave and-

The bees! There were no bees in the dream, the bees were here now, she could sense them- but maybe this dream was just different. Trisha shoved a shaking hand through the long sleeves, shaking the material out of the way until she was free. The bee that landed on her hand was confused by her command, and hesitant. It stayed there, trembling, for a little bit before it finally did what she asked, and stung her.
“Oh fuck-”

Reality. But that didn’t make it any better. Trisha curled in on herself, chest heaving up and down as her panic pheromones started to fill the room. He might’ve changed his mind. He might really be out there waiting to kick her out- maybe the time away meant he realised he didn’t want to be with her. That he didn’t want to deal with her. That she wasn’t worth it- of course she wasn’t worth it. But she hadn’t meant it. She hadn’t meant that she didn’t care about anything else, that she wanted him to die, she didn’t want to, she l-

But he didn’t know. Had he really calmed down last night? No, maybe it was just to get her out of the room so he could think for a moment and get rid of her and then- but wouldn’t that be better because then he wouldn’t die for me.

He’d done so much for her and she’d just thrown it all away. Why hadn’t she just done what he suggested? No, that wasn’t it, she’d just wanted to stay in bed with him… she hadn’t meant to start a fight… but it happened. And now he knew what she was like a little bit more. He saw what made other people leave her. It was only a matter of time before he did too… at least he didn’t hurt her. Did that matter? It would hurt when he left-

No, he said they weren’t over. He did. They’d promised not to lie to each other. They were going to talk today. She didn’t want to talk today, but she wanted to lose Casey even less…

With the conflicting, panicked thoughts not lessening Trisha had to force herself up. She’d just keep spiralling in her, going from the start of a panic attack to a full one she’d struggle to escape from. If she was fast enough she could get in the bathroom before Casey realised she was awake, and at least make herself look like she wasn’t on the brink of panicking. A shower would help…

Steeling herself, she pushed through the door. She couldn’t see Casey anywhere- her shuffling feet hit something. She looked down to find Casey slumped across the floor in front of her. Immediately she panicked- he’s dead, just like the dream, he- she crouched down, holding a hand under his nose. He was breathing. He was alive. His chest was moving too, she was being stupid, it was fine…

She carefully and quietly stepped over him, daring to make her way up to the loft for a change of clothes. He was still asleep thankfully as she crept back down, practically running into the bathroom and locking the door behind her. A long shower helped push down the panic enough to be manageable. It would be fine. Casey was still there- he’d even fallen asleep right outside the door.

He was still asleep when she came out in a fresh set of comfortable clothes, damp hair lazily tied up into a messy bun. He must be really tired… Trisha quietly stepped past him again to dump her sweaty night clothes in the laundry hamper. Then she went into the den and grabbed a pillow.

Crouching in front of him again, she carefully lifted up his head and slipped the pillow underneath it. At least he’d be a little bit more comfortable… looking at him sleeping for a moment was enough to ease some of the tension she still felt. She really liked him. Even after arguing last night, she still really liked him. And he hadn’t left. Yet. And he wouldn’t! Maybe she could do something for him… to show that she’d listened.

Ten minutes of googling and another ten minutes of hunting through the cupboards later, Trisha had everything she needed to make pancakes. It seemed like the easiest thing to do… perfect for breakfast and something Casey could eat. The recipe even said multiple times about how easy it was. Measure out the dry ingredients- fuck the flour got everywhere- then the wet ones- how the fuck did she crack an egg neatly? Fuck, there was egg shells in it, fuck- Whisk the dry ingredients together- why was flour so easy to get everywhere?! Why was it so white?! Why was she wearing dark clothes?! At least mixing the wet ingredients all together was easier… then pour them in together, and mix. But not too much. Wait, was she meant to add it gradually? Fuck it.

By the time she finished the mixture, there was flour everywhere and at least one egg had fallen on the floor. There was flour all over her too. And she’d just showered! But it was fine. Casey would have no choice but to stay after he saw the effort she’d put in, and it was helping distract her… the next step was actually cooking.

After more cupboard hunting she found a frying pan. It took a while again to get the stove started- it said medium heat, so turning it to the middle was probably right. Maybe a bit lower to be right. The butter thrown on, and loads of it, melted nicely. Then she poured on a bit of the batter. It didn’t make a nice circle, sploding out at the edges, but that was fine too. Taste was what was important. Definitely. But it was taking ages. Maybe it needed oil. She threw in a bit of oil, but it didn’t help. Maybe it wasn’t hot enough. She should turn it up to full-

As Trisha did, the flame got far too big. She panicked, grabbing the pan and tilting it towards the fire. The pancake batter started bubbling and spitting, heating quickly before turning brown then black then on fire incredibly quickly.

Trisha screamed, throwing the flaming pan into the sink. Her hand shot out to turn on the tap, feeling the heat threatening to burn her skin before the cold water splashed on the fire. Perfect, now Casey was going to be upset that she’d nearly started a fire when she was just-

Casey was still asleep. She’d screamed, the room smelt like something was burning (because it was) and he was still asleep. The panic waiting just below the surface clutched her again. He wasn’t okay, there was no way Casey could sleep through that normal, something had happened, was he dying-

“Casey! Casey, wake up. Casey?!” When shouting his name didn’t work she ran over, not caring about the still running tap onto the smouldering remains of her attempted cooking.
“Casey, please wake up, help- I started and stopped a fire and you’re still asleep- Casey?!” She started to shake him as hard as she could, her whole body shaking.

---

The beach was so warm. Southern Mediterranean waters were like the Bahamas… Warm, blue, inviting: It was no wonder the North was so envious… Even the lagoons around Venice weren’t this nice. Tripoli, Libya… They’d been ported here for a week now as the buildup for the crossing was taking place. The target was Sicily, certain forces had already gone ahead to insure that the Mafioso Resistance was on the up enough that they weren’t walking into a death trap, but Casey hadn’t been with them.

This whole waiting thing was hard. Some of the others told him to be careful in the water like this, but it was really the only thing keeping him sane as they waited. It was practically civilian life around here; the troops even had freedoms after working their twelve. You could go off into town to find food, souvenirs, anything you may have a hankering for… It was novelty comfort. Too calm. Too much of a pain.
But here? Swimming around the USS Marigold? So safe. So calm. Everything was fine. He felt the salt-laden water lifting his back so it arched up, relieving pressure from a few spots that otherwise ached.

He wasn’t sure why they ached. He hadn’t taken a fall in the hills outside Rome yet. The Bachelder Beast hadn’t tried to peel his legs off his body like a frog yet…
Oh… Dream, isn’t it?
He opened his eyes finally, looking up at the sun, then out toward the shore. It was empty. No G.I., no civilians… Just the cats.
”What’s the fucking point!?” he called out to them from the water. ”Just because you can?”

”A thank you-” ”-for the meal.”
Their voices reached him easily, not skipping across the water so much as crawling into his ear.
”What meal?”
Awareness in the dream usually meant control. In a flashing instant, Casey’s hand dragged him onto shore several hundred yards away from where he’d been.
”You don’t think we know-” ”-where the dying is?” ”They died in fear-” ”-of you, as they realized-” ”-what was happening.”

Casey took a deep breath. He knew not to engage them how they wanted… But he wasn’t leaving until they were satisfied.
”Fine… It’s yours. Take it from me if you want.”
”Why pluck-” ”-an unripened fruit?”

Oh no…

He could feel eyes from the town. Like the feeling of the enemy staring. Watching. Waiting. He gritted his teeth.
“Casey!?”
“Lord Richoux!”
“The Blade, the Blade!”
“Our hero!”
”GHA-PL-E-ASE! NOOOOOO!”
”HELP! HELP! DON’-”
”Mom? MOM!?”
The screams of their disembodied voices resonated from the buildings like sonic weapons, the soundwaves sending ripples across the water. The last thoughts of the dead, which the Cat had already taken from his brain. The constant blasting of his shotgun rattling off round after round was sonorous, and crushing like a pressure bomb.

At first, Casey tried to stand his ground, but eventually it became so cacophonous that he couldn’t take it. He tried to run back toward the water, diving in head first until everything was a dull and muffled thud.
Everything except-

---

His eyes snapped open to Trisha shaking him. The word fire came out of her mouth in the vague haze he could remember, and he forced himself to his feet like a bolt of lightning. Both of his massive hands practically threw her to the ground. His senses were sharp, and he was instinctively moving toward the smell of burning cookery. Sliding to a stop, his head spun from their woodstove in the outer den over to the kitchen. Black smoke poured from the sink.
”Oh, oh fuck! Babe, not water!”

