[IC] Iron and Honey: A Love Story [FernStone & AtomicEmperor]

[FernStone]

_{@FernStone & @AtomicEmperor}

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A Recollections: Under The Sycamore Tree Side Story

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St Portwell Halloween Festival
_{...Continued From}

“I don’t mind.” Trisha wasn’t really in a position to argue about getting some kind of healing. Her face felt like it was on fire, and the onesie sleeve she was holding up to her crooked nose was barely stopping the bleeding. She was beginning to feel a little woozy from it as well. The bees that had been circling Adora gently flew back to her, landing on her shoulders. Their buzzing was still audible and agitated. “Healing sounds good- fuck.”

She paused, rubbing her head… which did really fucking hurt. And she could hardly see through all the blood and the swelling of her eyes. Fucking crazy bitch. “How far is it? I’m starting to feel dizzy… I might need help.”

It wasn’t entirely a lie, her head was beginning to swim - but she could probably make it to a nearby stall herself. She just wanted to make the most of the sympathy she could gain… Plus, Leon’s attractive younger brother was treating her nicely. She hadn’t experienced that in a while… though she mostly hung around a bunch of rich kids who didn’t care enough about her family name to be scared about it.

Casey didn't hesitate scooping the woman up in his arms like a bride across the threshold. Frankly his first reaction was a dip and tip, but he figured the last thing she wanted was a cross carrying like she was part of a rucksack.
“No worries, just stick with me. Lean your head forward, don't worry about the blood. Plenty on the uniform already.” he replied with a morbid giggle.

He didn't have any intention of chatting her up: Vanburen echoed in his head like a plutonium disk in a hollow dome of lead. Radioactive, untouchable gas that would consume him wholesale…

That's what Dad said, at least.

What transpired was a minute of the most steady and platform-like carrying that Trisha ever would've experienced. The man wasn't just naturally strong, but built like some sort of dozer equipment with thick wide arms that made the perfect crook to lay in. The booth came up fast, and he let Trish back down on her feet.
“I'm just gonna get it, keep your head tilted.”
And then he disappeared into the small crowded food stall, coming back forty-five seconds or so later with a plate of dessert.
“Here, eat up. It'll feel a little strange as your nose resets.”

Trisha was shocked, but not upset, when her suggestion that he gave her a bit of support ended up with her being carried. She tilted her head forward, still trying to staunch the blood flow with her sleeve - it was already all over her too. Her lips twitched upwards at his… joke? She didn’t get it enough to actually laugh through the pain.

“Thank you.” Trisha decided to be polite for once, taking the plate and looking at the dessert with a bit of suspicion. She’d been magically healed plenty of times, but never with food. She picked it up and took a nibble… It wasn’t bad. She took a proper bite, then another, and winced as the healing started to kick in. It was never something she’d get used to. The feeling of her nose starting to rearrange itself was almost as bad as when it had been broken. “Ugh, a little? It feels really strange.”

She grimaced. “Normally doesn’t feel so bad when I normally get healed… Not that I need it often. This is the first time I’ve been beaten up like that!” A lie. “That b- Adora really didn’t hold back… ugh, not a great first impression, looking like this.” She gestured to her still very battered face, though her nose was righting itself. She was a lot more talkative now that it wasn’t bleeding everywhere. “Leon already introduced you, but I’m Trisha… I prefer that to Ms Vanburen.”

Casey smiled and nodded along as Trisha spoke. Not wanting her to feel uncomfortable, he did his best to go along with what she was saying so that there was no problem. If Leon trusted him with taking care of this woman, there must’ve been some kind of reason for it: All four younger siblings could at least agree on the fact that Leon didn’t intuit a damn thing in his life.
It was all a big calculation, a poignantly aimed shot on someone’s tender flesh meant to break ribs or clavicles or whatever needed to be broken to release the resistance from a situation.

Or was it just that he liked the other person better? That was always an option with Leon…
“Well, Trisha… I’m Casey. Casey Richoux, obviously, Leon’s middle brother. I don’t think I ever heard about you when we were kids: Were you part of the Coven? Not like I was or anything, I never got to go fight the Stygian Snake… Had to sit at home while Leon got all the credit.”
He smiled to himself, chuckling and shaking his head slightly.
“And don’t worry about first impressions. First deployment I had, I wound up on a forward in the middle of some God awful territory with nothing much to do except fight club and prank one another. Sergeant Pasqual had dick and balls out first time I met him… A little scuffle doesn’t bother me.”

As she regained her lost health, the thought easily came to him that she was a beautiful woman for all intents and purposes. Young like him, with the future ahead of them.
“You got any plans tonight?” he asked with as much casual smoothness as he could muster.

“I don’t,” Trisha smiled coyly, brushing back a strand of hair that had fallen over her face and tucking it behind her ear. The bees that had settled on her hair moved out of the way of her hand, and out of sight. “My friends abandoned me and aren’t replying to any of my messages.”

This wasn’t a lie - though it maybe wasn’t being abandoned, since all she’d gotten about going to the festival was a mix of nos and maybes, but they were pretty much ignoring her at this point. “And I was part of the coven, along with those friends… We stuck to ourselves mostly, so I didn’t really interact with Leon much. He was too-” what was a polite way of saying this? Normally she wouldn’t care but Casey was attractive, and Leon was his brother. “Uptight.”

Trisha laughed lightly. “You didn’t miss much. It is a shame you weren’t in it back then, it would’ve been nice to know you earlier… Well, I guess there’s tonight for that.”

“Oh, yeah. Lee's always had a stick up his ass. I blame our Dad; if you spend enough time telling a child that God chose them specifically, they're bound for Messiah complexes.”

Casey laughed aloud, thinking about how ridiculous it all was. His memories traced back to his Kindling and his near worthlessness before that.

“Honestly, as much as I knew you guys were doing things, I never could've joined. I was a late bloomer: I didn't Kindle until I was nineteen.”
Convoy, radio, RPG, darkness, agony, screams, blood, fear, regret, rage, courage… Kindle.
Devastation. Survival. Fucking promotion. Dead friends. Do it again. Again. Again. Again.

Casey finally shook his head, clearing his throat.
“I had to leave home entirely to come into my own. How about you, what's the Vanburen siblinghood look like? Who's the favourite?”

“It looks like shit,” Trisha snorted, trying to stop her lips from twisting down into a scowl - she half succeeded, ending up with a slight frown. “I have, what…” she began counting on her fingers, before shaking her head. “I don’t know, far too many half siblings to count. Didn’t matter how massive the house was, it was always noisy. Most of us don’t get on.”

As for a favourite… Well, if the question had been least favourite she could answer that really easily (a certain bitch whose name began with G). Favourite was harder. There were some she tolerated more than others. “My favourite… Well, Ezra provides all the money just like dad did! He’s a bore, though. Probably Sabrina. She let me move in with her and another two sisters when I came back, and she doesn’t bother me much.”

She shrugged one shoulder. “Tons of awful siblings aside, being a Vanburen has its perks. These being one.” She gestured to the few bees still visible. “I never kindled, so I don’t know what that’s like, but I did end up with all my bees thanks to something in my dad’s collection. I can’t imagine what it’d be like without them… but it is difficult having to explain why I have a whole hive to any non magical siblings!”

His brow furrowed at the idea that Blinds could see the bees. The term “Fake-Wake” crossed his mind, his days at the Temple rubbing off on him. They didn’t take kindly to Agents; people who relied entirely on their proximity to some sort of Artefact for their magical abilities, even though Orange Lux was the family’s bread and butter. The four of the others had all made their own Artefacts as capstones to their “graduation” ceremonies.

He’d avoided that process: Dad was already gone, leaving Mom to deal with the bullshit. She’d just been happy he made it home, never mind that he’d Kindled in that fucking desert.
“Ah, right. The fast track! That works, people have good success with things like that. Y’know for the longest time, since I hadn’t Kindled, my Dad was thinking about courting an Apparition for me to Adjoin.”
Scratching the back of his head, he did his best to stretch that little fact over the quiet implication that it was somehow a “lesser” process. It got far more complicated bringing non-bound Apparitions into the picture, as their divine or otherworldly nature often became reasons to deify them in some fashion.

“But, y’know if we skip out of here, I bet we could find something fun to do.”
He took the plate, watching as the last of the bruising faded away from Trisha’s face. Turning slightly, he pushed it over the nearby table at the booth and grabbed a few napkins. His massive hands were gentle as one slipped under her chin and lifted her face to look up at him. The other dabbed away with the napkins, rain water and bloody remains washing out into the slowly dampening grass and dirt.
“I’ve got some of my buddies from the Corps staying in town, we were supposed to go to a bar later. You’re more than welcome, bees and all.”

Fast track, sure. Trisha held her tongue on her thoughts on that. It wasn’t like she’d just adjoined and knew what to do. She’d like to see anyone else handle suddenly having a voice in their head (albeit, rarely) and thousands of bees following them. She tapped her head with a slight smile. “You lucked out, Apparitions are noisy.”

She barely reacted when he got closer - she’d plenty of experience in that, and people getting closer still - letting him wipe away the remnant blood. It was… nice. Trisha didn’t have many memories of someone actually looking after her. How pathetic, getting affected by something so simple.
“Mm, going elsewhere sounds good. Nothing fun’s happening at the festival.” Not quite true, it always got a little wild the later it got, but sticking around for that meant risking seeing Adora again or literally any of the other more violent Sycamore members. One beating was enough for the night (and to garner sympathy later).

“I’d love to come along. I’ll send away most of the bees if your friends are blind, though. I’m sure I won’t need them with you around.”
She smiled up at him, before glancing down at her outfit and realising she did not look suitable for anywhere but a halloween festival. Thankfully, she wasn’t an idiot and had worn clothes underneath. She stepped back and swiftly pulled off the ridiculous looking bee onesie, rolling it up into a crumpled ball. Underneath she was wearing a black crop top and dark green, baggy trousers. Comfortable but not too bad looking… if a bit chilly. The thirty or so bees with her moved from just sitting on her top to hiding in her hair and the pockets of her trousers. “Now I can have fun without looking like I murdered someone!”

Casey couldn’t hide the vague disappointment in his eyes as she crumpled up the bee suit.
“Oh, shit… It was cute. I hope you wash it and I get to see you in it again; the whole queen bee thing is…”
He paused, eyes welling up as he realised he was just about to speak his mind. He stared openly for a second, out into nothing before finally letting a smile curl up around his lips. He started to giggle at himself.
“You’re pretty cute.”
And then his genuine full smile opened up, like a warm desert flower in the slowly clearing rain.

“Wherever you wanna be, I’m with you tonight.”
With that big wide grin, he ushered her past the pack of people doing the toga-conga, and onward toward the Ferry to get the Hell off of Cracker Island.

Trisha was rendered speechless when Casey called her cute, lips parting slightly and a light blush settling on her cheeks. She'd received a lot of compliments from men, the main reason she even went after them - pretty, beautiful, hot, sexy, but never cute. Had she ever been called cute? She didn't think so… She tried to ignore the warm feeling it gave her. It was still just a compliment. Still, she'd make sure to wash the bee onesie just in case…

His grin was infectious, and she couldn't help but smile back. It was more subtle - a small, endearing smile that lightened up her normally sullen face. She didn't even pay attention to the toga-conga filled with people she knew (and disliked) on the way past.

Thankfully there was already a ferry at the dock, and it was much quieter than the one she'd gotten there - not many people leaving so early, outside of parents and their kids. She found a spot away from those groups, leaning her back against the railing and turning to face Casey. The decision of where to go was on her… so where did she want to go? She was tempted to suggest just going back to her place, but that was too fast, and she definitely wouldn't want to go back out after that. Plus, she'd have to deal with thousands more bees vying for her attention as well.
"Why don't we go to one of the bars along the dock? There's a couple of nice ones, I'm sure at least one will be open…" Her smile widened. "Get to know each other better over a drink, beyond the family issues and magic."

Nodding along with her thought, he decided on trying to figure out which bar out of the two dozen on the Harbor Strip to go to. Kings and Queens sucked, The Brettanica was an old person bar, Brick Harbor was a Mafia joint, Drunken Starfish actually burned down the other night, which was nuts.
There was only one place that stuck out in his mind, but he couldn’t tell if it was because he was comfortable there or because he actually thought it was a good place to hang out.
“You been to Tackle’s? The Late n’ Bait?”

[FernStone]

Tackle’s Late Bait Poolhall -> Leon's Apartment

Tackle’s Late Bait Poolhall was widely accepted as a place that one could go to free from irony or the vague haze of hipster breath that the Harbor Strip had become known for. The south side was being gentrified, and the older buildings on the north end were home to all manner of old folk and people whose rent was locked in at rates sometimes thousands of dollars cheaper than just up the road.

The bar was full of St. Portwell fishing history, except rather than the Drunken Starfish, the clientele were the younger apprentices. They came for the cheaper drinks and the better music, and to stay away from their captains and the veteran potters who felt there should be some separation between crewmen.
It was a little tacky, a little gaudy, but the staff were all dressed up like crab potters and the place was almost entirely devoid of fellow halloween revellers.

The place had an L shape to it, and Casey was sure to get a booth at the short end with his back to the sturdy brick wall of the building. He couldn’t see anyone coming in, but they couldn’t see him either; not that he was worried about any one particular person finding him there, so much as it was a simple ready-action habit.
To the right of the booth was the gap for the kitchen area, and he knew a few feet past that was an emergency fire exit. Y’know, in case anything happened.

The server brought them both a beer, on the house, and then left them to their own devices. Casey had long since pulled off his uniform top, giving it to Trisha to wear over her shoulders and keep her and the bees warm in the slowly chilling autumn night, and was wearing one of the Temple’s halloween shirts from this year.
Not that it was an overtly Temple-themed shirt, only that they had an art competition every year and the top designs always got shirts, the money from each shirt going back into the individual artist by way of the Temple Trust.

An excuse to keep the money from the sales in the Temple coffers, to be replenished and returned once the trustee was “qualified to claim it.”

“I’m not much for sailing, but I come here because it’s usually like this. I honestly don’t know how they stay open outside peak season… But for now, it’s fuckin’ empty. We can rack some pool if you want too, or just get whatever you want. On me.” Casey offered, taking a sip of the Guinness he’d been given.

Noticing they’d given her the same beer, he pointed at it.
“I can get that replaced too, if it’s not your kind of beer.” he said with a laugh, surprised they shot the shot with a heavy beer like that.