He rushed over to the sink, finding the smoldering ruins of the pan she used. Thankfully there hadn’t been much oil, or water wouldn’t have been the solution… He quickly shut the water off and made for an oven mitt to grab the scalding hot pan. The black, carbonized lumps at the center gave him a good idea of what happened.
”Jesus… Trisha…? Babe? Are you okay?!” he turned backward, hoping that she’d be standing there.

Even though she’d bashed at least her shoulder off the floor when Casey had practically thrown her onto it, Trisha was quick to scramble back to her feet. After a moment's hesitation, briefly considering bolting into the Den and shutting the door, she trailed after him. She came to a stop just a short distance away, within reaching distance without quite breaching that gap herself.
“I- I’m fine,” she said quietly, intently staring at his feet rather than his face. She looked very much like a kid waiting to be scolded after doing something they knew was wrong. Patches of flour were obvious all over her dark green sweater and black cargo pants, with some even on the tip of her nose.

“I was worried because you didn’t wake up! I screamed and it was burning and you were still asleep when you normally wake up so easily, I thought…” She trailed off, grimacing and deciding not to finish that sentence. She thought he might be dead, somehow, or at least dying - like the dream. Something horrible. Her arms wrapped around herself as she still didn’t look at him, worried about what she might see.
“You’re probably just tired. The recipe seemed easy… it said it was easy… I just wanted to do something nice for you, so you knew I listened, but I ruined that.”

Casey was immediate in his comfort, rushing to her side and tugging her into his embrace. He held her close and tight, shaking his head gently to rub against hers.
”Trisha… Baby, it’s okay. I promise, it’s okay. I’m fine. It was… The fucking cats. Showing me something shitty, but my brain was clinging. Are you sure you’re okay? You didn’t burn yourself, did you? Let me see your hands-”
He pulled away slightly, grabbing her wrists and twisting them gently to see her pristine palms mostly unharmed. He took a deep breath.
”-oh thank God. I… I’m so fucking sorry, we didn’t go over the fire extinguisher…”

But he pulled her in close again, hand rubbing the back of her head now.
”I love you… It’s okay…”

For a moment Trisha just silently nodded, pressing her face into Casey's chest. She was trying her best not to cry, tears forming in the corners of her eyes that she tried her best to hold back… why? It wasn't like anything bad had happened, why was she so weak all of a sudden? Everything was fine… It was just the comfort after everything, it was almost overwhelming. Because she'd been expecting the worst after the dreams and last night, and instead he was just showing how much he cared.

“I saw you die," she whispered, barely audible with her face right against him.
“In my dreams. And- and then this happened… I wanted to show that I do care, I- I was trying, but…" she trailed off, feeling frustrated both at her inability to say what she wanted to while also not being sure if she even wanted to say it in the first place.

“I l-l-" she couldn't- “Like you a lot. I really do."

Casey’s lip quivered for a moment as he considered what she was saying. She didn’t even know if she actually wanted to say the word… It made him laugh. Made him smile. Her caution and quiet fear, feelings he knew but wouldn’t be able to tell her. He didn’t want her to be in pain. Certainly not to conflict her further…
”I like you too… I really do. And I’m not dead; I’m right here with you.”
His head turned. The flour, the eggs, the mess.
”Pancakes? ‘Cuz they’re bread, and you…”

She really was that scared. What’d Leon and the others say to her? Surely it wasn’t about him; nobody had given a fuck a month ago… Were they concerned with her position? Her lack of ability to push against it? Shaking his head, Casey planted a kiss on her forehead and looked down at her face welled with tears.
”Listen to me… I need you to be strong with me. Because these fucking people are going to do whatever they can to make you scared. To get you to run. They’re going to make you worried about every little thing that we do. But I don’t want you to go anywhere. And I don’t want you afraid… Because the fucking cat will smell the food. Do you understand me?” he asked her, softly but very sternly.

Trisha's face scrunched up for a moment as she wriggled her hands up from clutching at his shirt to her eyes, rubbing away the tears that were starting to form. She wasn't scared in a way that would make her run. She was scared about what could happen to him- to them- and that he might decide she wasn't worth it…
“I understand- I'm not going anywhere." Even though her eyes shone with unshed tears, the look she gave him was full of determination. Unwavering.

“I don't care what they do. I'm- I'm already paranoid about everything," she found herself admitting. It was true… after the snake, after all the people that had abandoned her too, it was difficult for her to fully trust anything. Even her own head.
“But I can handle it- I know that sounds ridiculous when I look like this." The last bit was mumbled as she wiped away the remaining tears, her arms dropping back down for a moment before shoving under his to properly hug him back.
“Leon said he didn't tell me because he didn't want me to break up with you. That upset me just as much as the food did."

Casey shook his head. It was quite the opposite of what he thought. He figured…
”I don’t… I don’t wanna start a fight, but if he really withheld the info from you for that reason then… I don’t know, doesn’t that sound like a good thing? I mean I admit, I could be wrong about some things, but that sounds like a wingman thing to me. I don’t like that he gave you shit for it though… We’re both grown: We should be able to make independent decisions, shouldn’t we?”

“We should- but I wouldn't break up with you. You can say that because it's for you- but it means he views me so badly he thinks I'd leave you for something I only care about because I care about you. But I wouldn't. There's nothing he can tell me that'd make me break up with you. It just- it's like that nickname. That's what he thinks of me." Trisha was visibly frustrated, body growing tenser - but she didn't pull away like she did the night before, instead pressing closer to hide her face against him again. She was trying to not start a fight. She really didn't want to.

”Trisha… You just said you’re paranoid about everything, right?-”
He lifted his hand up to her chin, lifting her head to look at him.
”-Part of my new job is to be paranoid about everything. And everything that you’re saying could be true. But I don’t want to be. And I certainly don’t think any of that about you. I don’t think you’d leave, and I don’t want you to. All I want is for us to be on the same page here… That we are both adults who should be allowed to make independent decisions. Right?”

Her lips pressed together as she thought it through. She didn't like being forced to look at him - there was always that fear of what she'd see. But she didn't see that. Instead it meant she couldn't deny his honesty about everything he said. He really didn't think that about her. She knew, he told her… but it was always difficult to believe. But every confirmation of it made her accept it a little more.
“Yeah. We are. I wasn't trying to make decisions for you, I just… panicked. I don't trust magic, and I thought you didn't know… but I should've talked to you." It was a big step for her, really, because it was pretty close to admitting to doing something wrong. Her eyes moved to look off to the side as best as possible when she talked. She really didn't like it, it made all her insecurities start to claw at her, but she wanted to be with him more than she wanted to not admit it.

He playfully followed her eyes with his face, staying in frame as she spoke and smiling as widely as he could. He wasn’t sad or mad; on the contrary, he was elated that she seemed to be accepting.
”And there are some things that I shouldn’t keep from you. I realize… This wasn’t a Temple thing. It’s a me thing. Something I should’ve been more explicit about. I meant what I said; about the whole ‘Man can’t live off bread alone’ shit.”

Casey took a deep breath, eyes closing and chest moving before he spoke again.
”Naturally, I want to qualify things and rant about how nobody has the respect to just check in with one another: But Andrade knows I don’t want the weird side effects. He knows I don’t need extra power from my food. I just need to eat it and be full, and not die from starvation. So, as far as I’m aware- And that’s a very important distinction -there’s nothing besides weird grains from other dimensions used in the breads he makes me. No Apparition juice, no milk of Adeptal Essence. Nothing crazy... I would feed it to you with zero worry, because I trust Andrade. Not all this food is made the same.”

He realized he was probably overexplaining. Maybe he even sounded like an addict trying to justify a habit… Maybe it’d be off putting for her, but if he was preaching about honesty, he could only be honest.

“Grains from other dimensions are pretty crazy to me," Trisha said with a light laugh, while she processed all the rest. If he'd feed it to her that really meant it was fine… probably. It was strange that while she didn't entirely accept that he loved her, she did completely trust that he wanted to protect her. Even if it did have the other things- if he needed it to live, he needed it to live. Seeing him starve to death would be much worse than any of the possible side effects. She just wanted to know about it. It wasn't something she understood, and when Leon first told her about the food he'd made it sound really bad. All that talk about how it was too late for him and the girls…
“I understand… But what happens if you- we- leave? If you can't get the bread from him? I'm not saying you shouldn't eat it, I understand why now, and it is your decision- I'm just thinking about the future. What would we do then?"