"What, you think I can't handle it?" Trisha joked, lips curving up into a teasing smile. She lifted the bottle to her lips and took a long drink. Contrary to her appearance and rich background, Trisha was much more of a beer and spirits drinker than anything fancy, like the expensive wines her dad always had stocked in the house. While Guinness wasn't her normal go to, nor was this kind of incredibly empty bar, she was fine with both. "It's fine, almost any beer is my kind of beer."

She looked around while she took another drink. The place really was empty - unsurprising, with the Halloween festival going on. Most bars didn't even bother to open for the festival hours. She normally went to clubs or more boisterous bars by choice, and was dragged along to fancier ones occasionally by siblings and her friends here. But this was a nice… change. Sometimes it was nice to be more chill. For a while.

"Hmm, I enjoy pool… but I'm not very good at it," she admitted. Just like many things, the more annoying voice in her head reminded her. She pulled the uniform top across her shoulders a bit closer, properly covering the bees that gave a soft, agitated buzz. There were only six still with her - she'd sent the rest back home when they got off the ferry. They'd all come if she called them anyway. "Me and my college friends used to go to bars to play all the time… we'd get one table between about 8 of us, so we'd play in pairs. I ended up getting banned from playing cause I always lost, no matter who I was paired with. Not like anyone showed me how to actually play." She threw her hands up in a half exasperated gesture. Then she leaned forward with a slight smile, tilting her head so she was looking up at him from underneath long eyelashes.
"If you're good at it, maybe you can teach me?"

Casey’s mellow expression peeled into a playful smile as she dug at him for thinking she was typical. Soft girl, soft beer… He was never a good judge of character, so it wasn’t surprising to him that she was like this. With the amount of time he’d spent around women overall, he was lucky he wasn’t talking to three ducks stacked in a trench coat.
But he knew his chance when he saw it. Champion pool player in the Narakali FOB three years in a row, he was not only a fantastic shot, but an actually decent teacher. And teaching someone how to play pool was a lot like teaching someone how to shoot a rifle: Posture and sensation were important, so touching was almost a must.

This was an invitation, no? A reason?

He put his hand out, slowly sliding up from the booth.
“I ain’t one to brag, Princess, but I do play a little pool… Lemmie show you how it’s done.”

Trisha’s smile widened. She placed her much smaller hand in his, fingers lightly caressing his palm before she used it to help push herself up. She didn’t take her hand out of his, gesturing to all the pool tables.
"Any of them? I’m warning you now, I’m really bad, but I’ll try not to take an eye out." She tilted her head up towards him with a playful grin. "I’m sure anything’s possible with a good enough teacher."

“Girl, I could train a lemming into a hole with a grenade and have it pull the pin itself. Teaching is as easy as -” he paused, taking her hand in his own and spinning it over her head until she was in his arms. “-getting the feeling right.”

Releasing her, he grabbed one of the pool cues off the wall and slid a dollar into the machine. The rainbow of spheres clacked through the tubes, loudly impacting into the feed at the bottom, and he sorted them all into the form before leaving them to be broken.
Holding the cue up alongside Trisha, his free hand slipped under her arm and compared the length of it to the cue. It didn’t really mean anything, more just him showing off. He swept his position behind her, leaving his hand near her elbow before pressing against her back ever so slightly.

Just enough that she could feel his toned shape beneath his shirt.

His arms adjusted around her with the cue in his hands, shifting his weight until he was in a shooting position that felt comfortable to break.
“Match my posture, my pose… And slide the cue out of my grip. It’ll automatically fall into the sweet spot for you. Whenever you’re ready.”

Trisha was a little stunned at how easily Casey went along with her flirting. He didn’t seem like the normal guys she went for - the kind who gave out easy compliments but were obvious red flags to anyone who wasn’t desperate. Not that she was. Obviously. But men like that were easy to catch, and just as easy to be abandoned by the next morning.

It was easy to shake away that thought at the feeling of him lightly leaning against her back. She bit her lip, and tried to follow his instructions. She shifted back to press up more against him before leaning forward. She stretched one arm out, fingers curling around the pool cue, and the other slightly behind her. Her posture wasn’t perfect, but it wasn’t awful either - it was much easier when she didn’t have to support the cue herself. "Like this?"

She didn’t actually wait for his response before sliding it forward. The white ball shot forward and hit the rainbow triangle, sending them in all directions. None of them were pocketed, but enough had hit the side that it wasn’t a fault. Trisha leaned back against Casey and twisted around to flash him a bright, genuinely happy grin. "That was pretty good! Normally I barely get three balls to move when I break."

He smiled, laughing at her circumstance just as much as he was laughing along with her.
“That bad huh? Christ, well let’s see if we can’t make that game a little easier.”

The Richoux family had a nasty habit that they rarely told anyone about. Casey had always figured it was assumed, learning the history of his family, that people would be leery of them if they had any kind of clue about what sort of magic they dealt with. As he pulled away from Trisha, he slipped his right hand into his back pocket and pulled out his Channeler before stuffing his hand into the ragged cloth.

When he came back to her, he was already channelling Orange Lux through the glove. His hands moved to adjust her posture slightly, and the gloved hand brushed the pommel of the cue.
It was instantly light as a feather. No more weight needed to worry about, except for right at the tip where it seemed to all concentrate.

Three time champion? Three time cheater. Could he hit the balls, sure. Did it help that his pool cue was weightless with some kind of aiming assist that normal people would never notice? Hell yeah.

“How’s that, easier to aim and hold?”

"Seriously?" Trisha shot him an incredulous look, before giggling. She’d never even thought to use magic for something like this… Not that she had magic that would work for it. It would be pretty hard to hide a whole bunch of bees helping out with anything. She moved the cue around a bit, feeling it adjust itself slightly as she did. With a grin she made another shot, sending a striped red ball into one of the pockets.

"Holy shit- It’s so much better. Is this what it’s like to have… orange lux, right? Next time I play against my college friends, I’m definitely bringing you along-" Wow, that was quite an assumption to make. Who knew when she’d next see them considering they were all across the country… And it wasn’t like anything lasted for her beyond the friends she had here solely because of her surname. She laughed awkwardly. "Assuming, y’know, you’re around and want to come."

Casey was smiling widely as he watched Trisha sink the ball into the pocket, and watched the cue ball roll backward into another ball. He smiled widely, making his way to the rack and grabbing a cue of his own with his bare hand. He slipped the glove back off, holding up a cue.
“Assuming you want to keep learning how to play pool, we’ll have to see one another more.” he joked, his eyebrows wagging up and down. His hand chalked up the tip of the cue, slapping the block back on the board and waving her forward.
“Since you sunk, you shoot again. And while you’re at it, get used to the feeling that the stick insists on. The better you’re doing, the less resistance you’ll feel.”

As he spoke, he was walking behind her, bringing her beer and his over to the edge of the pool table as she shot.
”I uh… I haven’t told my family yet. But I’ve officially retired from the Military. Seven years! Seven whole years of staying pretty much as far away from St. Portwell as I possibly could. Running from my family. Now, I’m coming back. It doesn’t mean I want to be around them any more than I did before, so… Yeah, I’m around. And if you want me around you? I’m absolutely game to hang out with a bunch of people I don’t think I have anything in common with. I’ll probably surprise myself.” he said, in the midst of surprising himself.

"We’re the same, then." Trisha straightened back up from taking another shot - not quite so good, but she’d hit the right ball first at least. She was still pretty awkward about getting into the right posture after moving. She reached out for her beer, taking another long drink before continuing. "Well, not exactly the same, I was never in the military… obviously."

She laughed, gesturing to her slender frame. "I mean the whole not wanting to be around family thing. I live with my sisters cause I don’t really have a choice. Guess I kinda ran away too when I went to college on the other side of the country, but-” she hesitated, looking in the opposite direction to Casey and taking another drink. She was about half way through already, the alcohol warming her up and loosening her inhibitions. Why shouldn’t she say? It wasn’t like he was here with her because of her intelligence. "But I didn’t do so well, so I ended up back here, jobless and stuck with my family again."

Her expression had soured slightly, but she forced it back into a smile as she turned around.
"So, I don’t actually see those friends often! They’re all over the place…. And hey, they’re probably not what you’re thinking. They’re chill and not rich. The friends I have here, though? Yeah, they’re exactly what you’d expect… but they don’t tell me about things half the time because I was ‘away until a year ago’ as if Gabe didn’t just come back too-" She shook her head. Reign it in, not the time to go on a rant and scare him away. "Someone I can actually spend time with would be nice… I have to say, my company is pretty amazing."

She grinned teasingly, once again filled with the confident energy she’d momentarily lost. "Your company’s been pretty good, too."

Casey beamed back at her, his body leaning into the table as he lined up a shot she placed practically in front of him. He sunk it, the ball cracked off another, and it sunk too.

“I’d have to say your company has been the highlight of the festival. And,-” he moved, aimed, and sunk another into the furthest pocket. It seemed like he didn’t need the cheating after all.
“I’ve got nothing but time, really. No duties to my family, no major responsibilities left. Unless there’s another Draft, but I don’t think after what happened last time they’d try their hand again… So, what do you want to do tomorrow?” he asked in a self aware fashion, eyes nudging toward her as he sunk another ball.

Trisha couldn’t help but gape as he sunk not one, but four balls. Was she even going to get another shot? Not that she was actually bothered - pool had mostly been an excuse to get close to him. "My company is often the highlight of events."

She laughed, knocking back her beer to hide her blush at him so casually asking about the next day. What did she want to do? She tilted her head, putting down the bottle and carefully leaning her cue against the pool table next to theirs. With a devious smile she moved closer to him, slotting in at his side and leaning up over his shoulder.
"Hmm, let me think," Trisha started, smile turning suggestive and voice lowering slightly. She pressed herself against him a bit more, careful not to actually affect his shooting position. "Maybe we could start with breakfast at my place?"

If he didn’t like the suggestion, hopefully it would at least be enough to distract him from his next shot.

He grinned, knocked the cue between his fingers, and then looked up at her with a gentle sheen in his eye. He lifted the arm with the grip of the cue in it, opening a spot for her.
“Come here while I shoot this, so you can feel how I do it. And tell me more about breakfast… Does it happen to be in bed? Cute little trays?

"Oh-kay," Trisha enunciated the single word, slipping into the spot in front of him. She wasn’t exactly sure how she was supposed to feel how he did the shot, so she wriggled back until she was tucked right against his chest, having to bend over a little to fit. Her cheeks heated up. Normally when she flirted with someone it would get very hot very quickly - and she could handle that much better.

"Mm, in bed would be nicest… I don’t have cute trays, do I look like someone who has cute trays?" She grumbled the last bit, though it came across as cute more than anything. "One of my sisters might- no, that’d be embarrassing. It’d have to be ordered in or cereal, because I can’t cook. I normally go to a bakery down the road… That doesn’t really work with staying in bed. Ah!" She had a sudden, very stupid idea, and giggled. "Maybe my bees can get it for us… a bee breakfast service."

Casey didn’t take the shot until he adjusted her hands to where he wanted them; essentially around the cue inside his own hands. He wanted her to get a sense for how far back he pulled his elbow, what strength he put into a shot, how he lined himself up. Since there was such a size difference, it was easy for him to shift himself so it was comfortable.

His mouth was right behind her ear.
”We can’t stress them out about it, can we? How about…-”
She could feel him tense slightly as he lined her up. His right hand’s fingers raised, three of them, and tapped one at a time to count her down to the moment he’d strike the ball. It clacked off the ball that was most obviously a shot they could hit. He didn’t put too much tension or effort into it, and it felt more like a snap than a shove.
“-while you’re sleeping? I go out in the early dawn, get the good stuff when its freshest, and then you can wake up to it?”

He was well aware that defeated the purpose of her offer, but frankly if the bees were her bees, he’d give them a break. A smile formed over Casey’s face as he imagined the bees with bags of bagels. Alliteration…
“After all, how can I make the Queen Bee or her loyal subjects busy themselves with such menial work?”

"You’d do that?" Trisha twisted around so she could look up at him, eyes widening. She was so thrown off by everything - how close he was, his voice in her ears, his hands engulfing her own and the offer of waking up early enough to get them breakfast - that she didn’t really take in how he took the shot. She definitely wouldn’t be able to do it herself. "Really?"

Realising that she was acting a bit ridiculously over a small gesture she turned back around so he couldn’t see her face as easily, cheeks burning. It was just that… as far back as she could remember, no one had brought her breakfast in bed. There’d be servants who made dinner they had to get at her dad’s mansion, and her mom couldn’t have cared less if she ate in the morning. But still, she shouldn’t be so easily touched by something. She cleared her throat as if she hadn’t just acted incredibly embarrassingly.
"You’re right. It’s beneath me and my bees to do something like that… so let’s do that. The you getting breakfast thing. That sounds nice."

Way to act like someone with absolutely no experience, Trisha. She internally rolled her eyes at herself. She managed to get her thoughts, and blush, under control and tilted her head back round to look at him.
"I hope you can sleep through a lot of noise. My bees get upset if I make them sleep outside… Well, I can send them out for a while, but if it’s all night they get very agitated. I don’t want them trying to sting you if I don’t let them back in till the morning."

Noise… Noise was the sound of bombs and screams and shout and-
“Oh, I’m not worried about buzzing. Used to hearing the planes.”
He grinned to himself.
“Plan on doing a lot of sleeping tonight?” he asked, his lips still near her ear as he moved her body beneath his own into another shot. With each one he made, there was a gentle recoil from the cue hitting the ball, and then the slight flex to compensate behind it. Micro movements that he didn’t even think about.

A light shiver ran down her spine. She bit her lip to catch the embarrassing and totally not attractive squeak that almost escaped as he moved her around so easily. It was difficult to suppress the other reactions - it suddenly felt far too hot, and she could hear her heart thudding in her ears. Trisha slowly turned her face towards his and tilted it up, so that it was her own lips rather than her ear close to his. "Not really, if I have my way… and I normally do."

Casey’s smile had become a perpetual grin across his face, his eyes pouring into hers as she turned her head to look at him. His lips pressed forward, and there was that same tension. In the midst of the kiss, the clack of the cue ball hitting another ball preceded the hollow thud of it sinking into a pocket.

It was long, somewhat shallow as he’d had very little overall experience kissing. He wasn’t even sure what kind of kiss she was going to want, and despite having seen plenty of examples, he rarely reckoned how the tongue thing worked. Finally he pulled away.
“Buzz, buzz… Lookin’ for some pollen…” he giggled at her like a school kid would.

"What the-" Trisha stared at him in disbelief, before laughing at the ridiculousness of it. She wriggled her hands out from under his and used them to cover her face, because she had no idea what expression she was making. She couldn’t decide how she felt and didn’t want her face visible until she did. "Seriously?"

She shook her head in her hands. The kiss had been nice, if a bit clumsy. It was pretty obvious to her that he wasn’t that experienced - mostly because she really was. But that wasn’t necessarily a bad thing… But the line afterwards? That was something else. It had completely ruined the mood. It made it really, really obvious that he wasn’t her normal type. But… When had her normal type worked out? Her normal type always led to short lived relationships that burned out violently. Was her normal type even her actual type? Shit, now was not the time to start thinking about this. It was just one night, if she didn’t enjoy it, she never had to see him again.

The temptation of breakfast brought to her in the morning was just too strong. She peeked through her fingers at him, her lips twitching up into a slight smile. "Please never say anything like that again… especially not at my place. I’ll need to have my bees kick you out for terrible… jokes?"

The grin that had been baked into his face didn’t leave. Frankly, he wanted that reaction more than he wanted one that was heavy. He never liked a heavy mood, either too serious or too self serious. Romance was always a thick, saccharin layer atop the buildup toward intercourse; especially if people were meant to have kids. It was the layer that went down well to hide the fact that the cake was made of dirt.
That’s probably why it was so fascinating. So tantalising to him; it was commitment like he’d had in his career except it was meant to be for the rest of one’s life. Or, at least, a lifetime.

“Fine. But if you think for a second that the bees won’t jive with my jokes, you’ve got another thing coming. I bet they’ll love my ass.”
His big face was warm and friendly.
Alright, I did want her to laugh more…
He may have felt a little disappointed, but she was still pretty insistent about him being at her place by the end of the night.

So he held up his hands, cue in the dominant right, and flicked his hair ever so slightly.
“Maybe a wager? Beat me at pool, and you’ll never hear another Bee joke out of me. Until then? B u z z b u z z, Baby.”

"I hate to break it to you, but the bees don’t understand any words, nevermind jokes," Trisha laughed, finally dropping her hands from her face. "I communicate with them with pheromones- you know, that doesn’t matter."

She waved her hand at the pool table before folding her arms. "That isn’t a fair wager - you’ve already cleared like half your balls! You even got one in while we were kissing- There’s no way I can win. You know I can’t win that." She pouted, throwing up her own hands. "Alright, fine, you can keep your bee jokes. But just you wait, I’m going to train in pool so that I can beat you next time."

If she was going to hear jokes like that for the rest of the night, she’d need more to drink. Trisha shifted back around the pool table to her neglected beer, and just straight up finished off the bottle. "I’m going to need another to cope. Maybe after a couple I’ll even find them funny.“

Casey looked down the pool hall toward the bar, the urge to make a joke very clearly on his face, before looking back at Trisha and nodding.
“Sure, sure. And, don’t worry: The jokes are for special occasions. You want just another brew? Or can I offer you something a bit harder?”
Y’know, like some Honey Mead, maybe a Honey Bee? Could get anything, the bar isn’t exactly BUZZY…

He bit his lip, holding himself back like a kid after they’re told they can’t take another candy from the halloween bucket trying desperately to be respectful. It was such a grave pain, but he really didn’t want her dealing with it too much. He was even worried about saying beer now, lest she lose all sense of reality as she’s never able to hear the word again without making association to her own little pals.

"That was a special occasion?" Trisha raised an eyebrow, lips curving back up into a genuine smile. And he was even holding back on the jokes - see, deciding to stick around wasn’t a bad decision. She could handle the occasional bad bee pun… or any bad pun. Maybe more, when she liked someone enough. One of her college friends was awful for it and Trisha still tolerated her. Just about. "Just another beer, yeah. The same is fine… or whatever else they have bottles of. I’m not fussy about beer!"

As much as she’d like something a bit harder, she knew her own tolerance pretty well - in that it was low. Getting completely wasted was fun, but she wanted to remember tonight. So far. That might change.

The bees still with her, that had been silently hiding until now, gave a soft agitated buzz. She not so subtly glared at her shoulder. They couldn’t exactly communicate like a person did, but she could tell what they wanted. After a bit of back and forth with them she sighed. "... some sugar water too. Not for me, for, y’know. Honestly a lemonade will do, they can handle that."

Casey stuck around just long enough to catch Trisha making eyes with the bees. Giving a thumbs up for the lemonade, he tried to remember if they actually had any lemonades… Or anything like that. It wasn’t exactly a place people went to get mixed drinks, but hell it was popular these days right? Not like getting hammered by yourself in a barrack on Christmas because you don’t want to go home.
Gasoline. Pure ethanol. Fuel for the flames.

Getting to the bar, he put up for two Corona; a bit lighter than going for lagers all night as he found the bloating effect to be unsustainable.
”Simple syrup? Just like, in a cup?”
The bartender paused for a moment, furrowed an eyebrow, then pulled a disposable cup and filled it with a shot or two of two-to-one simple syrup. As he slid the ten dollar bill across the counter, the bartender leaned in close.
“I’m happy to see you not drinking alone… Where’s she from?”
”Around, I guess?” Casey responded with a slight annoyance in his voice. He’d not realised they cared enough to notice that he was a solitary alcoholic, never mind asking him about his “date”.

With a huff of air equal to poor opinion, the Bartender let Casey back over to the pool table with the drinks.
”Beer for you, beer for me, and syrup for the little ladies.” he handed the cup and the bottle off to Trisha.

"Thanks," Trisha smiled, taking both. She put the beer down on the edge of the pool table and turned around so her back was to the bar (and the bees were hidden from the bartender's sight). She tilted the cup on its side so the syrup was more spread out along it. With a simple instruction the bees gently flew from her shoulders into the cup… except for one that landed on her finger. It wiggled its little body and didn’t move any further. Trisha narrowed her eyes. "Seriously?"

The bee wiggled again. After what seemed to be an intense human to bee stare off, Trisha gave in. She reluctantly stuck a finger into the cup, coating it in a little bit of the syrup before pulling it out. The lone bee happily flew over to her other hand and started drinking the syrup from her finger.

"This one’s stupidly fussy," she explained, in case Casey was actually interested. "She was one of my first so she’s extra attached to me… you’d be surprised how much personality slightly magical bees have. It’s hard to keep up when I have so many. It sure would be nice," she shot the bee a mock glare, "if they’d leave me a free hand to have a drink too."

”I assume it’s a Mother’s instinct that tells you? Or do they all have some sort of unique kind of, what was it? Pheromones?” Casey asked, getting closer as he watched them do their thing. He’d seen plenty of bees in nature, even watched them doing their thing…

Quietly, he was in Europe. Springtime, near the end of it all. A muddy fucking hole on a hill overlooking a field full of blood and bones. He’d been transferred to SOT by this point; they were waiting for the… Some fucking German name, it didn’t matter. He just remembered being frustrated about the fact that there was a bee scrambling to try and get at the sugar water from his O-Ration.

He tried his hardest to be polite, tried to get the thing out from in front of his face, but it just kept landing on the rim of his canister and wouldn’t leave well enough alone.

”I almost feel like I should apologise to them now…” Casey said absentmindedly as his thoughts trailed to flicking that bee into the sugar water before ejecting the liquid to watch it spatter into the wind.

He never could’ve known that bee or what it was thinking. It was probably something similar to being peckish and hitting the refrigerator.

”It was just going to the fridge…”
His face was next to hers, eyes locked with the bee’s half-thoughtful set of compound eyes. A tear almost fell.

"Huh?" Trisha was very confused about what Casey was talking about… And why he looked like he was about to cry.

He cleared his throat, looking at the bee just another second.
”I… I was thinking about the fields of France. We used to get bees all the time in those trenches, like we were made of sweets or something.”
Shaking his head to snap out of it, he finally pulled himself away with a swig of beer.

”They made sure we never worried about killing anything, so I never really thought about the bees. But, seeing you with them, just dredged something up. Sorry. When you’re done-”
He pulled up his cue, proceeding to sink the last five balls in rapid succession.
”-We can start a new game. You gotta practise now, no getting out of it.”

Trisha was glad he changed the subject. She wasn’t very good at the deep stuff - both hearing it from someone else, or delving into it herself. What did she even say to that? She had no idea what a war was like, and honestly she didn’t place that much importance on insect life beyond her own bees.

"Finnnne, we can play another game," Trisha grumbled, though from her playful smile it was clear she wasn’t actually annoyed about it. The bees continued to drink as if they’d been parched. "To answer your earlier question, it’s kind of a bit of both. They all have a unique… scent, I guess, and I can tell them apart because of my connection with them naturally. If I had to remember it I’d have no chance."

She laughed, and the bees finally finished drinking - having gone through all the syrup. She had to shake the cup a little bit to get the full and lazy creatures to move, reluctantly crawling up her arms and hiding in her hair. The one on her hand flew onto her cheek, sitting there for a little bit and seeming to press its little face against her. Then it also joined the others. Trisha put down the cup and wiped her slightly sticky finger on her trousers, grabbing her own beer and taking a swig of it.

"Alright!" She picked back up her cue, passing it between her hands with a determined grin. "Let’s start… Let me break, otherwise you’ll just win the game before I even get a shot in."

Casey was happy to see her bounce back; he liked determination and willpower in a way he couldn't describe, though he imagined his siblings had similar relationships with it. Something about Lynette Richoux and willpower and tenacity and-. He got too ahead of himself and found a wide smile on his face as he reset the balls after tossing another dollar in.

As Trisha squared up to break, he stopped her and got into position himself.
“You use this forward hand to keep it steady. All your aiming and everything is usually done from the rear… But try making an arch with your index finger?-”

He demonstrated, left index finger curling up to touch the middle finger with its tip. It formed a loop, which he proceeded to stick the cue through.

“Depending on how tight you make the loop around it, it'll keep you steady and straight. Better, it'll work well with the enchantment at keeping your shots dead centre. After that, it's all about practice and muscle memory. It's easy, just takes a lot of time.”

He lifted the rack from the balls, leaving them ready for impact.

“Whenever you're ready.”

"Easy, right…" Trisha moved to right next to him, bending her knees to be at eye level with his hand. She actually watched and listened pretty attentively. Sure, she had suggested pool for less innocent reasons, but actually learning how to play pool would mean she could show up all her friends the next time she saw them. "Alright, I think I’ve got it."

She stretched back up, beginning to line up her shot. Her left arm extended forward and she curled her index finger onto the middle one, slipping the cue through. She leaned in towards the pool table and bit her lip as she tried to figure out the aim, letting the cue’s enchantment guide her. She wasn’t quite sure about the rest of her stance (she’d been distracted), wiggling as she adjusted in a very similar motion to the bee that had been drinking from her finger.

Finally satisfied, she took the shot, cue sliding through her finger and hitting the ball. It hit dead centre, sending all of the balls flying and one right into the pocket at the back corner.

"Hell yeah! That means I get another shot, right? She didn’t wait for his answer, surveying the table and finding what looked like a straight shot. She quickly got into position and, after another round of wiggling to adjust herself, hit the ball… But the loop of her index finger wasn’t quite so tight, making the angle of the cue slightly off. With nothing pocketed, she straightened back up with a pout. She turned back to Casey with what she hoped was a cute, pleading expression.
"Your turn. Go easy on me, please?"

Casey watched her motions, nodding to himself as he watched her flit about the table to find a nice angle. She'd made a wonderful breaking shot, and he was proud as he heard the clacking of a ball being sunk into a pocket. His eyes traced her arm's length, the shape and angles, the way it developed into a shoulder that climbed up to her neck in a gradual, soft slope. He admired the tone of her skin, the way her eyes smiled when she did.

Even as she missed her shot, she was just… He couldn't help but smile to himself. He stepped up, patting her on the shoulder.

“Don't worry about it. We're having fun, I'm not trying to discourage you.”
With his knowing grin, he lined up for a shot.
“Two into pocket four.-” he directed the shot he'd be making, pointing out which pocket he was aiming for. “-Easy shot.”
The cue lurched forward, sending the cue ball flying across the table. It smacked the two ball, sunk it, and proceeded to spin very rapidly across the table until it hit another ball and fell into the dark pocket across from four.

He grinned at his self destruction, the skill of it alone. Intentionally sending the cue ball across the table to sink it…

“Ah, yikes… Well, you know what that means…”
His hand reached into the pocket for the cue ball, and he handed it off to her.
“Take your pick, Trisha-Bee. Your go.”

"Toooo bad for you," Trisha grinned. She reached out for the ball, hand lingering over it as her fingers rested against his hand. Eventually, she took it and stepped back. She didn’t even get annoyed about the silly nickname - it was kind of cute if she didn’t think about it too hard. "You’re going to regret teaching me when I start winning."

She smirked, placed the cue ball just behind the line. She bent down and closed one eye, as if mentally lining up shots. She shifted the ball about a bit before she found what she thought would be a good one. She didn’t quite have a direct line to a pocket, but if she hit it at the right angle… she had a chance. With her newly, totally perfected stance she made the shot. The enchanted cue gave her a much better chance than if she’d been doing it herself, hitting the ball she was aiming for at just the right angle. It spun towards a pocket, slowing down as it neared it and stopped just short of falling in.

She clenched her teeth, fingers curling around the cue a little bit too hard as she tried to suppress her frustration. She’d been getting back into the headspace she’d had in highschool - working her ass off to achieve good grades only to fail. It was just a missed shot. A fun game. She was still learning. She relaxed her grip on the cue and stepped back, grabbing her beer and taking a good long drink. The buzz of the alcohol as it went to her head helped get rid of those niggling thoughts.
"Fuck, that was so close."

So close?
Casey slid up, wrapping his hand around her waist and pulling her tight to his side. He was all smiles as he did, nudging her over to where the ball almost went in.
“I mean… That’s really close. Like even a-”
He fake coughed, and his hand swept across the table to knock the ball in without letting the cue fall with it. He stared at her with a grin.
“-like any sort of breeze could’ve done it, y’know? Close enough in my book… Try again.”

"Hey, that’s cheating," Trisha laughed, smiling up at him. Just like that, that slightly lingering bad mood was gone. She shifted up, going onto her tip toes and lightly turning on them. Her hands curled around his shoulder and she leaned in to press a kiss against his cheek. "Guess I have to take another shot."

She lowered her heels back to the ground and reluctantly moved out from against his side. It wasn’t such an easy shot now with where the cue ball had ended up, but she had to try. It would be boring if it was just easy shots. She lined herself up to take another shot, wobbling a little bit as she did - fuck, she shouldn’t have taken such a large drink… she really didn’t handle alcohol well. Well, it was fine. She carefully aimed, taking a dangerous shot - one of her balls right next to one of his. The cue ball went flying across the table, hitting both and sending them hurtling towards a pocket. Hers went right in.

And so did his.