He grinned at her.
”Then we would deal with the fact that I can’t eat meat. Or that I don’t want to… At least, not most of the time. I take vitamins and supplements like a normal human… I’m just doing what’s most convenient right now. Who else can say they have a three-star Michelin Chef sending them a bread basket on demand? Besides your brother…”
Giggling, he held onto Trisha tightly, rocking them back and forth.
”I want you to ask questions if you’re not sure about something. If it’s Temple stuff, I’ll tell you that and let you decide if it’s info you still want. Is that a better arrangement for you?”

“Yeah, it is," Trisha nodded, pressing her whole body back against him so her face was once again hidden - but it was more to be as close to him as possible rather than hiding her expression. Asking questions was something she could force herself to do, rather than holding onto things until they exploded out… She tilted her head back up, chin pressed into his chest, before she kept talking.
“If being around meat is that uncomfortable for you I can stop eating it too. I don't really… have many preferences when it comes to food. I'd rather you felt alright when we're eating together. It's not like I need the extra protein or fuel or anything."

”Baby, I want you to eat whatever you want. Just being in the same room as you enjoying your food makes me happy. Besides, there’s only gonna be a few times where I deny a piece of fried chicken… There’s just some things. Red meats, or the raw uncooked stuff. Imagine if you saw someone exploded, right? Like… The aftermath. If you think the food looks like that, the chances are I’m gonna get-”
He wretched a little just thinking about what a steak looked like uncooked on a plate.
”-or… Like tun-ECH”

Casey’s arm lifted up to his mouth, and he shook his head.
”Sorry… Just… Don’t get the sashimi, maybe.”

Trisha's hand came up to gently rub his back, hoping it was at least a little comforting. She'd never really dealt with anything like that… to her food just existed, she ate what she was given without thinking much about it. But she could see how it'd be like that… like how she still struggled with complete darkness alone sometimes.
“I can live without sashimi. And red meat. I don't like raw stuff anyway- and it's not like I'm going to be cooking." She leaned back a little bit again to look at him with a soft smile, hand still rubbing his back.

“I really don't care about food, so it's not a big deal for me. Growing up the food was fancy, but it wasn't like we got what we wanted. Except pizza types I don't really… have food I prefer. Well, I guess I do a bit, but I haven't really thought about it. I don't really… care? I could eat anything and be fine." Or not eat at all.
“I’ll just keep it in mind when I get food."

Casey let the thought linger for a moment before a light turned on in his head. He wasn’t always sure of what to say, so the few safe bets were like prizes.
”You know I appreciate it? Like… Doing it even if I don’t feel like you have to, knowing that you’re thinking of me in your decisions is still really comforting. So thank you. And I’m sorry for being harsh and rude last night. You were right, and I shouldn’t have pushed you knowing what your day was like.”

He turned his head back toward the kitchen, laughed again, then turned his head back to her.
”C’mon… Get dressed or whatever you want; shower, whatever, then we’ll go. We’ll talk to the person at the source together. He can make us breakfast.”

---

---

Trisha washed up, and Casey did the same to the bombed out ruins of their kitchen. Like the classic image of a witch’s house, enchanted cleaning implements sweeped and mopped, and he desperately tried to scrape carbonized flour off the pan. When they left, the broom was still shuffling clouds of flour out the front door.

”Make sure you lock up!” he laughed, speaking to the otherwise unknowing broom. It didn’t speak English, and there was no point in locking the place. People could fucking teleport.

Their ultimate destination was Abrazo Cálido: The Warm Embrace Cafe, and Andrade’s Florida-Cuban diner. Unlike the place they’d been at for his ceremony celebration, the atmosphere as the two of them walked through the double doors into the lobby was cozy. Anything besides austere, it didn’t take itself seriously. There were pictures of gators next to Baseball displays. Glass boxes kept grubby hands from touching world-series winning balls and gloves and jerseys. There were pictures of people Casey didn’t even recognize plastered everywhere. Some had his family.

There was a rather large picture of Gravity Richoux and Andrade; a playful scene of the massive boxing legend sat in front of a comically large stack of pancakes. Andrade was on a stool pouring syrup down the stack, and if one looked close, they could see Lynette holding baby Junior in the background. She was laughing, her head tilted back to the point you’d imagine it hurting.
This place did feel most like a home to him. It was Andrade’s first actual restaurant here in St. Portwell, and despite his stars and his acclaim, his office was here. And so was his bakery.

Every location had to have the ability to bake fresh product, but this place was where the magic really happened. Casey could smell his prize as they entered, and he looked around the packed eatery with a whimsical look in his eye. The host didn’t ask any questions either, instead guiding them to an open booth near the rear of the place. There were menus there, tucked into a little metal pocket on the window side of the table.
”Murray?-” Casey spoke to the host. ”-Can you just go see if he’s got enough time to talk?”
“He” was understood by the experienced Maitre’d, who only nodded in response before shuffling off to the back of the restaurant. Casey smiled across the table at Trisha.

”Uncle Andy will bring us coffee… Did you want anything besides that to drink?” he asked her, his hands sliding up onto the table and opening, offering her a place to rest her own.

Trisha looked around with cautious curiosity as they were led inside, staying close enough to Casey that she was practically his shadow until they reached the table. The place was nice. More comfortable than the other two restaurants of Andrade’s she’d been to. But there was a slight anxiety she might see someone she knew. There was a very real risk Tansy woke up that morning and decided to have breakfast somewhere ‘quaint’ yet still owned by a Michelin Star chef.

Thankfully she didn’t see anyone. She was able to relax a bit more, reaching out to put her hands in Casey’s. Her fingers gently scratched his palm as she smiled at him.
“Probably just some orange juice. Last night wasn’t so bad I need a morning shot,” she lightly joked, still smiling. She was as comfortable as she could be outside of the house - Casey would be able to feel the slight amount of tension she still held in her hands that couldn’t quite stay still on his.
“It’s nice here. It's much more… homely. I like it.”

Reactionarily, his hands gripped hers close so they couldn’t move. It wasn’t aggressive; or he didn’t intend for it to be that way. It was just like a venus fly trap being teased by the bug… The trap shut. His thumb rolled across the top of her hand with his breath.
”The tables all have carvings underneath. You can feel them. If the tables haven’t shuffled, this one has a spot where Elise and I played tic-tac-toe over like six months.” he giggled.
”It’s massive, like twenty rows or something. The idea was to do it blind, so she would come in to work for a day, wash the table, feel underneath for the play. Back and forth like that.”

“Really? Let me see.” Trisha wriggled her fingers as much as she could, trapped as her hands were, until one was let free. She put it under the table and felt around until she found something that felt vaguely like xs and os. Her lips curved up into a smile even as her eyes closed. Hiding the hint of sadness in them… the jealousy. She’d barely been able to stay in the same room as her siblings growing up without a fight happening, nevermind playing any sorts of games. It was only now that she was older she was able to be civil with some of them.

“I think I felt it.” Trisha pulled her hand back up from under the table, going right back to rest on Casey’s. At the same time her eyes opened back up as if she’d just been trying to concentrate on her sense of touch. There was only warmth and softness in them now…
“So you two were close growing up? Or at least, pretty friendly? Anything that isn’t ignoring or fighting seems pretty friendly to me…” she laughed that off, looking down at their hands.
“Who won?”

Casey laughed in turn, shrugging.
”You know how that game is… It was a draw.”
Her question about their closeness was one he rarely considered. They weren’t the best of friends, but Elise was always maternal. Always nurturing. She couldn’t keep her hands out of other peoples’ business.
”Mom put a bit of responsibility on her before she managed to skitter off to New York. Part of that was trying to help me Kindle. So she was always hot and cold. Since the emotions required for Orange and White Lux manipulation are a bit different, she was always trying to push me into making new memories. Really living in the moment. If we were getting into trouble, it’s because she was trying to make a point. Get me to remember these crazy things.”