"Well, at least I got one of mine in?" Trisha threw up her free hand, twisting her head around to flash Casey a teasing smile. "I can just tell I’m getting better with every shot, so I had to give you a free one."

Casey’s brow furrowed a second. He hadn’t noticed yet, but she was following a rule he hadn’t even thought of.
“Oh… Oh, nah! You just got two in, is all. We’re not playing stripes and solids… You been hanging out with British people or something?” he laughed, waving his hand.
“It was a great shot. Keep going, we’re just doing score, so it’s four to one! If you’re at some tournament, or you’re playing with people used to formalities, then you split it. But hey, we’re just practising, so for now I want you to just focus on the feeling the stick is trying to show you. Remember, the less resistance, the better you’re doing.”

As she started in for another shot, Casey leaned in close.
“Don’t get distracted…”
His hand slowly moved upward, brushing the underside of her arm to tickle her and get her flustered, his boyish grin beaming like the morning sun.

"Huh, really? I do have a lot of British friends…" At least, the ones that dictated how they did things were.

This was much better! She smiled and got herself ready for another shot, moving the cue around to aim. It resisted a bit, but she was getting a better feel for it- Until his fingers lightly touched the sensitive skin under her arm, sending goosebumps across it. Her arm shook lightly as she tried her hardest not to flinch away. It wasn’t so much the touch, something she was used to, as the ticklishness of it. She was really, annoyingly ticklish.

"Hey, stop it, that’s not fair, stop it- shit!"
Unable to stop herself Trisha flinched, both arms jerking out and the cue hitting the ball at an incredibly awkward angle. It sent it spinning at a pathetic speed, hitting into a nearby ball and barely nudging it. She immediately spun around and hit his arm - with very little strength behind it.
"I know I’m irresistible, but keep your hands to yourself when I’m taking a shot!"

He laughed aloud, smiling down as he held his hands up.
“Woah, hey! Easy, I must’ve brushed against you!” he giggled, reaching for the totally out of place cue ball.
He slid it a bit into a nice shot for her, gently biting his lip.
“That’s where it was, right?”

"That looks about right." Trisha’s smile was filled with satisfaction. She knew exactly what he was doing - but she liked it. He was making things easier for her without needing to be asked. Normally she had to complain a lot more for that. "Careful not to brush up against me again."

She moved her hands back to the right position, taking the nicely lined up shot by following what the cue was showing her. It easily went into a corner pouch, and she moved around to take another one. There wasn’t really any direct line here, so she just followed the cue again and took a nice, clean shot. Nothing sunk, but not a particularly bad shot either.

"Oh no, I guess it's your turn."
She was really curious if he would somehow find a way for her to get another shot.

“Oh, sandbagging me now? I know you could’ve made another shot. It’s five to one now…”
It was fair and true that he knew exactly how the enchantment on the cue worked. For her, it was a blind guessing game… But it had a lot more tricks up its wood grain than were obvious.
“Here, wanna see something cool?-”

Reaching for her stick, he grabbed it and closed his eyes before turning back to the table. He knew that the six ball was still in place, so he moved to where he last remembered the cue ball was and got into stance.
For the next few moments, Trisha could see his eyes remain closed. He took a long deep breath, humming slightly. In his hands, he felt the stick moving his near limp arm as it relied entirely upon his willful desire for it to make the shot.

“Six to pocket two.”
The instant he called the shot, the cue immediately stood on end at an almost vertical angle. Without hesitation, it snapped at the ball like a stork plucking a fish from a river with its beak. The ball twisted and spun like a dancer around the ball in front of it, knocking into the six ball with miraculous precision.
The ball in question made a slow approach toward pocket two, teetered, and finally sunk into the abyss. Opening his eyes, he looked directly at Trisha’s face with an evil grin and raised eyebrows.
“Whaddya think about that?”

"Whoa." Trisha’s eyes widened, flickering between the cue and Casey. It shouldn’t be so shocking, or impressive - she’d seen all sorts done with magic. But she wasn’t an adept, and most she knew didn’t have particularly practical applications with their spells. "That is a really fucking cool. You know exactly how to impress a girl."

Her smile turned teasing again, though she obviously was impressed. She looked back at the cue again, tilting her head. "Can it do that for anyone, or is it just you? Does it have some kind of magical connection with you like my bees with me? I couldn’t-"

She stopped talking, a giggle escaping her lips. Her hand flew up to cover her mouth as she giggled uncontrollably at the most ridiculous image that had come to mind. Through the laughter, she just about managed to get the words out to describe it.
"I bet if I got about…" she started counting on her fingers. "One hundred and ten bees to line up, and hold each other's legs, I could do that. Like a bee cue, haha."

Bee cue? She knows how many bees she’d need? She can fucking estimate that? Go! Go, go and get the bees necessary and bring them here right now and we’ll see how fucking-
”That is… That’s incredibly cute, Bee Momma… Like, so cute, I’m gonna try my damndest to make sure we’re together again so that I can fucking see that. I can’t wait.”

His grin was practically plastered on his face as Casey stared up at this Vanburen girl with her beautiful dark eyes and dimpled smile. Whatever tricks he was pulling out, he seemed to be making it work. No need to overthink it now. Just keep going Sarge.

Handing off the cue to her, he shrugged and gave a wave of his now empty hand.
”Also, uh… Your cue hit the ball, so… It’s you again. Good job. It will do that for you, probably just as easy as it does for me. So long as you’ve had some kind of Lux cooked into you, it reads your mind without you even being entirely sure of what you’re doing. A relative, sometime in the, like, sixteen-hundreds apparently invented the spell because he was sick of losing to the aristocratic nobles whom he was rubbing shoulders with. Give her a try, just pick a ball and a pocket and then give a feeling like you’re channelling.”

Trisha tried and failed to not blush at the compliment. Being called cute twice just wasn’t something she could handle easily. It almost had her calling her bees right there, but she stopped herself because a whole swarm of bees coming into a bar wasn’t a good idea. She snatched her Corona up and took another long drink - huh, there wasn’t very much left. Where had it all gone? She drank it all already? She hadn’t even noticed.

”What do you mean by some kind of Lux cooked into me?" she asked, discarding her empty bottle so she only had the cue in one hand. Did she have that?

”Like… When you Kindle, for instance, it engraines itself into your body. Similarly, if you’ve got an Apparition sealed artefact, if you’re an Agent that is, you’re just as saturated. It's essentially how we’re able to observe our powers and the abilities of those around us. Kindled, baked, cooked, we use a bunch of terms in the Temple.”

His explanation seemed genuine and sincere, and even a bit enthusiastic as if it was a topic of interest for him.

"So it’ll work if I’ve got an apparition inside me?" Wait, that didn’t sound right. She snickered at the ridiculous way she’d put it. "I mean if I’m adjoined. I honestly don’t know much about it all, so I didn’t know that. Everything I’ve learnt is from here," she tapped her head with her free hand, "and Sycamore. My dear father didn’t bother to tell us about it even though he kept a whole supply of artefacts in the basement."

She took the cue and got into position again, holding it lightly. She wasn’t quite sure what channelling was like, because she didn’t do that, but it must be like talking to her bees. Her eyes fluttered closed to concentrate better, as she tried to think like she did when using her abstraction and get it to aim for the five ball, so it would go into the nearest pouch. As the cue started to guide her, moving her relaxed arms, she also accidentally started to let out the pheromones she could use on humans.

A soft, fresh lemony scent filled the air around her. To Casey, whose emotional field dampened the effect, it would just make her appear more attractive. Like someone he wanted to stay around without actually pushing him to do anything.

The cue finally stopped moving, and shot out to hit the cue ball spinning towards the five ball. Trisha opened her eyes and watched the ball fall right into the pocket she’d wanted it to. Not noticing the pheromones she was accidentally leaking she spun back around towards Casey with a grin. "Hey, it worked! That was fucking cool."

He was lost somewhere in a field again… But he was on a blanket, crisp shirt, dog tags dangling against the arm that he laid against staring to his side at her. She was smiling, giggling. Bees danced around them in the warm sunlight, the breeze blowing by. He was good with them; made his peace finally. The bees…
Doughtry, Reese, Leburt, Clifton, Amesly, -

He was there again. Back in the bar room, watching that smile bounce around slightly. He’d be okay, he figured. Just have to keep it up a while longer.

”I kind of figured that you had an object for the bees… But whatever does it is inside you then. Adjoined, like you said. You’re like Leon. Just as applicable, and just as cool.” he nodded gently.
”I… I think you nailed me, Queen Bee. Stung me right in the heart with whatever it was you just let out. You do that often?”

”Shit,” Trisha’s confusion at Leon being adjoined rather than an adept, supposedly, was completely replaced when she realised she was hitting him with her pheromones. It slowly stopped, the smell and effects reducing. She really hadn’t meant to. "No, I don’t."

That was a lie. She didn’t do it often to other paranormal, because they could always tell. But Blinds? She would gladly bathe them in her pheromones until they wanted nothing more than to be with her, to keep her close and happy and satiated. But she could never keep it up, exhausting herself with the constant use, and then they would be exhausted with her.

She wasn’t going to tell Casey that. Admitting to magically making people like her was the easiest way to speed her way right to the finish line where she got kicked to the curb again.
"I don’t normally- I was trying to channel like you said, and I must’ve let them out. At least it was that type," she laughed awkwardly, not quite able to meet his eyes. "The other ones… would, uhm, make you freak out, I guess. It’s the other side of my bee stuff. Not as useful as the bees. Yeah. Sorry."

He grinned, shook his head and took a deep breath to come back to reality. He was plenty used to the young adepts and their blatant power usage whenever he was at home, and as a Blind teenager, he wasn’t much more than a plaything for others. It’s why he had to escape.

But with her specifically, he didn’t mind. He couldn’t, really.
”I’m not sure what you mean about not being useful. If I felt right, that’s quite the spell to put on someone.”
Though he had next to no practical spell usage, White Lux was always a useful thing to have coursing through your veins. Playing off his emotional field, he found he could parse some of the infectious aroma’s traits.
”If you were my Mom’s daughter, she’d be constantly telling you to saturate people with it. Hell, I bet if you practised, you’d be able to break through-”

Trisha wasn’t with the Sycamore Tree anymore. There was no way she wanted to hear this from him…
And he was doing so well…
”Well, whatever. Just like pool, if you want to use your abilities better, I can definitely help you. However you want to spend our time together…”

He got a bit closer to her, hands reaching out to gently take hers.
”I mean it… I’m not mad or anything. You did exactly what I said to do, and you made a great shot. Pride means a lot to my family, and I’m proud of you for getting it first try.”

”Really?” Trisha curled her hands in his, looking back up at him. There was a hit of vulnerability in her eyes, exposed by what she viewed as a fuckup combined with alcohol. She blinked it away, and smiled again. She couldn’t remember the last time someone had said they were proud of her… Have they ever? Well, she was sure a teacher in middle school had said they were proud of her for working so hard. ”Your mom sounds much cooler than mine, if she knew about magic she’d be all like, ‘Patricia, unless it helps you get the highest grades in your year, I don’t want you to use it.’ Then something about how my cousin got into a top university without using magic- he doesn’t even live in the same country!”

Realising she was getting off topic, and maybe revealing a little more than she wanted to, she swerved back to something else he’d said. ”Actually yeah, I’d like that. The help to use my abilities better. I haven’t really had time to practise, and my friends here aren’t really interested in it. But I’d like to be able to use that part better, and maybe command the bees more efficiently. They still don’t always listen to me.”

Casey couldn’t help but let his enthusiasm leak into the interaction, raising her hands slightly in his and smiling.
”That’s great… I’ll ask some of the Adjoined at the Temple about their experiences. Or, maybe you can even come by? Entirely up to you, I won’t push… I mean, I’d love to take it slow. With you… And I…” He couldn’t hide his own blushing. Not only was he excited that she wanted to spend more time, but he was excited to find someone else from his world who didn’t seem so hung up on it. It could be something casual between them, not running their lives.

”Or, you know, whatever happens happens, the French say Que sera, sera or something…”
He stopped worrying about the fact that he was smiling too much. He barely cared about the pool or anything.
”I’m… Babbling, aren’t I?” he giggled, looking at her with the same gaze as a satisfied cat.

”You are, but it’s okay. It’s cute.” He wanted to take things slow… Aw, that was cute. Trisha couldn’t help but smile sweetly at him. In her mostly drunk state, she was just quite happy. And it wasn’t like she needed to rush things. Normally the easiest way to get with someone was to sleep with them and then go from there- well, she still wanted to do that, but she wouldn’t push too hard. She had his company and the promise of it continuing, which was what she really wanted. ”I’ll come along to the Temple… Where else could we practise except my place, and I don’t think my sisters will be happy about that. So long as I’m not dragged along to any family dinners or, uh, religious stuff.”

She squeezed his hands and leaned in, though it wasn’t entirely on purpose. She was feeling a bit unstable as the two beers she’d had properly hit her. It was more of a sway than anything, towards him, then away from him, then back towards him.

”Yeah, que será, será,” Trisha nodded, pronouncing it properly - well, the Spanish way. ”But isn’t it Spanish? Ah, I don’t speak Spanish properly, but there’s a lot of words from it in Filipino… Sometimes my mom liked to mix things up and yell ‘que?!’ at me rather than ‘ano?!’ Oh, she does also know Spanish. Ah, but her favourite thing to yell is ‘manang mana ka talaga sa tatay mo’. Basically, how do I translate it… she’s saying I take after my father. She said it last time we called cause I told her-”

Trisha cut herself off, shaking her head. Oh yeah, she just remembered why before she said it. It was because she’d had four partners in as many months. ”Now I’m the one that’s babbling.”

”You are, but it’s okay. It’s cute…” he glared at her knowingly.
”Family dinners are things I can usually avoid, but the inevitable philosophical discussions are generally tame and respectful… You know, they-we…-”

Casey cut himself off. He still didn’t love the back-of-the-mind thought that they and he were somehow adjoined entities. That like someone dealing with an apparition inside them, he too was dealing with a ghost that just wouldn’t leave him the fuck alone. But it wasn’t their fault. People like Andrade or Furio, they just had beliefs and their beliefs aligned with his mom’s. It shouldn’t be their job to be intolerant, rather he found that he had to impose tolerance upon himself. Measured, even handed tolerance.

”Usually those kinds of things turn into a bottle of wine and some stories, they’re never lectures. And Adjoined specifically hold a special place in our hearts and in the Philosophy. The others in your situation, Leon included, would love to tell you about their experiences. We’re honestly just a bunch of hippies trying to make it in this modern world with some sense of community.” he trailed off finally, the mind twisting to bemuse the idea that he was somehow defending them.
But he had no other faith. No other light to look toward in the dark, and with all he’d seen, he was ready to believe in something.
”But there I go, getting like that. I promise, if anyone wants to give you a hard time, they’ll be giving us a hard time.”

He had since repositioned his hands, holding both of hers in between his own and gently caressing the soft skin with his thumb.

”That sounds nothing like the few church trips I’ve suffered… And I haven’t talked to many other Adjoined before, that’d be useful.” Trisha tilted her head. It didn’t really make it something she wanted to attend, but it didn’t seem like something she’d have to avoid entirely. If she somehow did get dragged along to something like that. Trisha wasn’t really the believing type. If there was something out there, she’d probably cuss them out before telling them to fuck off. Wasn’t like her life felt like anything divinely granted.

”Hey, not just us.” A content smile bloomed across Trisha’s lips, fingers curling inwards slightly. She liked the way he held her hands… It was nice. Stable. ”Us and sixty thousand bees. Not many want to mess with them.”

She giggled slightly at the image of her, Casey, and her whole hive facing off against Temple members. It would certainly make things more exciting. She then leaned forward again, up onto her tiptoes so her face was more on level with his. She wobbled a bit, but managed to stay up. What she was about to say could be put down to drunken confidence, or drunken rushing, if she needed to. She was always fast with these things, but it was an excuse to cover that up.
”I do like the sound of that. Us. I’d like that.”

Casey could feel his cheeks hurting as Trisha spoke softly and sweetly to him. He’d not drunk enough to be drunk, but he felt like he was. Or high, or something, something wasn’t normal and it wasn’t the magical pheromones that she accidentally blasted him with. He stared down at her, his forehead pressed against hers. He spoke lowly, matching her tone and inflection.
”We’re looking, y’know… For Father Wolf. I’ll keep you safe, Tee. I promise.”

It was something he said on reaction, something he felt like she needed to know, or maybe it was the heat of the moment or maybe he felt like it was something personal that he could bring to her; a token or…
Shit…
He hoped that she wouldn’t have some sort of adverse reaction… He was telling the truth; he didn’t want to see her alone like this.

”Oh, really?” Trisha smiled. She pulled her hands out from his, raising her arms to loosely wrap around his shoulders. She needed the support to stop wobbling so much, and it brought their bodies closer together without having to move her head away. As much as she really wanted to say she could keep herself safe, she knew she couldn’t. She’d been planning on forcing her brother to hire her a security team, but unfortunately his security team knew her on sight and knew to not let her far enough into the building to reach the most recently hired secretary. So she hadn’t been able to talk to him yet.
”How are you going to keep me safe from something that can appear at anytime, anywhere?”

”We’re good dogs. We bark when we hear something, we bite if we see it. All you need to do is keep me around.”
His arms slid around her lower back. He pulled her as close to him as he could, making goofy growling noises like a snarling dog until he was laughing.
”Y’know… I’m not trying to butt into your life or anything… I mean maybe I am, but not all intrusive-like. But, y’know… I’m a lot more than a wizard. You don’t know what I actually do… Did… Not, not like it’s supposed to impress you or anything… I just have… Let’s say, a certain set of skills.”

He couldn’t possibly keep a straight face, laughing and hugging into her.
”Sorry, I’ve never gotten to use that line before.”

”Alright, Liam Neeson,” Trisha couldn’t help but laugh too. Alcohol had a way of making things more entertaining. She tightened her arms around his neck, half hanging off him so she didn’t have to put all her weight on her toes. ”Don’t make a career change to acting, alright? Just stick to, haha, biting threats for me.”

She laughed again. It was hard to imagine because she had no idea what Father Wolf looked like, but if he was anything like his name… maybe biting was a way to get rid of him.
”But, it is alright if you butt into my life. There’s not really much to it anyway! I sleep, eat, look after the bees, see friends occasionally, and sometimes I work-” she paused. ”Actually, my work is kinda private. But aside from that…”

Her work wasn’t so much private as something she was incredibly embarrassed about. Programming was nerdy. She wasn’t a nerd. She was the opposite of a nerd. Yet it was one of the few things she was really good at.
”You might actually get bored if you intrude on my life.”

”Yeesh, bored? You want bored, there’s a little place somewhere in North Africa, I think outside Libya, where the desert meets the coast. There’s rocks and sand and then ocean, and it just stretches on and on for what looks like forever. I think I maybe threw a thousand rocks off that coast and into that ocean.”

He looked almost at peace. Fond of the memory.
”You spend a lot of time just sitting around in the Army.”
Bending his neck a bit, he stole another kiss from her lips; a small one with not so much gusto as the first time he tried it. Clearly settled down. Then he pulled away; not far, and he kept his hand in hers.
”Once everything’s safe, we’ll go. You can see the places I served; some of them were really beautiful.”

”Beautiful but boring?” Trisha laughed softly. It was a melodic, joyful sound. She was completely unbothered that he was jumping into things with the suggestion of an overseas trip. Surely thinking that far forward meant he was less likely to drop her quickly? ”I’m sure we can make it interesting… I’ve never actually been overseas. Not cause I lack the money, of course, just the company. My mom’s job is her life, so when I was with her she’d never want to go away… and can you imagine if my dad took us all on trips? It’d be a nightmare, him and twenty kids!”

She rolled her eyes at that image. They wouldn’t even make it past the airport, even with a private jet. Not that she would ever agree to a trip involving her siblings. ”I thought about going by myself when I took a gap year- just travelling around and enjoying myself, but Ezra’s much stingier than dad. He said he’d pay for a week away, but that wasn’t really what I wanted.” She shrugged.
”I’d like to see all the places you served. That sounds nice, we should definitely go.”

”As far as I’ve been told, right now is a fantastic time to go back. Now that everything’s settled down and money’s starting to be made by industry over there again, it seems like things are on an upswing.”

He finally managed to find desire in something other than her attention, and pawed his beer before slugging it down in a few gulps. His gaze looked at the pool table, then at her, then back and forth another time.
”So… Whose place do we wind up at?” he giggled.

"Hmm," Trisha hummed thoughtfully. "What's your place like? Do you live with your family? I don't really know how the temple works… My place is pretty nice, I've got a big room and bed, but at least one of my sisters will be back tonight."

Though she had no idea when Sabrina would be back, or if she was even already home. Probably not. Hopefully not. "The bees can survive one night alone, they're pretty self sufficient, just clingy."

”I am actually living in Leon’s apartment right now, since Mom won’t let him stay there. He’s got me staying there with Mia, making sure things don’t get dusty. It’s big, and not so far away. Can you believe there’s such a thing as a basement penthouse?” he shook his head, thinking of his brother’s cavernous existence in that dungeon of an apartment. But, it was so big there was essentially two different apartments, meaning he didn’t have to worry too much about Mia poking her head around.

”It’s got a certain aesthetic, I won’t lie… Our whole family has a sort of uh… Goth-witch thing going on? Like, it’s all dark wood and black furniture. Even the stainless steel fridge is like… Laminated black or something, I don’t know. But, I do know he wouldn’t mind me having company, and Mia’s side of the apartment has been hers for like a year now, it’s all separated.”

"How does a basement penthouse work? Isn't the whole point it's the top floor?" Trisha got a little too fixated on the specifics of that for a moment, drunken mind slowly catching up with the rest of what was said. "Soooo it's a basement, and it's filled with loads of dark decor… it kinda sounds like a dungeon."

She bit her lip to hold back another bout of giggles at that. She didn't really care what it looked like - her place was decorated by her sisters, and her own room was only half decorated by herself while the rest was designed to keep the bees happy. A goth-witch aesthetic was fine. "So long as you don't lock me up in Leon's scary gothic dungeon- apartment, then let's go there. Our place isn't separated at all. My sisters are pretty unavoidable and as much as I love my bees, they can be a bit of a pest when I have guys over."

Oh. Whoops. “Not that I do often. Just friends and stuff, y’know, the bees don’t see the difference.” Nice save.

Casey giggled at her, shaking his head.
”Dude… I don’t care.” he laughed, wrapping his arms around her and hugging her. His whole torso twisted around gently, rocking her back and forth. He pulled away, rubbing her shoulder.
”One dude, a hundred dudes… Being insecure is for kids. If there was some sort of problem, I’m sure you’d tell me…”

There was a small pause in his voice, and then he grimaced.
”Which… Alright… Maybe not to ruin the mood but…”
He paused again, shaking his head.
”There’s this Temple member… She’s one of my Mom’s little minions, and I think she’s been told to hang on me or something, but ever since I got back she’s been fucking obsessed and I have zero interest in her whatsoever…”

His lips parted into a cheshire grin. ”You’re way more fun, she’s… She creeps me out, honestly. I promise, I’m actively avoiding her as much as possible.”

The warm comfort Trisha felt from him seemingly not caring about her past, and the comforting hug that came with it, froze in her chest. It was difficult not to let her smile slip. Being insecure is for kids, Trisha, come on. It was just one girl, where she’d been with many… One very present in his life, where hers were all exes she’d never seen again. But he wasn’t interested in her! She sounded like a mother sponsored stalker. But what if she’s nicer? Prettier? Smarter? No, that doesn’t matter.

"She sounds like the opposite of fun," Trisha shook her head, ignoring the self-doubt beginning to rear its ugly head. They’d just met! She was perfectly fine, if it was obvious there actually was something there she could just leave. No problem. No problem at all. "Don’t worry, I wouldn’t get jealous of someone like that… Especially if you’re avoiding her. I trust you."

She reached out to take one of his hands in both of hers, one on top and one on the bottom. Her fingers curled around his hand and she gently squeezed it. Pretending to not care about it came as a second nature to her. "And if she’s bothering you, I can scare her away with the bees… But is it like a your mom setting you up situation? Is that what happens in the Temple?"

Casey took a harsh inhale through his lips as she asked the last question.
”Ahhh… It isn’t. We’re not Moonies, it’s an actual magic cult. Sometimes she’ll make suggestions to certain members, but The Philosophy is more or less against arranged marriage. It’s supposed to be against the Luxine Paths, allowing the magic to flow between people naturally.”
He shook his head, frowning a bit as he waved his hand.

”Leon told me, honestly. I mean, we grew up together, I thought she was creepy then, I knew she always liked me… But now she’s one of my Mom’s maidens, and every time I’ve come home since she’s been hanging around trying to get closer. Leon says she’s… My Mom’s regretful, and wants to make up for the past.”
He sighed, looking around at the bar and finding it more empty than it was before.
”I got the short end of the stick. I’m the middle kid of five, and I didn’t Kindle like my other siblings. So, I always felt like I was just a burden, and honestly my folks never-”

He very abruptly interrupted himself, taking a deep breath and looking down at Trisha with a furrowed brow.
”Do you really wanna hear this shit?-” he asked with a certain intensity to his voice. It was very clear it wasn’t frustration, so much as sincerity. Something in his look screamed for attention. ”-I mean you said you had, what, twenty siblings? That can’t be any easier, right?”

"Probably more, but it’s fine. We all have different moms, we didn’t all grow up together, it really wasn’t so bad." That was a complete lie. Trisha spent most of her time in the Vanburen mansion, going between tense fights with her siblings and locking herself in her room to study. Her mom blamed her for everything. She hated most of her family. But she also didn’t want to talk about it. She hated talking about it more. That meant revealing all the ugliness that lay beneath the surface.
"None of us had magic, either. It was just like normal siblings, with ten extra! So… it really wasn’t as bad. It must have been rough to be the only one that wasn’t kindled."

Hesitating for a second, Trisha closed the slight gap between them and hugged him. She tilted her head up so her chin rested on his chest and she could still sort of see him. Comforting people wasn’t something she was good at, but physical contact always helped, right?
"I do want to hear it." Partly because she didn’t want it to turn on her. She could tell him how she understood, of course. There were similarities… but no way. Why would she tell anyone about how she felt like- was- a burden. "I want to know more about you, and that includes the shit family stuff- no promises my bees won’t accidentally sting anyone, though!"

Casey shook his head, giggling gently as he held her tightly.
”It’s just… God, Elise was like four? Or something when she Kindled. Leon had his ceremony when he turned six, Junior went up in flames at age five… Quite literally I was a frustration for my parents. Everything was exclusionary. Studying, playing, like it was them and me. Mia, my youngest sister, she… She’s like in love with Leon. She was Dad’s favourite hands down, and all that love she had for him went over to the big guy, so she doesn’t really care about getting ignored. But then she Kindled too as a little girl: It was the only reason my old man was so willing to play the doting Daddy, I figure.”

He scrunched his face, turning his head to stare at the few balls left on the table. His eyes trailed up and across toward the bar, then back to her face. She was looking up at him with warm eyes.
”Point is, I felt really alone. And by the time I became an Adult, I was a lost cause. By then Dad was gone and Mom was dealing with Sonnenrad and the aftermath of the Stygian Snake stuff. Nobody batted an eye when I packed my shit and hit the Recruiter’s office. The war looked kind of good to me. Better than what I’d been through, and if I worked hard I’d have a family for life.”

He blew air upward and away from Trisha’s face, blowing his bangs toward the ceiling and smiling at them.
”Now look at me, I’m leaving them too. But, I mean… Imagine they didn’t treat me any different once I Kindled? Turns out, the Military’s got a whole secret branch for people just like us. That’s where I ended up. Either way, it was four years. And for each full year of active wartime service, I ended up earning my pension. Retirement. My stint in the Reserve since has been assisting in structuring a plan for an Adept Reserve Corps. Government sponsored Military Wizards.”

He grinned at her as he spoke about his work, beaming as if it were the only real light in his life.

”But, it’s gotten heavy at this point. They asked if I wanted to take my commitment to the next level, but… It just didn’t feel right. It wouldn’t be the same separating myself from what made me.”
He gently shrugged his shoulders, taking a deep breath.
”And… I think that’s it.”

Trisha’s drunken mind struggled to keep up with all the information, but she got the basic points. Siblings that kindled insanely early, feeling othered in the family (which she could relate to), joining the army for another family, and then… military wizards?
"You’ve been through a lot," she said softly. She was honestly surprised he’d told her all of that. How was it possible to be so open? Was it nice to do that? She felt a hint of irrational jealousy, even though the only person stopping her from opening up was herself. "I didn’t even know it was possible to kindle that early… Well, I don’t know much about kindling at all. Or about the magical army- well, obviously, how would I?"