Courage and Nostalgia. The courage to do, and the nostalgia of having done. They were kids, young teens. He didn’t know if Lynette had prompted her and taught her about it, or if she was just a natural, but now that he had the scope of his White Lux expanded, he knew that all of her work was worth it.
”I love her. She’s not heavy.”
A very casual statement to describe a complicated situation.
”I kind of got it before, but… There’s really no siblings in your family that excite you? Nothing really keeping you there with them?”

“There aren’t,” Trisha answered truthfully. There was no point hiding it - and she’d promised not to lie to him anyway. Even if she was civil with some now - Sabrina, Brooke, Izzy, all of whom she’d managed to live with - it wasn’t like they were close. Roommates more than anything.
“There’s so many of us, and there’s twenty-eight years between the youngest and oldest. I really didn’t get on with any of the ones close to my age. Dad wasn’t exactly around to help, either, just nannies. Some had present moms, some had moms in different places, some didn’t have any at all… Then Tansy was trying to replace them too. It was a mess that just resulted in us all fighting. There’s too much bad blood to fix things now that we’re adults.”

She spoke calmly as if it was something that didn’t really affect her anymore. It wasn’t like she could change her childhood as much as she wanted to. Sure, she was jealous of people with good relationships with their siblings, and the few that somehow had them in her own family. But that would never be her.
“Last night was actually the first time I had a proper conversation with Ezra in… well, forever, I think.”

Casey frowned slightly, his eyes screaming empathy. It was awful, and an awful situation to have grown up in no matter what. Twenty-Eight years between her eldest and her youngest… So many of them could’ve been one another’s parents that Casey didn’t even want to imagine what a closer dynamic could be like. It was a nightmare.
”We’ll keep the family small. I think two would be plenty of kids, don’t you?” he asked, trying to keep it about something that involved the two of them together rather than something amorphous. He didn’t want her upset… Especially not with what was coming.

He hadn’t exactly consulted her on his plan either. That he was going to pull rank- something he hated doing -to prove to her that she didn’t need to worry. Of course, it wasn’t like he was craving that bread or anything… The sweet jam inside the croissant, the little packet of sweetened butter with it. Some of her honey, which he’d been eating without even telling her. He wanted her to feel secure, so that she could in turn feel and understand that she’s loved.

Trisha blushed slightly when Casey brought up them having kids, instantly getting a bit flustered. It was like all those big future things - both something she really wanted but was terrified of. Fear that she'd start thinking about it all, getting comfortable in a future that then disappeared… and other worries, specifically around children. She'd always wanted them, but what if she ended up like her own parents…

But for once she tried not to dwell on that. She was here, right now, with Casey. He brought it up, and he loved her. So for just now she'd try not to worry about it. Just accept it.
“Yeah, I think two would be perfect… Not too far apart, then they'd hopefully be close. I don't want to do… that… more than twice anyway." Trisha's face scrunched up a little bit.
“But it'll never be that small, cause there'll be thousands of bees on top of the four of us."

Nodding, Casey grinned thinking about his kids being absolutely tormented by thousands of bees. They’d be used to it by the time they were old enough to care, but for the first couple of years it’d probably be pretty wild. Good. Kids needed a little bit of magic; that’s something he never disagreed with when it came to his parents. If he hadn’t had so much exposure, if he hadn’t at least been Third-eye’d, maybe he’d never have Kindled… Maybe he’d have just died like the rest of his squad in that hell-pit in China.

”Oh sure, the bees. I mean, that means we really don’t need to even have kids, right? You’ve already taken care of all of that.”

But the moment was broken up by a warm voice and a smile.
”Ahhhhh, Mi Espada!-”
Andrade, hair pulled back in a tail and a smile on his face. He was wearing an apron on top of a rather nice and expensive name brand shirt that Trisha would’ve recognized. He was absolutely polished, shoes and even cufflinks shone in the light coming in from the windows. He had a decanter full of dark brown coffee, several cups, and a pitcher of orange juice on top of a wide platter. Sliding it down, he bent his torso over it to plant a kiss on Casey’s cheek, then on Trisha’s.
”-And the most beautiful girl in St. Portwell!~ How’re you both this morning, what’s going on!?”

Without asking, he slipped into the booth next to Casey and started pouring out coffee.

“Good morning, Andrade," Trisha offered him a smile, though she got a bit more tense again now that it wasn't just the two of them - even though she knew he was going to come over. It wasn't so much him as it was her, that discomfort as soon as a dining table started to fill up and the expectation that something would happen.

“Well, I tried cooking this morning, so we decided to come get breakfast from someone that can actually cook," Trisha said lightly, looking at Casey. The state she'd been in that morning and the circumstances around the cooking weren't ones she wanted to share but… the failed attempt itself was mostly just a bit embarrassing. She knew she couldn't cook, so really it'd gone as expected.
“Nobody told me that making pancakes wasn't actually easy."

Andrade was instantly empathetic. His face became somewhat, if jokingly, sad with a big frown and equally big brown eyes that stared at Trisha.
”Mija, that’s a myth! If you don’t get the batter right, you make shit pancakes- Max used to eat these fucking oat-filled things, they’d be like hardtack by the time they hit the plate. The most surprising thing was that the fuckers didn’t burn!”
Casey made a playful gagging noise remembering the protein cakes his Dad used to make. He looked at Trisha with a conspiratorial smirk.

”By the bag too. Honestly, I’d have sooner eaten what you made than what that guy used to cook for himself.”
”His buddies in the League; this Russian puto with a big stupid fuckin’ head… I always-”
Clearing his throat, Andrade waved his hands off. He divvied out the coffee cups, leaving the creme in the center and the sugar at the side. Then he poured a big glass of orange juice and slid it over to Trisha.

”I uh… I have no excuse- Like many other facilities, we’ve got monitoring. I just like to use mine to make sure I know what my customers want.”
He had a sheepish look on his face, ready to be reprimanded… Casey didn’t skip a beat.
”I’ve already talked to the others- If I’m in your restaurants, I want privacy. I want to feel like a guest, not a fucking person of interest, comprende?”

He raised his hands in return.
”I’m already sorry- It’ll be out of my mind from now on. Comprende.”
Casey’s arm wrapped around Andrade, sliding him closer.
”Good. You get one fuckup, and then I start swinging.”
Andrade only laughed in return.

Trisha's skin crawled at the thought of being monitored - she knew it was likely anywhere Temple, but that didn't mean she had to like it. At least Casey had handled it. If he got privacy at Andrade's restaurants that meant Trisha did too. So she smiled thankfully at Casey, eyes incredibly warm. She didn't bother saying anything about it since he'd dealt with it.
“So long as you take it outside and I can enjoy my meal in peace," she laughed, ignoring the orange juice for now in favour of taking a sip of the coffee. She poured a little bit of creme into it before taking a sip.

“On that, what do you recommend?" Trisha asked, reaching out for a menu and putting it on the table in front of her. She gave it a cursory glance, looking to see if anything jumped out to her - it didn't really, it all looked nice. She wasn't even that hungry anymore, after the talk of spying… but she'd force herself to eat something.
“I like anything, really… just maybe not pancakes. It's too soon."

Casey openly took the pitcher of orange juice, big hands wrapping around under the handle, and took a great swig from it. Great guzzling swigs, until the vessel was half empty. Andrade, who had opened his mouth to give recommendations, was absolutely shocked. Mouth agape, he stared at Casey, who slid it back onto the table. For a moment, his blank expression gave nothing away.
Then he smiled.

”Good juice. Kind of funny, Mom had a life-memory spell kicking around- I can see where the orange came from. Some nice groves in Florida.”
He was grinning like a child. The truth was that he saw that she didn't touch hers. His assumption was that she was simply too nervous and suspicious of it to drink after what Andrade said, so he was going to be her official taste tester. She'd never need to be nervous at a table with him.

”You… Could have asked…-”
Casey simply grinned, the smugness radiating from him. Andrade's face slowly managed to turn back to Trisha.
”-Now, what's good? It's all good. You should get a pastry box for Jumbo here, and the fruit bouquet. We can serve it with all the extra bits for a sweet little breakfast. Or, you can go for the Cuban part of the menu, which I'm proud of.”

Andrade proceeded to explain the different sandwiches and more traditional breakfast options from his home island, and his Floridian influence in them. It wasn't just Cuban sandwiches either; plantain soufflé, beans and rice, enchilada eggs and chorizo sausage…

”If you can't decide on one thing, I'm happy to load up a couple plates with a nice spread for the two of you.”
Casey nodded his head.
”Do you have that soup you serve at Dinner? I want some of that.”
Andrade laughed, hand crossing to pinch Casey on the cheek.
”Rrrrgh, picky boy… Yes, you'll have your soupa.”