She laughed slightly, looking up at him as she tried to figure out what else to say. It didn’t seem like he was looking for her to say anything about it. Thankfully. As much as she was surprisingly good at listening when in a good mood (rare), she was awful at… saying the right thing. Normally she didn’t even care about that. Did she in this case? She wanted to keep up the good impression, at least. She liked him enough to bother… and there were similarities to her own life, military aside. She understood and this was someone who could maybe understand her. So, just like earlier, she went with the physical response - stretching up to press a soft kiss to his chin before lowering back down into the hug.
"Even if you don’t do the… Military Wizard stuff, I’m sure you’ll find something. Maybe make another family too- wait, I mean find. And a future that’s all you."

At first, he felt like there was some kind of disconnect. Maybe he’d simply gone into too much. Granted, he had. She was in no way shape or form supposed to know about the Rainbow Act or the ARC Program. But, she didn’t seem to shy away from him. Rather, she got closer, and he felt her warmth in his arms as she talked about making a family and a future. She was hopefully right, and he couldn’t help but want to crack a joke.
”In the spirit of taking things slow, I won’t ask you to help me out yet…” he grinned down at her.

”Do you even want to finish this game? Night’s young… We could be anywhere besides melting into one another in this bar room…” he offered to Trisha, not exactly excited for the prospect of going out into some big crowd. He was, however, ready and willing to follow this girl into a room full of landmines.

"Yeah, that’s an at least three months in thing," Trisha joked back, smiling up at him. It was something that was easy to joke about and less easy to ignore the niggling combination of fear and want in the back of her mind. She was her mother’s daughter after all - the mother who’d fallen hard for a man who’d cheated on and abandoned her just after Trisha was been born.

She pressed her face against him for a moment to forget about, before leaning back and glancing around the bar. She hadn’t really been bothered by pool in the first place, even though she’d gotten quite into trying to get better at it. As soon as they stopped playing, any interest was lost. There were quite a few better places they could be, but most would be quieter than normal thanks to the halloween festival. But… well, she wasn’t really sure what she was feeling up to.
"I’m not really bothered by the game, let’s go somewhere else. Why don’t we…" she dragged out the last word, eyes shining mischievously. "Go back to your place? Heh, surprised? I’m not really feeling up to going somewhere busier- and I’m not dressed for anywhere I normally go anyway."

Casey’s smile went from tentative and forced confidence to genuine and instantaneous elation. He even did a little dance, swinging both of their hips about in unison.
”Oh, shit, Halloween night horror movies… Unless you’re a chicken, in which case we’re still gonna watch them. It’ll just make you hold me closer.”

His hands moved to take hers, and he began to bring her out of the bar.
”You wanna get some food on the way back?” he asked back at her.

"Do I look like a chicken? Wait, don’t answer that," Trisha rolled her eyes. She’d fought the Stygian Snake when she was fourteen, she didn’t exactly scare easily… but it would be a good excuse to climb into his arms and get properly close without seeming like she was trying to speed things up too much. Which, honestly, she was happy to take things slow… at least in terms of going beyond kissing. She still wanted to get physically close.

"Oh yeah," Trisha nodded, absentmindedly swinging their joined hands as she thought about it. "I haven’t eaten since lunch and the magic bone fixing food, let’s grab something. I’ll eat almost anything, so your choice."

Casey made a long, sideways grunt of pleasure.
”There’s a fuckin’... Chicken place. I honestly don’t know where it is in the city, but I’ve ordered from it like six times while I’ve been here and they deliver and somehow it’s hot and crispy just like if you went there. And they even do falafel, like if you don’t eat meat? And I made sure they use a different fryer than the chicken goes into, since Mia’s a little herbivore.”

He turned back around, forgetting his jacket at the booth they’d originally sat in, then made it back to pull it over Trisha’s shoulders. His arm wrapped her tight, and they were both able to proceed into the chilly coastal street. The old lanterns lit the sidewalks, the taller street lights and traffic lights on the boulevard bathing the streets themselves in a separate glow altogether.

The place was clogged with trick-or-treaters doing the business route; a tradition Casey was unfamiliar with until today, when he’d been tasked with running around to a few different Temple businesses with boxes and boxes of whole chocolate bars.
There was even parent-child trick or treating, where the various local businesses would have candy for the kids, and either some sort of shot or snack for the weary parents to find equal joy in. Frankly he thought it was kind of smart, keeping the parents and kids both in the safe eye of authorities. The SPPD, he figured, was out in force tonight in blues and crews. No telling what scary clown or anime character had a badge and a gun behind the makeup.

As they started to walk, Casey proceeded to fall into one of his favourite Halloween games. His eyes scanned the crowd for the absolute worst costumes, and they instantly found a target. He leaned in and down to Trisha.
”Woah, hey… You see that over there?”
He had his arm around her shoulder, and slyly tucked his hand beneath her chin. His outstretched finger, and the guidance from his hand, pointed her gaze directly at…
”Is that an actual fucking bear?”

It was the worst bear costume Casey had ever seen. His tone was absolutely venomous with sarcasm, and he was already giggling like a school child.
”Holy shit, why is nobody afraid of that?”

"I am," Trisha mock gasped at the sight of the costume, turning towards him as if to hide her face against his side. She snickered, side eyeing the tragic bear. She was surprised, but also absolutely elated, that he was quite happy to mock the awful costume - he’d initiated it! It meant she didn't have to worry as much about what she said. "It’s absolutely terrifying, I don’t know if I’ll be able to sleep tonight!"

Pressed close in against him, Trisha’s eyes darted about for the next target. She honed in what she thought was supposed to be… well she wasn’t really sure. The person was wearing a purple shirt with balloons taped to it.
"Are they supposed to be… grapes?" she not so subtly pointed in that direction with another giggle, lips curling into a sneer. ”It’s so bad it’s actually fucking horrifying- some people shouldn’t be let out of the house."

Casey’s head tilted back as he giggled to himself at the prospect of such low rent budget grapes. Rather than keep the thoughts in his head, he let them spill out.
”Maybe a nearby piano will fall and turn him into the worst wine you’ve ever drank?” he grinned, laughing loudly as the crowd was able to swallow up whatever noise he made. He scanned, pointing again.

”And there it is! Right on queue, the fucking… Look!”
It had to be some sort of prop or float. It wasn’t actually bad; in fact what he was pointing at was extremely well made. It seemed to be a float, or some kind of liftable lightweight prop of the Flintstones car with the massive road roller wheels. Inside was a family, seemingly content with their unified Flintstones cosplay being their answer to Halloween. They even “pulled up” to the different candy stations, taking what they could and continuing on.

”Jesus Christ, I mean… Kind of impressive actually.”

“So embarrassing, though, imagine being dragged around by your parents like that,” Trisha giggled, looking at the kids and thinking about how mortified they must be to be dragged around in the back of a Flintstones car. Or maybe they were weird and enjoyed it… that was an even worse thought. “Glad we're not on the road trying to get past that-”

She looked around with a grin, eyes widening as she spotted what was more of an embarrassing costume than anything. She pointed towards a couple seemingly dressed up as a plug and socket… not bad, but kind of disgusting.
“Do they not know there’s kids around- oh fuck, they have kids!” She laughed as caught sight of the young children following behind them.

“You know, my first halloween in college they did this weird thing where they paired up people from the dorms I was at and made us do halloween costumes together. Like absolutely no choice, have to match. I think it was some weird kind of hookup thing organised by older students… Anyway most people did something funny, or like a friend pair- but there were these two who showed up as the fucking cookie monster and a cookie. The guy was going about talking about how much he wanted to eat her out- it was awful. Can’t believe I had to remember it because of their costume. Never ask me to do something like that.”

”Never ask you to… Let me eat you out? Or dress up in matching Halloween outfits?” he laughed, looking down at her and waggling his eyebrows. Of course he knew what she meant, but there… There was something about the tradition that made his heart warm and soft.
”C’mon, if it was the right group outfit? What if we did like… The Frog and the Toad, or if you had kids, you wouldn’t dress them up like-” he stopped himself dead, a bead of sweat forming and slowly dripping down his forehead with the thought.

The Bees…

”Now, hear me out… The uh… The bees? Can we… Can we dress them up?”
Casey’s hands were pressed into one another like a prayer, eyes welled up with sincerity and genuine interest. The same expression as when he was talking about Pool, or his previous line of work, now lined his face.

Holding onto her hand, Casey felt the softness and warmth. There was something terribly comforting about it all. Comforting enough that he had almost talked about the feeling of always wanting to dress his family up in a matching outfit… Dumb. Cute.
He got that same image from dressing the bees up in little ties or bonnets, or having them form a moving shape like some sort of small animal that the hive could all make.

”O-or, like, have them walk around as like a crocodile or something?” he laughed, only slightly nervous about what her reaction would be.

“Don’t ask me to dress up in weirdly sexual halloween outfits,” Trisha rolled her eyes. A cute couple outfit could be fun, and with kids- Her smile slipped. There was a stab of fear and pain that came with the mention of her having children. She wanted to, but it was a sensitive subject… time they’d known each other aside.

“The bees?” Trisha tilted her head. His expression, and the warmth of his hand around her own, was enough to stop her from spiralling to a place where she’d snap at him. She would just ignore the mention of children. “I don’t know, I’ve never tried… Probably. They do what I say, but the more there are the harder it is. Has to be more general then- and where would we get clothes small enough to fit them? Do you know a bee tailor?”

She laughed slightly, smiling again. “Having them form something would be easier… I’ve done that a couple of times when practising! But little outfits on them would be cuter. Maybe I should start training them for next halloween, then we can all match.”

Casey nodded happily, smile still on his face with a big toothy grin.
”That… I’m sure there’s a wizard somewhere in this town who can make tiny clothes. I imagine a bunch of tiny, like… Dresses? Like little handmaiden gowns, since you’re a Queen and all.”

It was an unexpected plus moment; calling her a Queen. He’d not even been thinking of it when the word tumbled out of his mouth, just the bee thing was so convenient. Besides, she hadn’t beaten him at the table. She was still vulnerable to the bee puns and the Dad jokes, so he figured he was safe no matter which way he phrased that.
And hell, who could know? Being a Queen was in, if he was to believe all the women in the Temple at least.

The magical world they inhabited was, as Casey had learned in his years coming back to the Temple in a slow but impending way, a wonderful tool for showing people what empowerment for themselves really meant. It was a tool that people could feel strength in, and translate that feeling into their everyday lives.
It was hard to think of them as a Cult with talk like that. So many things felt like they weren’t, like the glassy surface of it was so clean and shiny that you didn’t mind the bloodstains on the underside.

What he did know is that she was a Vanburen, and a magical one at that. Adjoined to some Bee spirit, which she had little training in. It was all very cute to him. Whatever was, simply was.
”Whatever you think of, we’ll find someone to make it. I’m sure it’ll be a bitch to dress them all though.”

His eyes hadn’t stopped looking for a good costume roast, but they were also coming up to where they had to turn off the boulevard and onto a connector. The building in the distance ahead of them on the next main road was the one they were aiming for, and the open restaurants and shops handing out candy gave way to closed businesses and offices that were all either closed early or hadn’t opened to begin with. It was a bit darker, but the old fashioned street lamps still shone bright enough for them to see one another clearly.

Not to mention the headlights and taillights of the cars, which gave it all a far more electric light kind of vibe than Casey loved.

There were far less people on the sidewalks overall here, so he shrugged and thought of something else to occupy them.
”Ooh, yellow punch buggy.-” he pointed, flexing his arm toward Trisha. ”-Do it, you get the first one! So you know from now on to be on your guard when we’re together!”

“Huh?” Trisha squinted at him, and then at his arm. Was this some kind of weird temple thing? No, that didn’t seem right… Was it something you did when you had friends you actually walked around with? Or siblings, maybe? She could get a vague idea about what it was from the name - spotting something yellow, obviously. Punching him? Well alright then.

She wound back her right arm, punching his flexed one with about half her strength… Which probably wouldn’t feel like much more than a tap to someone in the army, but it wasn’t that bad a punch! She wasn’t incredibly weak or anything.
“Wait, so how does this work? I need to know what I’m looking out for, otherwise it’s very unfair.” She then belatedly realised he’d been pointing, and followed his finger to the yellow car he’d spotted. “Ohhh… I’ve never played this game before. I think I’ve got it. You better watch out, I’m very fast.”

”Oh, yeah… One of those German cars. Frankswagon or something.” he snickered to himself knowing full well what the brand was.
”I don’t know who came up with the game or whatever, but when we made it to Berlin you can’t imagine the bruises that we had on our arms. They don’t call it the People’s Wagon for nothing, y’know?”

It was funny how the streets looked so similar.

Casey was about to ask her about Europe, and about what she’d seen of the Islands across the Pond… But thinking back that far in their night gave him an image of little tin trays in bed. Croissants and tea and eggs.

”Oh, shit! Y’know, you’re gonna have to give me the address for that bakery tonight, so in the morning I can make sure you still get your breakfast in bed…” he grinned widely.

Trisha had no idea that they called it the People’s Wagon, or really anything to do with the car… or cars in general. Sure, she drove one, but she’d only learned a year ago and hadn’t bought it for herself. So she just nodded along, pretending she definitely understood and knew anything about that.

“Oh, are you sure? It’s a bit out of the way from here… You gotta drive at least.” Trisha pulled her phone out of her pocket, quickly typing in her own address then scrolling to find the bakery. The maps app showed it as a thirteen minute drive, which compared to the short walk from her house was… more effort than she’d be willing to put in. She held up her phone to show it to him. “I’m not set on it being from here, any breakfast I can eat in bed will be a pretty amazing breakfast. I hate getting out of bed.”

She smiled, trying not to feel too warm and fuzzy about his willingness to get breakfast for her like that. He’d have to drag himself out of bed when it was still early… That was a lot, for her as someone who hated getting out of bed at any time in the morning. It was always a massive fight with herself and the bed itself.
“Oh, you should give me your number as well while I have this out,” she shook her phone at him, smiling more cutely with her eyes and nose slightly scrunched up. “Don’t want you to run away tomorrow or anything.”

Run away? Why would I run away?
Casey took the phone and began to put his number in. Usually he didn’t have it, so she’d be a reason for him to keep it close. Rather than use his own name, he put in “POOL GOD” in all capital letters, then handed it back to her with a smirk.

By that time, they reached the street crossing with the residential building staring at them. It was a beautiful turn of the century building in the old downtown of the city. This particular section of roadway was built on some serious slabs of stone, meaning that a basement was going to be a sturdy construct were it not for the expense. But, back in the days when the city was first built, there was a need for the blasting and the carving to be done, and the building that had been built on the spot first was a storage area for the local fishermen. It was just a basement then.