Trisha shook her head slightly, mouth still covered to stifle laughter from watching Casey chug down half the pitcher of orange juice. While she wasn’t exactly a fan of him drinking right out of it, she knew he was doing it for her… So that she was comfortable drinking it. Her hand slipped away from her mouth, smiling softly at him, before she pulled over her glass and took a sip. It really was nice…

But there was a lot of choice when it came to food. Everything sounded nice… Well, she wasn’t so sure about soup for breakfast, but that was Casey’s choice.
“I think… the pastry box and fruit bouquet, and some extras… maybe plantain soufflé? I’d like to try a couple of the Cuban things, but I don’t want anything too heavy. Or any meat this early… is that too difficult to put together? I don’t want to be difficult too.” Her eyes squinted cutely, smiling teasingly at Casey.

But before they got any food, she did want to ask… Not that she didn’t trust Casey, or Andrade, but…
“I assume it's all safe?”

Andrade’s eyes narrowed. The question…
”What happened?”

Casey stopped, his expression mirroring Andrade. Uncannily so, actually; it was far easier now to tell who he’d spent more time around, as his expressions seemed to imitate that which left the greatest impression. From what Trisha had seen, Andrade seemed to be an affectionate and passionate individual. Always touching. Always smiling.

”I think it’s a valid question to ask.”
”It’s you two, I-”
”Leon busted us.” Casey replied matter-of-factly.
”Ah…-”
Andrade’s face turned rather flat now, and he bowed his head slightly.
”-Everything’s clean. Our clientele here is mostly Blind, and we maintain relationships with local Blind suppliers through places like this.”

Casey’s face had turned serious, and he leaned into Andrade.
”You’re going to show her the difference between the food you make me, and the food you make Mom… Because she’s scared. And she doesn’t deserve to be worried every time she picks up a fucking chicken wing around us.”
Andrade’s eyes closed, as if he’d been caught in the middle of something he didn’t want to be.
”You… Really are the Blade.” he spoke softly, nodding his head before taking a deep breath. Looking back at Trisha again, he still appeared somewhat remiss. Almost like a child caught in mischief.
”Will you let me put you at ease? As much as I can?” he asked her bluntly.

Trisha’s lip pressed into a thin line, considering it. She didn’t particularly like Casey saying she was scared - sure, it was true, she was worried about the effects of the food on him and what would happen if she ended up eating it too. But she wanted to feel as comfortable as possible with it, because Casey was going to keep eating it… she’d accepted that.
“I will. Casey trusts you, and I trust Casey, so I want to trust you too but… I can’t without seeing it.” Not that she’d entirely trust it when she did, or put her guard down fully, but it would at least help.
“I want to know what my boyfriend’s eating so I don’t have to keep worrying about it.”

Andrade nodded along with what she was saying, taking a deep breath.
”There’s a few… Special muffins. Lyn hasn’t asked for the delivery yet, so…”
The man slid from the booth and stood up. Casey did too, but his outstretched hand was less to reach for Trishas than it was to prevent her from standing up too. He put an arm around Andrade and held him.
”You know what it means to me, right?”
”I do, Niño. We’re on the same side… You need a refresher, it’s yours.-”
He cleared his throat, and Casey released him before sliding back down into the booth.
”I’ll be out in a few minutes, and we’ll go over it.”

And then he turned and left for the kitchen. Casey took a deep breath, then looked at Trisha.
”They need to understand I’m not playing around… I’m sorry to put you on the spot like that.-”
Casey’s hands reached for Trisha’s again between the glasses of drinks.
”-I love you.”

Trisha's hands immediately went for his, fingers curling up in his palm. The tension in her shoulders released slightly at the contact. She understood. Even if she didn’t want to deal with it all… it was better to do it on their terms. Then maybe she could relax just a little bit.
“I know,” she said softly. Because she did know- was impossible not to- even if she was still trying to accept it.
“I don’t really understand… everything with your position, but I don’t want you to be walked over. And I want to know enough to be able to trust that it’s not… hurting you. So it’s fine. I kind of expected this when we came here.”

”Traditionally, I’m responsible for people’s safety. Keeping our flock free of wolves in sheep’s clothing. But Furio set a new precedent; that the Blade is the ultimate judge, jury and executioner. The only voice higher than mine in our lovely little cult is Mom’s… That’s the bottom line. I say jump, people jump. She hopes I’ll fall in line - I hope she knows I won’t.”

He shrugged and shook his head. Even considering that meant thinking about where he’d been last night. What he’d done. The faces, the pain, the gargling of blood. Choking, cloying death. But it was hard when you spend your whole life looking at the people around you as if they’re authority figures. All of a sudden, because one person says so, the dynamic is flipped on its head? It felt wrong, disrespectful even. It was an uneasy thing, and he could only assume that being assertive for now would work.

It did beg the question; if Lynette did know… She wasn’t going to stop him? Or would she? What did she really want?
”It’s all… Uncomfortable.” he gently laughed.

“Sounds like an understatement,” Trisha replied quietly, thumbs gently rubbing against his hands. It was quite a lot to take in, even if she’d had some idea of the amount of power Casey had. Judge, jury and executioner… he said he killed last night… it didn’t change her feelings for him, but it did make her a little scared. What if the finger of the one person higher than him pointed at her. She knew he wouldn’t… but… it was still a lot.

“Why did she give you such a powerful position if she doesn’t know you’ll fall in line? Surely with how-” she paused, glancing around, not sure if they were being listened to here. It wasn’t like she could tell.
“Wouldn’t she want someone that supports her fully?”

”Birthright. It would’ve been Leon, but he… Well… Some people call it a sacrifice. Others think he’s just a pervert. Somewhere between those two options, he severed his Adeptal Lux and Adjoined. It was a big deal apparently, but… I wasn’t home for it. I was being a soldier.” he offered, shrugging his shoulders.
”She trusts me at least; more than she would Junior. But I don’t think that means that she’d be willing to listen to me when I ask to make changes. That just means that we keep her insulated from the worst shit. But I imagine she knows regardless.”
He shrugged his shoulders even deeper.

Birthright, of course… Trisha had mixed feelings about it. It kept him trapped here, stuck with the Temple, but would he have considered leaving anyway? And if he wasn’t the Blade he’d have no power… for himself, or to protect her.
“Probably, with her whole spying thing.” Though Lynette had promised not to spy on them- and Elise had said she was taking it seriously- Trisha didn’t entirely trust it. She didn’t trust it at all.

“So she trusts you, but you still have to do everything she says? I- well, there’s… some… people seem to think it won’t last long? I don’t really know.” Trisha spoke quietly, not quite looking at him as she gnawed on her lip.
“I didn’t get to say before because there wasn’t a chance, we’ve been so busy- but before your commencement ceremony Elise talked to me about some… stuff.” It both felt like a good time to mention it, but also not the right place to actually talk about it. She just wanted it off her chest - even though it wasn’t like she’d been keeping it a secret. She just hadn’t thought about it.

Casey took a deep breath, eyes closing for a moment.
”Seeing everything from so high up, I just… I feel like everyone is stupid. She’s not even subtle about it. Her phones, she talks openly to her closest about breaking off and heading back to New York. She thinks that all the reasonable Adepts-”
He held himself back. Cleared his throat.
”-You… You don’t want this much info. I know what her plans are, and I know what the Abberations are saying too. There’s rebellion on all sides. I don’t know if she’s just… Accepting that she can’t stem the tide and hoping that I’ll take things in a new direction, or if she just doesn’t seem to care…”

His head hung a little low.
”It’s so stupid. I wish we were just a normal fucking family.”

Trisha leaned up and over the table, moving to her knees as she did so. Her hands came away from his and up to cup his face, thumbs gently rubbing against his cheeks. It was a bit of a precarious position for her, and not the most comfortable, but she wanted him to know that she didn’t… care about all the shit with his family.
“It’s alright. My family’s not exactly normal either, yours is just present enough to cause problems.”

She tried to smile at him, but it fell a little flat. Was it really a correct comparison? Her family sucked, but none of them ran a literal cult. The worst, really, was a nosey busybody with no sense of boundaries. Really, like Lynette but without the magic to back her.
“If you already know her plans then that’s easier for me. I don’t really… I don’t want to say I don’t care in case you misunderstand again, but I care about you. Not them- well I like Ed, but she asked me just to support her anyway… I’ll only ever get involved if you ask. I’d never do anything without talking to you, it really isn’t my place.”

Casey took another deep breath, feeling her hands on his face. They were warm.
”I know you care. And I love that. And I want you to care about me, because I care about you. I need you confident enough to say ‘I know Casey has it handled.’”
His hands came up to wrap around hers, sliding one down slightly to kiss her palm sweetly.
”I… I’m nervous. Not about those two groups. I’m… Fucking… Furio and Clarissa. Furio knows every trick in the book, and Clarissa’s deep in Mom’s trust. They’re totally outside my purview, per her instruction. It’s breaking the chain of command, and it makes me nervous that… They have other plans..”

“And Clarissa can teleport into our home,” Trisha whispered, the fingers still on his cheeks curling inwards. She knew he’d just said she needed to be confident enough to believe he had it handled. She did trust him. He’d beaten Furio before… but both of them. Hopefully it wouldn’t even come to it, but it made her nervous too. Really nervous.
“So Furio retired but he still has the protections of his old job? They could… Well, they don’t have to listen to you. And if they do have other plans, you- we- wouldn’t know anything until they happen?” She was trying her best not to panic about it, closing her eyes for a moment and just concentrating on the feeling of his hands around hers. There were two of them too.

“That does scare me, but I trust you. I know that you’ll protect me no matter what… and I’ll get stronger too.”

Casey nodded. His hands gripped hers a little tighter… But the swinging doors to the kitchen opened, and Andrade was waddling his way over with the roll-cart. There was a big basket of fruit cut into various shapes with all the fixings on the lower shelves of the dolly. Casey cleared his throat, thankful that Andrade hadn’t been listening from his office if he was too busy in the kitchen. He trusted that, if any Adepts in the Temple wanted order and peace, it was the guy responsible for duties like Andrades.

However, leaving the dolly at the side of the table, he slipped back into his spot next to Casey. Even without any prompting, it was easy to tell that he felt different. Like there was something radiating off his body.
”You two look so cute as a couple… She’s quite affectionate, Mijo…”
Casey smiled, still affectionately holding Trisha’s hands.
”Now, Trisha… I can’t tell you how we turn things into material like this, understand? If Casey wants to spill those beans on his own time, I can’t stop him, but I’m happy to show you that they exist - Because even if they’re… Not so savory… I’m still proud of my accomplishments. Can you accept that?” he asked.

Trisha looked over at Casey first, then back at Andrade before answering.
“I can. I just want to know what it’s like. The process doesn’t matter.” It didn’t really. She knew that they were made of Apparitions, but it wasn’t what she had a problem with. Apparitions were intelligent enough to speak, sure, but they weren’t humans. Even if she had one inside her… it was the effects of eating something like that.
“Some people find meat unsavoury. I just care about not getting addicted to magical food.”

He nodded. He placed a single muffin on the table in front of her.
”Normal muffin.” he said simply. Then his other hand came up from under the table, and next to it placed an identical muffin… Except this one… Trisha would be able to hear it. Faintly. The ever-present echo of something not quite dead. It was beyond ominous, and the absolute radiation of the creepy apparition-muffin was loudly present as it bounced off of her own Apparition-bound Emotional Field.
”Spicy muffin. Do they feel any different to you?”

“Yes.” Trisha didn’t even need to get any closer, or pick it up. She could sense it without being sure how. Like it was crawling against the Emotional Field she had very little awareness of. There was a slight stirring in her chest. The Queen waking up slowly, curious.
“That one feels… creepy. I can’t really explain it. She senses it too. Is it normally that obvious?”

Andrade nodded solemnly.
”There’s something in it trying to escape. It can’t.”
”She knows that part… They spilled it to her last night. Actually, Subject 15.”
Andrade’s hand flexed into a fist.
”Puta madre… That girl… I should fucking-”
”It is what it is. The point is, I wasn’t sure if she’d be able to feel the resonance or not. But since you can, then you’ll know.” he said calmly, turning his face back to Trisha. He smiled, took a deep breath, then grabbed the other muffin. The okay muffin.
”Now, is this one of mine?” he asked, feeling it in his hand.

Andrade nodded, pulling a small bag of white powder out from the bottom tray of the dolly. Both hands passed it onto Trisha.
”This is good stuff. An exploration team found this grain in a place called Flare. Another dimension. We call it “Par-Wheat”, since a wholistic serving size is roughly “on-par” with a person’s daily micronutrient content. Vitamins, minerals, necessary proteins. But it’s not very caloric. It doesn’t actually have much energy value… So we mix small bits of it into our normal semolina flour, or sometimes cornmeal and other things you’d bake. Natural enrichment.”

Trisha held the small bag in front of her, looking at it suspiciously. It was difficult to believe that something like this could just provide all the nutrients someone needed, without any need for variety. The fact it was a nondescript white powder in a small bag too…
“Are you sure this isn’t just, like, magical cocaine- sorry, that’s a bad joke.” Even though it was only half a joke.
“So it really just provides all the nutrients you need? There’s nothing funny about it too? I can’t sense anything with it, and I know Casey trusts it… it’s just hard to believe that there’s just a grain in some other realm that can conveniently do that.” Though she didn’t really know how they could prove it. Casey said it was fine…

“Can I try it?”

Casey happily handed over his muffin to his beautiful girlfriend. He smiled widely as she asked, and Andrade quickly began to set up their fruit thing on the table. But as he did so, he explained further.
”From what we know about the place, it seems like Eden. Like how we were taught to believe Eden was. An intelligently designed garden. The team has tried gleaming information from the ruins of the civilization that once existed there, but it’s so unlike ours, there’s nothing to go off of. Anthropology can only go so far.” he laughed.

“If it's in ruins, obviously something went wrong with it,” Trisha shrugged, taking the muffin from Casey with a slight smile. She looked at it with a hint of suspicion… but she’d asked to try it. She’d just have a bit. She brought it to her lips, nibbling at first, before taking a proper bite.

It was sweet, but not so sweet that just one bite was enough. She could finish the whole thing if she wanted to… But otherwise, it just tasted like a normal muffin. No weird scent of death, or anything immediately setting off red flags. Just a normal-
I recognise this flavour.
“Huh?” Trisha was shocked enough by the Queen properly waking up and talking that she answered out loud without thinking about it. She put the muffin down, and covered her mouth with a hand.

From long ago… so long my memory is fuzzy. It’s nostalgic.
What do you mean? Aren’t you from this realm?
I am. But things were different millenia ago. I believe it was called… what was it called? Ah, I can’t remember.
That’s not really important, is it? Is it safe?
As far as I am aware. I am no human, however. Those who grew and consumed it long ago were… not the same as you are now.

Trisha’s brow furrowed, head tilting from side to side as she had a silent conversation inside her mind. It did make her a little less worried if the Queen recognised it and didn’t seem worried about it. But then again, she was an Apparition. Things affected them differently.
Would you be worried if I ate it?
No.

“Mm, it’s nice,” Trisha said, as if she’d just been chewing it the whole time.

Casey smiled widely, knowing full well what’d just happened. A nice little consultation. Andrade was no novice when it came to Abberations and their brain-companions either, so the two of them observing her chew without reaction was all but obvious.
”Good. I’m glad we’re all in agreement.”
He swung his arm around Andrade again, rubbing his shoulder and smiling. Andrade was quick to match him, and their brotherly hug filled the table with warm affection.
”Now imagine that with your honey, huh? Oh, which reminds me… We tested it, Trisha! Got the first results back from the lab. Not only is it more calorie-dense than normal honey, but scientifically it’s just more flavorful. The actual chemical components responsible for it being sweet are similar to normal honey, but the other flavor components are actually found in larger bond-strings… Ergo, it’s technically less honey and more… Well, like… More…”

Casey laughed when Andrade turned to him to find a word. It was a common thing for Andrade to be missing the necessary vocabulary to describe what he was saying, but in this case it was way over his head too.
”Oh, don’t look at me, dude…” he joked.
”It keeps more of the actual plant that the pollen comes from! So, it retains a really unique flavor profile. Super desirable, especially if we can ask you to produce honey from certain plants we have in mind.”