Later on, The Cannery Hotel was raised in its place, utilising the basement space as both a kitchen and a pantry. Now it was Casey’s brother’s apartment, which he found to be incredibly strange. But, the Temple owned the building; or, the family who did belonged to the Temple. Casey remembered very little of his time spent there as a child, in their family home in the basement of the Cannery. But as soon as he could, Leon had apparently moved back in. After being there for just under a week, he’d grown used to the feeling of seeing that big brick facade again after so many years.

Crossing the street, Casey was sure to walk with Trisha at his front with his hands out of his pockets. The last thing he wanted was to be caught off guard in the event that a crazy driver may break the rules and laws of the road and accidentally crush them. He wanted to be able to at least throw her out of the way.

There was a gated parking lot to the side of the building, and rather than going through the front, Casey paged in at the gate and a small side entrance unlocked. He let her into the parking lot first, then closed the gate behind him as he followed.
”Haha, I tricked you. I bet you weren’t expecting home to be a parking lot, and now we’re gonna lay on the pavement together!”

It was a stupid joke, and he made a dumb face as he said it, still leading Trisha onward toward an actual side entrance to the building.

“You can lie on the pavement alone, my tiny, frail body wasn’t made for anything but a comfortable bed,” Trisha laughed, though she rolled her eyes at the stupid face he pulled. She looked up at the building, and around the parking lot curiously. She paused at the actual building entrance, looking up at Casey. “If it’s a basement, are there no windows and shit? I’ll need to send the bees I still have with me back if there isn’t… they don’t handle being trapped so well.”

”I guess you’d just have to sleep on me then.” Casey grinned, almost not hearing what she was saying about the bees and the ventilation. When he finally processed it, near the top of the stairs, he stopped.

”Oh, nah there’s windows.” he said, physically swinging his arm down toward the row of thin rectangular windows that lined the building at floor level, each one with a small open space that was grated off to make sure they didn’t leak and flood the apartment inside. It looked like they’d even been decorated with different pots and flowers that seemed to be half in the process of moving inside.
”I’ll go around opening them when we get down. The bedroom is on this corner here too, so it’s got two different walls with them. Plenty of air and natural light in the mornings.”

Light was unnatural in that fucking apartment. Condo? He’d had a hard time distinguishing the difference his entire life.

He popped the side door open, and it led into an immediate stairwell with properly old wooden stairs and fancy hardwood floors. Rather than turning left to go up, Casey obviously turned left to go down. It was actually two flights with a landing in the middle, at which point they were met by a fairly nondescript wooden double door. There was a keypad lock, as well as several locks.

”This is where Leon and I come in. The other entrance is Mia’s, since she doesn’t drive. She comes through the front. Chances are, even if she makes it home, we won’t be seeing her. And if you do, just spit. She’ll get the message.”

He wasn’t in the business of being scandalous about his little sister, but he hated that nobody seemed to have a lid on her. But he wasn’t her Dad, and he wasn’t going to go snooping through her room for heroin needles. If Leon said things were fine, things were fine…

Casey proceeded to undo a total of seven locks from this set of double doors before finally swinging the weighty, reinforced metal door open for Trisha to enter.

And by God, the room was black. It was like being swallowed by the void, this side entrance hall walls were completely coated in practically Vanta Black paint that seemed to swallow every bit of light. On the wall, or built into it in places, were different picture frames and awards. The fixtures were all gold, backlit by dim, almost red halogen bulbs. Directly to the right seemed to open up to some kind of office or lounge space, dark oak bookshelves and a massive desk flanked another case full of trophies and awards. A fancy computer sat on top of the desk, an equally large chair with a wolf head as a head rest was swung to look out at the hall.
At the end of that hall, on the right hand side, a door was open, but the inside of the room was blocked out entirely by a wall of curtains that kept it private even with an open door.

Past the hall itself, a black quartz countertop and island duo sat on equally dark stone tiles, with bronze and white accents in the backsplash, and dark bronzed metal work on all the appliances and hardware, even down to the knobs on the cabinets. Adjoining was… Some kind of function wall? It was like a hotel conference room, a false sliding wall blocking off a part of the apartment that was probably once a massive dining area.
There was also another hallway that led to a couple of doors; probably a closet and maybe the same section of the place that was closed off as Mia’s living space.

But in the part of the open room that was available, a massive ring of black leather couches were sunk into the floor with some kind of crazy kotatsu table that had a heater and, you guessed it, fancy spots to place your drinks that would keep them frosty so you didn’t leak condensation onto the glass and leave rings.

You didn’t guess that? Oh…

There was an equally big entertainment centre, though the centre itself was devoid of a television. Rather, there was a projector and a pulldown screen, which was down and hiding whatever could possibly be on the other side.
There was a hint of it being a picture frame on the bottom edge, however, and feet lined the small sliver of visibility. To the right of the entire ordeal, another door was open slightly ajar. Casey made his way to it and swung it open, entering in.

As he opened the door fully, a shape skittered across the floor before hopping up onto the kitchen island.
For all the literal blackness of this apartment, it'd only be fitting that a massive black maine coon cat would also inhabit the space. His paws were huge, and he stared at Trisha with rapt interest.
”That's Kane. Abel is next door, but chances are he'll be smacking at the door to the hall any-”

The door toward Mia's section thumped loudly. An ear piercing meow crawled out from under the door. Opening it would introduce Abel, the most contrasting creature in the house with pure white fur tinged to red in some places. He took his spot next to his brother, and now both cats were staring at Trisha.

Trisha stared right back at the cats.

She hadn't had much time to take in the apartment - it's grandeur not all that impressive, considering where she was raised, but the sheer… darkness of the whole place was very different from what she knew. A lingering look had been given in what appeared to be the office when she followed Casey in, a hint of irritation sparking in her chest. But she moved on… to be met with two cats. She hadn't expected a single cat, nevermind two. It wasn't that she minded cats, but she had lost a few bees to them before. The bees weren't intelligent enough to be frightened, but the slight panic she felt at the thought agitated them too. She carefully got them to crawl from her shoulders to her neck, buried away underneath her long hair, before approaching the two cats.

"Hellloo," she said softly, stepping towards the kitchen island and holding out a hand for the cats to sniff. She then tilted her head towards Casey with a smile. "I'm not used to cats. Or any normal pets, honestly! Mum's family brought their dog when they visited one summer, but otherwise… didn't really grow up with any. They're friendly, right?"

Casey had already disappeared into what was probably his room. But at the question, he came back out with a smile on his face.
”No, they’re both rude jerks.”
”Rude!”
”Oh, very rude, Brother. Evil Casey.”

The two cats exchanged a look which was transferred to Casey, then to Trisha.
”Casey girlfriend?”
”Noooo, Mia friend!”
”No, no! Here. Not there.”
They stood in unison, footsteps one hundred percent in sync as they made their way across the island to get as close to Trisha as they could.

”I Abel!”
”I Kane!”

Speaking cats… Talking, presumably magical cats… They both spoke again in unison, as if coming to a concise conclusion.
"You Charming and Gracious!?"

Casey shook his head.
”No, guys, Abel… Well, I think he got it right. Girlfriend?” he gave Trisha a cute look.

When the cats started talking, Trisha reflexively jumped. She shouldn't really be shocked by it, after all the magic she'd seen, but she was. At least her bees didn't really talk? They talked in a way normal bees did. She stepped away from the cats and their intense stares, and right next to Casey.

"Oh." She finally got over the talking cats and registered Casey's question. A smile bloomed across her lips, eyes curving into gentle crescent moons. She turned her head away from the cats and up towards him. "Yeah, girlfriend."

She immediately giggled afterwards, like it was her first relationship, leaning towards him and hiding her face against his arm. It was… different from how any of her other relationships had started. Normally she slept with someone, and then it started from there. So this was new in a way. "I can't believe you're introducing me to your cats first! Not that I need introduced to anyone else- but really, the cats, this is so embarrassing."

”Well, you already know Leon, and… Well, they’re not just cats. They’re… Contemporaries.”
”Murder is within me!’
”And I was the first!

The two cats both licked opposite front paws in unison, and one could be forgiven for thinking that they smiled up at Trisha.
”Technically they’re the same cat, or so I’m told. Our dear old Dad exposed them to a very powerful Apparition, and they wear it with grace.”

Creepy cats didn’t dissuade or remove Casey’s smile from his face as he held onto Trisha. Girlfriend… He had something to do that wasn’t moping around now, and he felt excited. Happy even.
”Do you two have enough food on Mia’s end?”
”I famished! Abel’s eyes scrunched together like a cat’s often do.
”I ate him. Already full.

Casey rubbed Trisha’s arm in a comforting way before he stepped away.
”Here, let me feed them, and give me your onesie so we can get it washed and dried. More comfortable than regular clothes. In the meantime, I can check if Mia has a pair of sweats or something that will fit you.” he said, holding out his hand.
”And if you wanna shower or something, Leon’s room has the bathroom. The one we passed in the hall with the curtains. It’s a reallynice shower. Technically it was our parents’, so it had to be built a certain way for my Dad. It’s like showering in a cave.”

"You just want to see me in the bee onesie again, don't you?" Trisha joked half heartedly, trying to ignore the fact one of the cats had said about eating… someone? Whoever ‘him’ was. Hopefully it wasn't a person. She shuddered, taking his hand and squeezing it - more to comfort herself in the face of the eery cats. "Some sweats would be great- if they're too big it's alright, I'll make do! Maybe a hoodie or something too? Doesn't matter how big that is… the bigger the more comfortable, honestly. I wear a large sized one about the house a lot of the time.”

She smiled, holding out the onesie she’d somehow been carrying the whole time. “I won’t say no to a shower. I’m used to pretty fancy showers, but never heard of one like a cave… Are there already towels in there?”

Casey considered for a moment, but one of the cats had it on lock.
”No! No towels, girlfriend! No towels anywhere!”
Their voices were like young boys, and they both laughed in the most horrifying and creepy twin-like way that they could.
”You use Abel as a towel… He likes.”

Casey frowned.
”First, she’s Trisha. Tri-Sha. Second? Keep your crappy attitudes up, you’ll be doing the ouroboros thing in the street tonight, no chickens and no beds!” he asserted, sticking a finger up.
The twins exchanged a look before batting their paws in unison at Trisha.
"Sorry Trisha."

Casey looked at Trisha with a small frown.
”Sorry, they get weird around new people who can hear them. Please, guys, refrain from being absolute jerks? Like, in fact, go next door. I’ll bring you your food when its ready, but we’re gonna have some private time here tonight.”
The twins gave a slight look of indignance, but spun to leave regardless.

It may have only been an instant, but the twin cats appeared as a twisted mass of flesh and evil that was more than suitably horrifying for a Halloween’s evening, the image fading as they crossed the threshold into the other part of the apartment.
”To your earlier question-” Casey continued, closing the door behind the cats. ”-yes. There should be towels already in there. C’mon.” he turned, taking her hand as he brought her back down the first hall and into Leon’s bedroom.

Pulling the curtain in front of the door back revealed that the place was an incredibly debauched dungeon-esque room, handcuffs still dangling from the massive bed’s ornate headboard. All manner of toys and paraphernalia were on display in a glass case hung from the wall. There was some other furniture and structures that were clearly used in some sort of BDSM play; overall it was like being in some porn producer’s creepy bedroom.
But pushing in a little further revealed the bathroom. It was, as Casey described, incredibly cavelike. The whole setup for the shower was actually sunk a few feet into the concrete subfloor, and the tiles mimicked real rock in their texture.

It was like a glass-fronted grotto. There was also a toilet made of, you guessed it, black porcelain, and a black marble his-and-hers sink and countertop arrangement. And, yes, there were towels. Plenty of towels.

“I think I just learned far more about Leon than I ever wanted to,” Trisha shook her head in disbelief. Really, couldn’t he set up a second bedroom for that? Did he sleep in there? With the handcuffs above his bed? Trisha wasn’t really against all that, she’d tried it out a little bit before, but when it was the only path to a shower… Not something she wanted to see. Or know, about her… boyfriend’s brother. “Do you have to
walk through that everytime? I think I prefer the cats…”

She looked around the very large bathroom, which absolute dwarfed her (and she really wasn’t that small, she was average!). At least there weren’t any chains in here. Without being watched by any apparition-cats, or being in a BDSM style dungeon room, she was able to relax again. The bees that had been agitatedly clinging to her neck came out from under her hair, flying away from her and landing on one of the towels. They lay there contentedly.

“This is pretty nice, even if it makes me feel tiny,” Trisha smiled, letting go of Casey’s hand and stepping further into the bathroom. Without even thinking she pulled her top off, dumping it on the floor beside her. It was only when she half turned back around that she remembered- shit! They were supposed to be taking it slow. She was wearing a bra, of course, but she shouldn’t have started stripping at all. “Oh, uh, sorry, I didn’t even think.”

She laughed awkwardly, reaching out to grab a towel and cover herself back up.

”Trust me, at their worst, you’d really prefer the sex room. Pray you never catch them in an argument, because Kane wins every time… The names are very delibera-”
She started stripping in front of him… He turned his head and shifted until he wasn’t even looking at her at all. By the time she looked at him, she was already looking at his back.
”Ah, it’s fine. I’d say I’m used to seeing people naked but that sounds weird out of context. There’s not a lot of privacy in the Army.”

Without turning back around, he moved toward the door.
”When it gets super steamy, a fan will turn on. I just didn’t want you getting scared by the noise. I’ll come back with clothes for you.”
And then he walked out, closing the door to leave Trisha alone with the massive shower.

[FernStone]

Leon’s Apartment

The knobs were typically intricate of these big shower setups, and one group was even labelled as “Sauna”. There were at least twelve nozzles that began to dump water into the shower from all sides.

“Thanks,” Trisha called after him. She didn’t move for a moment, hands falling to her side. They clenched into fists, then unclenched multiple times. An irritating, irrational feeling of rejection started to creep in. It wasn’t that. Though she didn’t know for sure, it was pretty obvious from the two kisses they’d shared that Casey was inexperienced. They were taking things slow. He was respecting her privacy. That was good. It was.

It was just the far too familiar sight of someone’s back turned to her, that was all. A silly irrational thing. Her life was just back after back after back- her exes, the coven, her dad, her mom. But she was being stupid. This wasn’t that. And even if it was, it was day one, right? It wasn’t like there were many feelings there. He was nice, attractive, and treated her pretty well so far… but it had just been one day.

Nothing to get so worked up about. But of course, emotions didn’t exactly follow any logic, and she was awful at controlling hers. A bee worriedly flew past her eyes, landing on her cheek and snapping her out of it.

“Hey, go back to the towel, you can’t get wet,” Trisha murmured, reaching up to tap it. It seemed to rub its fuzzy body against her cheek before following the pheromone command she’d given along with her words. With the bees safely out of the way, she finished taking off her clothes and turned on the shower. It took a moment to figure out the insane amount of knobs. Rich as she was, she hadn’t actually used a shower this massive before. The Vanburen Manor was an older building, and while the current place was fancy her ensuite bathroom certainly didn’t have a shower like this.