“So my honey could be why I don’t get hungry often?” Trisha said softly, more voicing a thought than an actual question. She doubted that was it, because she’d never particularly had an appetite… but even for her minimal eating she’d never lost weight unhealthily. But finding out it was different, and better, than normal honey was a real confidence boost. That meant Ezra would definitely be able to tell when she sent him some- oh, right.

“I wanted to talk about that, actually.” Trisha’s hands slipped under the table to her lap, fingers digging into the fabric of her jeans.
“The business. My business. Especially if I’m going to be directing the bees to produce specific types of honey… There’s nothing in writing. It’s not even that- I only know what’s happening because you’ve told me when we met for meals. I don’t feel like I have any control. I know I do, because nobody can take the bees- _{like someone’s worried about}- but I want to be more involved in it all. Formally.”

Andrade’s face lit up.
”That’s exactly what I was hoping you’d say. Whatever you want, it’s yours! What exactly were you thinking then- Because the only thing I care about is quality and quantity. I’m not sure if you want to have lawyers take care of contracting, or if you’d rather some sort of stake in my business… I’m totally open to working with you in a healthy way like that.”
His smile was infectious, but Casey was already busy digging into the strawberries in the bouquet.

“I’d like lawyers to take care of the contracts- I, uh, don’t really know a lot about this kind of thing. I’m still learning.” As much as she hated admitting that, but it was painfully obvious - it was her first business after all, and she’d let it get this far without any kind of plan.
“My brother suggested getting contractual agreements drawn up by his lawyer- as we’re not particularly close, he’s very successful in business so… I’m going to do what he suggested. And I want the honey business to be mine, at the end of the day. So like some kind of… supplying contract? And something for… well, you’d have a say with the honey, with the specific flowers used, and I’d like to know what it’s used for… but I’d have final say on the bees and honey, and you would for the food. Something like that? But I’d want to talk it through with a lawyer first.”

He was nodding away enthusiastically. After all, it wasn’t the first time he’d done business with a Vanburen… Not that he’d say that, it was the quickest way to another problem with Casey after all. But it was exactly what he wanted since they first spoke about it.
”You wouldn’t happen to be referring to Big Ezra, would you? Like, Vanburen LLC; Ezra Vanburen?” he asked with enthusiasm bubbling in his voice.

“Yeah, I was talking about Ezra.” Trisha’s face scrunched up a bit, but she also couldn’t hold back a laugh at Big Ezra. Maybe it was fitting for people who only knew him for his business, but to Trisha he’d always been a boring, tired man with very little personality.
“I am a Vanburen, so of course I’d get advice from the person technically in charge of all my other assets.” Not that that was at all how the call had gone down, but Ezra had certainly gotten excited at the prospect of money making… even though he’d suspiciously decided he didn’t want any returns from it.
“Why? Do you want to meet him, or something?”

”No, I… Probably just… Have worked with the same lawyers before. Your…-”
He looked at Casey. Casey looked back. It was an unspoken conversation with only a single word to translate between the air.
Careful…
”Miss Tansy has contacted us several times for various banquets and events here in the city. She’s got no problems throwing your brothers’ lawyers into various situations in order to get everything in receipt.” he explained gently, hoping it wouldn’t be a problem. Casey only laughed as he shovelled a star-shaped mango chunk covered in whipped cream into his mouth.

Trisha laughed too, though it was a bitter, almost mocking laugh, her eyes rolling up towards the ceiling.
“Of course she has. They’re probably her own lawyers- there’s no way Ezra gives her his lawyers unless the family name’s at risk. Though he might’ve given me a family lawyer, so maybe they are the same…” she trailed off, frowning now. She wasn’t so worried about the lawyers. They were unlikely to be in Tansy’s pocket if Ezra used them.

“If you end up working with her again for events and my honey’s ever used, don’t tell her it’s mine. I don’t want her to know, if possible. I don’t care about the lawyers, because I know Ezra wouldn’t give me a lawyer that would cause me problems, but I do care about her finding out.”

Andrade’s grin turned from friendly to a little bitter, almost imitating Trisha’s.
”We can do one better: We simply won’t accept her next contract.”
Casey’s head turned slightly, his brow furrowing.
”You’re going to… Turn down money?”
Andrade started to laugh a bit.
”That bitch is unreasonable… If Trisha here doesn’t want her products in her sisters’ hands, or- You know, fuck it! This girl right here? Way more important to me than someone who treats my staff like she does. Just unreasonable. So, Trisha? Don’t worry about what she’ll know. All she’ll know is that we don’t want her business.”

“I, uh, well, I really appreciate it,” Trisha stammered out, cheeks heating up a little bit. Andrade saw her as someone more important than Tansy? The woman who, while an absolute bitch, was well known in the upper circles of St Portwell and had connections everywhere? Most people didn’t care how she acted because of her money, fame and family name. She was technically second in line after Ezra.
“There’s a chance she’ll find out anyway, because she’s incredibly nosey but… I want to avoid it as much as possible.”

Trisha finally reached out for a piece of fruit, picking up a strawberry and taking a bite out of it. She finished it off before she continued talking.
“If there’s one good thing about her, it’s that she doesn’t discriminate. She’s unreasonable towards everyone, just in different ways. Thinks she’s superior… Casey’s already had to deal with her trying to flirt with him.”

”We had some very choice words the last time we spoke. She made one of my members of staff- a coordinator, mind you… Not a server, not a chef -cry to the point that she literally couldn’t complete the event. I had to go myself… Which is exactly what she wanted, because she misunderstood that I don’t usually participate in big banquets like that.”
He took a strawberry himself, dipping it deeply in the chocolate before pointing at the two different bowls.
”Also, be careful. One has chilli in it, like classic South American cocoa.”

Pushing up on his hands, he slid out of the booth with the wretched horror-muffin cupped in his right palm.
”Now, you two enjoy for now. I’ll be back with the other stuff you ordered, and I’ll pack Casey’s bread order up to go if you’re both in agreement. Next time we talk seriously, it’ll be with a few people smarter than us.”

He smiled, bending and planting a big kiss on the top of Casey’s head. Then the same to Trisha. Maybe it was uncomfortable, but it was how he was.
”Sound good?”
He left his other hand out to shake for good measure.

Trisha managed to not recoil, even though it was uncomfortable for her. But she was slowly getting a bit more used to it from people that she wasn’t dating…
“Yeah, sounds good to me.” Trisha reached out to shake his hand with a slight smile.

As he left, Trisha turned back to Casey with a smile. She felt more relaxed again - about the food and the business. The fact that Andrade had agreed to contracts and meetings with lawyers so easily was a relief…
“Thanks for bringing me here so that I can be less worried about the food. You could’ve just left it at your explanation.” She picked up another strawberry, lightly dipping it in the melted chocolate she thought had chilli in it. It was a strange combination with the sweetness of the strawberry, but… nice. Not too spicy, though she did have a decent tolerance for that.

Casey nodded and smiled. He had taken the sugar to his coffee like an animal, just pouring and pouring until it nearly flowed out of the cup.
”Well I want us on the same page… What better way than getting our hands a little dirty?” he replied, smiling as he took a sip off the top and put it back down with a satisfied smirk.

“Oh, I wanted to ask you something else?” Trisha’s free hand moved across the table towards him, clearly looking to hold his again. She looked at him as if she was about to ask him for a big favour, or something like that.

Oh boy… Here it comes. The floodgates are opened, and now it’s time to navigate the landmines underwater.
He grinned, hoping he could maybe catch her off guard and soften her for the answer to whatever question she may have had. He took her hand and gave her a sincere look.
”I already know the question and the answer… Yes. The answer is yes. I will marry you.”

Trisha just stared at him for a moment, like his response had entirely caught her off guard. Then a warm smile bloomed across her face, and she giggled.
“Perfect, I'm so happy. So when should we elope? Today, tomorrow?" It did help put her at ease. It wasn't like she was about to ask for anything big… but past partners had made it seem like it was. Too much effort, it wasn't like she put in the same effort, why should they bother- now that she thought about it, it was only really Reyna who'd ever done it with her…

“But it's not that- yet… Remember when you said you'd do something for me when I chose the ring," she started, holding up the hand not clinging to Casey's. It was there, comfortable sitting around her finger. She'd worn it pretty much the whole time since she put it on, aside from when sleeping. It wasn't like it did anything… and it was kind of nice.
“Well… I was wondering… if we could go on a proper date? Tomorrow, maybe, if you're not too busy? It doesn't have to be anything fancy- just a meal, or a couple of drinks somewhere, or a walk, or even the arcade again… just be nice to dress up a little and go out just the two of us."

Casey took a moment to look at Trisha as the question left her mouth… Like he was going to smash every single hope and expectation she had over asking for a nice time out. Sure, he didn’t much like crowds, but on what planet did she feel like she had to use his promise for something like that? They’d go on a thousand dates before that was ever something she needed his absolute and total devotion to receive.
Of course, it drew his attention… The ring, and her mention of it. His thumb rolled over the almost gaudy jewel perched atop its fitting.

”Trisha…-”
Her name hung in the air. Tension. Surely he had something better to do.
”-The promise I made to you was very special… Something didn’t mean ‘take me out on a date’. Something meant ‘I want this person dead.’ or ‘Please save this person from certain doom.’ Something dire…”
Clearly, a date wasn’t serious to him. Wasn’t dire…
”A date? You ask me on a date anytime. We’ll go. Unless I have work, you never have to treat a date like you’re asking me to move mountains.”

He smiled at her. It was so, so warm. No sense of irony or humor, not even a hint. Just warmth. Just love.
”Promise?”

Trisha wasn't able to hide her expressions - from the dropping smile and tense shoulders, to sad resignation, to confusion and relief. Her smile returned, so soft, and there was love in her eyes too… even though she wouldn't admit that yet. His warmth washed over her, heating up her cheeks and giving her a giddy feeling like it was her first relationship all over again. She certainly hadn't felt this loved by anyone before…
“Promise- but really, never? Even if I woke you up in the middle of the night to drive somewhere to watch the sunrise? That wouldn't be too much?" Of course, she had to go find where the line was drawn.

Then he started laughing. Not so loud that it drew attention, but enough that she would clearly understand that he… Didn’t.
”Sweetheart… Let me ask you a question… And I knnnnowwww, you’re not gonna love this one, but I really need context.”
He took a second to try and scrub the smile off his face, taking a breath and shaking his head. His eyes peered into hers.

”I can’t be the first person in your life to say this kind of thing, can I? Like… Like now… I took you here to make sure you’re secure, right? And when we leave here, we’re going to a department store. I’m going to buy new clothes, because most of my wardrobe looks like I just came back from an Army Surplus haul. And while we were there, I was already planning on making sure you got plenty of stuff as well- Because I want to spend my money on you. And then we’ll probably go to another place, where we’ll spend more time together, because my job is a joke and I’m the boss.” he giggled.
”But, like, none of this is an effort to me. It’s a pleasure... Has nobody else ever treated you like you were a pleasure?”

Trisha didn't answer for a while, head tilting down so she was staring at the table rather than him. He was right, she didn't love the question - but she also couldn't deny the comfort she felt from everything he said. He really wanted to do all that with her, and it wasn't an effort? He actually wanted to go out places when they could just be lazy at home? She knew he meant everything he said. It wasn't something he'd needed to say.
“Not really," she said eventually, quietly.

“Reyna tried, I think. But she didn't have the time or money- and she didn't like when I paid for everything. Most of the time we were just at my place… then Cass would interrupt." Trisha knew that Reyna had actually liked her, even if she'd eventually been too much. She didn't really want Casey to think any worse of someone who was now her friend but… it hadn't really been enough. Reyna couldn't be there like Trisha had needed because she had so many other things going on.
“And otherwise… well… No. It was too much effort when we could just… stay in bed… that kind of stuff…"

He furrowed his brow for a moment… Bed…
”As in… Sex?-”
Casey’s lips turned down slightly.
”-You’re… Not upset, are you? Like, you… I know some girls would maybe, I don’t know-”
He did his best to not open this little can of worms, but he’d gotten glimpses. Little hints reading from her in small moments.

”Like, my Mom! After she kind of got over my Dad, she started dating some of the other Temple members. Like Andrade. And within a week, as far as I’m aware, she was pressuring him to sleep with her. Said that she didn’t feel loved otherwise. Or cared for.”
It was only a moment before his eyes widened to saucers.
”I am not trying to compare you to my Mom. I’m not. It’s just an observation about some people because I want your perspective. Rather than taking it from you.”

She frowned, eyes moving back up to look at him. It wasn't so much an upset frown as it was a confused one, even if the ‘not a comparison' to his mom irked her a bit. Because she was actually having to think about it for the first time… Was she upset about it? Would she feel more loved if he slept with her? Well, she'd be more confident in his physical attraction towards her… but was that the same as feeling loved? Not really. She'd still feel just as insecure about everything but the one thing she felt she really had - her looks. But wasn't that also important, because if that wasn't there, feelings could go away too? She really didn't know…

“I’m not upset at you because we haven't had sex yet." Trisha's words were rather blunt, still looking a little confused.
“Obviously I want to, and I'm used to it happening right away… it's normally what people want… but I wouldn't want to make you do something… you didn't want to. Just because it's slower than I'm used to doesn't mean it's a problem… it's not- I'm not spending time with you feeling like it's not enough." Sure each time they didn't go as far as she expected those insecurities crept in, but at the same time the need wasn't as strong as it normally was because it was still time they spent together.

He grabbed both of her hands, turning his face down slightly to look up at her with big puppy dog eyes.
”You know I don’t not want to, right? You are gorgeous… But, I… You know when we first spent time in Leon’s apartment, and you saw his room, and I told you about that painting of my folks? Fucking Genesis? Everything in the Temple of Charming and Graceful Individuals is charged with sex. Everything. It’s just so fucking all encompassing.” he took a quiet sigh.

”I haven’t ever been with a woman. I don’t know if I’ll wind up like one of them, and honestly I’m… I guess worried? Worried about whether or not I’m going to like it too much. I hate saying that, but it’s how I feel…”

“You know that's not just the Temple? Well- the painting's a bit unique. Loads of people are always thinking about it. You go to a club alone and loads of people try to sleep with you… plenty of couples do it multiple times a day." At least in her experience. Really a lot of her past relationships had been more sex than anything else, she was realising…
“So you're worried you'll enjoy it so much you won't let me leave bed? That won't work out, because the bees will come for you eventually…" She squeezed his hands, shaking her head.

“But you're not like them. You said yesterday about how you could come off the food… isn't it the same? Even if you end up liking it too much, you're better at resisting it than them. I'm not worried because I trust you." But she hadn't been raised in a magical sex cult, so maybe she was looking at things too simply.
“I’m not saying we should just jump into it but… it's something you'll have to find out eventually, right?"

He looked at her with a solemn smile. She trusted him… Had faith in him. Then he brightened. Playfully, he bit his lip.
”Well… I… I want you to tell me when. I don’t want to take it unless that’s something you’re into. Maybe that’s the not-so-manly way of doing things, but… It’s just not in my nature to push you into something like that. Is that weird?” he asked genuinely.

“I don't… think it's weird." Trisha's head tilted from side to side for a moment, before she smiled at him. It didn't really matter. Sure, with all the other guys she'd been with it'd just been expected, even the much smaller number of girls she dated… it was really only Reyna who she'd vaguely talked about it with. Even then, they'd both been with people before.

“Alright, I'll tell you when. I think you're manly in all the right ways anyway. But do we really need to go shopping after this? Why don't we go home and…" she trailed off, smiling teasingly at him, eyes half closing. Then she laughed.
“I’m kidding. I don't want to force things… I'll just ask when it feels like the right time."
Casey laughed a bit more, shrugging finally.
”Who knows… Tomorrow may end up being enough! Who knows; romantic evening on the Marina? Or, hey! We could go to Cracker Island! Take a nice long walk on a cold beach, look out at the waves? I can keep you nice and close to me so you and the Bees don’t freeze to death…”

As he spoke, the rest of the food was making its way in. Andrade and another server, sliding the few plates down and leaving just as quickly as they came.

“That sounds nice… going back to where it all started. Hopefully without anyone punching me this time. I doubt many people would be on that island when it's not the Halloween festival anyway," she smiled softly at him.
“I’d suggest we bring a picnic or something, but it's a little too cold to just sit outside, even if we cuddle the whole time. Maybe we can get food somewhere after."

She then looked down at the food they had now. While it was just a few plates, there was quite a lot of variety… a lot of different pastries.
“If I try a little bit of everything will you finish it off, or do you want to have full pastries? Cause I'd like to try it all…"