The warm, all encompassing shower helped. She closed her eyes as the water was dumped on her, spending more time just standing in it than actually cleaning. She was in there for about ten minutes before she dragged herself out, the thoughts washed away starting to fight against the torrent and crowd her mind again. The bees flew out of the way as she grabbed one towel to wrap around her body, then another for her hair. She started with drying that first, vigorously rubbing it. Once it was dry enough she shook her hair out so it fell in messy waves down her back. It would take a while to fully air dry which… would be annoying. With a soft sigh she crouched down, pulling a hair bobble out of her trouser pocket. She pulled her damp hair back into a bun at the top of her hair. She had the towel wrapped tightly around her, so all she could do was wait for Casey to come back with clothes.

Immediately sensing her idleness, the six bees flew over to her. Two landed in her hair, while the rest landed on her face and shoulders. They started lapping up the water as if they hadn’t drank anything their whole life. Trisha bit her lip to suppress a laugh, because it fucking tickled. “Hey, hey, stop it! I didn’t say you could move- you’re not listening to me now, huh? Fuck, it tickles, stop- Go over to the sink.”

It was a far longer period of time than what could’ve been expected of someone just getting some clothing. Casey finally returned and knocked on the door with some haste.
”Leaving them out here! Taking care of something!” he called through the door.

“Okay,” Trisha said softly - he probably wouldn’t hear if he’d already moved away from the door. She carefully opened it, reaching out and pulling in the clothes. The bees finally listened to her and moved off her, allowing her to get dressed. She pulled back her own underwear, then the promised clothing. It was all too big, but the elasticated waist of the sweatpants meant they shouldn’t fall down… She just bent over to roll up the bottom of them so she wouldn’t trip when walking. "Alright, you can come back."

The bees buzzed back over to her, five settling sensibly on her shoulder and one choosing to sit precariously on her ear. She didn’t bother moving it… They were being really finicky right now. Maybe because she hadn’t been talking to them until now - she didn’t need to, but generally did when alone with them. Not so much around other people. She bit her lip, gnawing at it as she delayed leaving. Why? She couldn’t describe it, just a stupid feeling of dread. It’s seriously fine. Why are you being like this? So annoying.

Trisha took a deep breath and stepped out of the bathroom, making her way through Leon’s BDSM dungeon as quickly as she could and back out into the hallway, then down towards the open room. "Casey?"

As she walked through the room, it was immediately clear that Casey had hung more sheets or some cloth blockers across Leon’s room so Trisha didn’t have to see it again. He’d pulled the curtain from the door itself, giving her a clear shot from the door to the bathroom whenever she needed it.

Coming back out into the kitchen, Casey had put together this fruit ensemble, and had covered the black leather couches in plenty of blankets. There were candles burning, filling the apartment with autumnal scents, and the projector was already running and displaying a warm fireplace.
”I didn’t know what kind of food you would want from this place, so I figured I’d wait to ask you. But, in the meantime I know that the bees are gonna love some of this fruit, and I know you will too.”
He was waiting in something more comfortable; sweatpants of his own and a green Army t-shirt. His hair was pulled back and tied up in a loose bun.
”How was the shower?” he asked, walking closer to her and moving in for a hug.

Seeing all the effort Casey had gone to, Trisha felt conflicted. She should feel happy about it all. She didn't have to see anymore of Leon's creepy sex dungeon, a comforting atmosphere blanketed the darkly decorated place and there was fruit. But she'd already taken one thing as rejection, and that was it. Was it fruit because Casey had taken one look at her and decided she wasn't healthy enough? He was probably right. Were the blankets because she couldn't be trusted on the undoubtedly expensive leather couch? That was ridiculous.
"It was nice," Trisha said woodenly. She didn't move to go in for the hug, but she also didn't make any move to stop him. She just stared at him, nose wrinkling and lips pursed. Her eyes, looking like a more dull brown without any reflected lights, showed her confusion.

The bees felt incredibly conflicted too. They could smell the incredibly tempting aroma of fresh fruit, luring them towards it. But there were also the literal mixed signals coming off Trisha, confusing them. She was annoyed, but she wasn't annoyed, wanted to get close and push away. Safe and not safe. Eventually, the former won out. There were no actual commands and no want to hurt. Five bees flew from her shoulder and onto a plum, immediately beginning to gnaw their way through it. The bee on her ear was less happy. Instead, she buzzed over from Trisha's ear and landed on Casey's cheek, just below his eye. She gave out a 'threatening' buzz to anyone that could sense pheromones… a very normal one to anyone else.

Trisha frowned. "Oy, stop."
She was probably talking to the bee.

But Casey did stop. He stopped mid stride, arms still out.
Was this too fast?
No, she was probably freaked out by the fucking cats… And Leon's nightmare of a sex bedroom. Casey hadn't imagined Trisha being prudish necessarily, but of course she knew Leon better than him, right? It almost certainly wasn't something she wanted to know about her Covenmate.

And obviously the two cats were unsettling. How could he convince her they're friendly and sapient enough to accept and comply with boundaries? They were both over twenty years of age, their unnatural lifespans maintained by the spirit within. They'd watched countless children grow into adults, and grew used to the kind of sibling relationship that existed.

But that probably didn't matter to her.
”Too fast? Sorry, I-”

But the Bees were feasting. All but one that landed on his cheek. It was… Was it defending her? Casey wasn't an educated man, but he had a good sense for things. He knew bees didn't do things for no reason.

It brought him back to that hill. To swatting that bee against the side of the mud hole and feeling it explode under his fingertips. As if on reaction, his hand flicked up and nearly squashed the poor innocent creature against his face.
But he stopped, resting two fingers against his cheek to try and coax the little one off any important areas.

”What's wrong, little one? Did I get some watermelon on my face?”

Trisha flinched as his hand went towards the bee, an automatic reaction to anyone else's getting near them. She'd experienced people squashing her bees. But he wouldn't?
And he didn't. She let out a soft sigh of relief. The strange tension she'd been feeling began to drain away. Internal problems pushed aside without any thought given to them, ignored but not resolved or forgotten.

The bee seemed to look at his fingers. It then turned around and raised its abdomen, string brandished threateningly.

"Heyyyy, no." Trisha closed the gap between them, stepping into Casey's outstretched arms and reaching up. She put her finger between the bee and his two fingers. The bee buzzed and she narrowed her eyes at it, brow furrowing slightly as she told it to fly away or get on her finger. There seemed to be a tug of war between her and the bee, which she ultimately won. It let out a grumpy buzz, ignoring her finger entirely and flying over to join the others on the fruit.

"She, uh…" Trisha lowered her hand, looking up at Casey and trying to smile. Her expression softened slightly. But how did she explain it? She was set off by seeing his back turned to her and got stuck in her head to the point the bees were affected? That she still felt annoyed about it? No way. "She got shaken around a lot while fighting the snake… made her and a bunch of the others way more pessimistic. Very weird. She was just set off by the shower, I think, and then thought you smelled different. Change of clothes probably. She was absolutely bombarding me with pheromones."

She leaned against him, loosely wrapping her arms around him. It was a good enough explanation, right? He hopefully wouldn't figure out that it was her that had freaked out the bees, rather than the other way around.

”It must be real hard when there's a lot more of them… Good thing we're gonna help you train and get better at it. I'd say we can start with the cats, but they really can't process the whole ghost thing with the same precision and skill we can.”

He had taken what she was saying at face value: It was probably just that she didn't want anyone getting hurt. If they did in fact sting and die like normal bees, he was certain it wouldn't be a positive experience for anyone.

”Pretty good you can handle it, though. Thanks for helping me avoid the sting.”

Back to his scheduled program, Casey's arms wrapped around her tighter, until he was almost squeezing. His voice got muffled in her hair, but the gist escaped.
”I've only had a couple girlfriends. Before the Army. I… I tried something with this guy from my platoon, but it turned out we were better friends, since… Well, frankly, neither of us were gay. Just lonely. Amazing what the brain can trick you into with enough emotion.”

If Casey was one thing, it was open and honest. Maybe too much so, but he didn't imagine the consequences of telling a girl he was dating that he'd tried kissing other dudes at any point. He was just happy to have someone there with him. He wanted to cuddle up and disappear: Finish the saga right then and there with her and with happiness.

”My point is, I only know what I've seen. I know it's probably not something you want to deal with, so… If you feel like it's not working, I'm strong. You don't have to hide around me. If you feel like it's not going well? We'll drop it. No harm, no foul. You're too sweet to be stuck in something rotten.”

"So you won't leave me first?" Trisha blurted out before she could stop herself. Too sweet? She'd never been called sweet before… because it wasn't true. She could pretend, she could act, but Trisha knew deep down what she was like. It wasn't her fault, it was just the way she was - the way her parents had forced her to be. But she wasn't sweet. But how could he know that?

"It's okay. I won't hide around you but… you're meant to work through problems, not drop it right away." She said that as if she'd ever worked through a single problem of her own in her life, rather than becoming a growing ball of resentment and pain. She wriggled in his arms a little bit, craning her head back to look up at him. What did he mean by all of that, anyway? Beyond her gut reaction of… happiness that he thought she'd leave first, she didn't understand. Because he'd only had a couple of girlfriends? He was inexperienced? That was fine. Because he'd tried it with a guy? Did he think there was something wrong with that?

"You know, I've dated about fifteen people," she said softly. She didn't like talking about the deep stuff, her feelings or emotions or problems. But that was just a surface level fact. She had dated a lot of people. "The longest was four months- she had an abstraction too, so she got the bees a bit more. But do you know how many I broke up with?"
She paused, biting her lip again. It was just a fact again. On the surface. None of the reasons why. "None. I've never broken up with anyone."

”So you think I'm gonna leave?”
It would've taken a particularly inept individual to not put that addition problem together after she'd said such a thing initially. So you won't leave me first?

Casey's eyes narrowed as the question left his lips. He stared down, eyes filling with a blackness as the dim lights shaded him in like a comic book character. His arms got just a little tighter as he thought of all the corpses that had begged him not to leave. All the dead men who had seen his face as their last sight before they left their mortal coils.

”I don't think you understand what you've gotten yourself into.” he spoke with a calm, reassuring voice.
”I used to help the Docs with Triage. I wasn't very good at it. I couldn't leave the dying men, and I couldn't bring myself to put them out of their misery.”

Something told him to help her understand. To understand his seriousness. He didn’t want to kill the mood, but he didn't need her worried either. For the first time, he considered that she wasn't just a cute funny girl; that there were problems there that he may not be able to fix ever. Things he'd need to deal with.

But she hadn't slept with him either. She didn't know that he couldn't really. That he was up at all hours of the night, keeping opsec and skulking the halls of the apartment building looking for any sign that things weren't perfectly secure for himself and the other residents.
Or how he obsessively kept his back to walls he felt secure around, or that too much noise and light made him shake uncontrollably.

She didn't know he was a freak yet. But if she stuck around long enough, maybe that number would go from zero to one… He only hoped it would last longer than four months.

Casey let her go slightly, only so he had enough room to kneel down in front of her.
”If the bus’ wheels fall off, I'll stick my fucking feet through the floor like the Flintstone family we saw earlier. I'll fucking drag you kicking and screaming if I have to. But I won't leave you like that. I promise.”

Trisha opened her mouth, then closed it again. Her breath grew shallower and her hands fell to his shoulders, fingers gripping his t-shirt. His words were enough to begin to chip away at the metres thick walls she'd built around herself. Just the tiniest of cracks, dust that had always formed bricks leaking out along with emotions she'd kept trapped. But she didn't believe him. How could she believe him? Her own mother had abandoned her. She talked about her as if their relationship was distant but still there, but it wasn't. She hadn't heard from her mom since she graduated. Every call had been rejected.

Why would a guy she'd just met put in the effort to stick around? How could she believe that? Really she should feel scared, there was an intensity to what he was saying, but she just didn't believe it at all. But there was a tiny bit of her that hoped it was true, and wanted to confirm it. “Everyone leaves. Will you really do that? Will you really stay, even if I’m the one that pulled off the wheels?”

She looked away, gnawing at her lip. Why was she letting herself be so affected? She'd already said it would be fine if he left. Now. Not in a month. Tomorrow, maybe, but not after a few weeks. She looked back away, smiling weakly. “I, uh, I mean I won’t, obviously. I believe you. I've never had someone promise me that so seriously.”

Casey tried to grin up at her. To smile warmly. He thought it worked, but he couldn’t hide the discomfort, nor would he even really know how to explain it. How could he explain that it was all trivial bullshit? That he’d seen death time and time again, and that if she had too, she’d understand the same as him. That they had things hard enough, and that commiseration was necessary for people to survive hard times. Or that he’d been forced into so many uncomfortable situations in his life that he, for the first time, was contextualising how little he’d ever actually run from in his life?

”Fuck the words then. Just let me show you… Girlfriend. Babe. Trisha… You’ll see as life continues for us. I don’t run. I stand and I struggle, because I fucking love when things get hard. It thrills me.”

He rose up to his feet, scooping Trisha as he had when she was wounded at the Festival. That same warm, strong, protective grip as before. His head tilted down to nuzzle their noses together in an eskimo kiss. His eyes stared down at hers, the bright blue of them piercing like a spotlight.
”Now, where were we?” he asked, the half smile turning into a more playful grin. He felt like he shredded the tension off, but kept observing her face for any signs of lingering doubt.
”Oh, right-”

He shuffled the both of them toward the fruit, adjusting one of his arms to take the brunt of her weight while the other slipped out and grabbed a few grapes. Like a man-servant, he brought his hand close, feeding her grapes with a playful look on his face.
”-the Queen needs some sweetness too…”

Trisha wrapped one arm around the back of his neck, the other loosely resting on his shoulder. She rested comfortably in his arms and put her worries to the side. Either he’d stay like he said, or he’d leave like everyone else. She didn’t want to think about it right now- she forced herself to not think about it right now.

She leaned forward and ate the grapes right out of his hand, before smiling sweetly at him. “Mm, they’re good. The bees are enjoying it too.”
She nodded towards the six bees that had merrily eaten half a plum between them, and were now lying on the plate in varying states of fullness. Once they’d processed all of that, she’d probably send them back to the hive and have another group come out. These ones had been with her all day… and it was easier for them to sleep there rather than with her.

“Oh, can we order that chicken you promised me? Grapes are good, but I really need something unhealthy to balance it out.” She grinned, expression much for relaxed as she leaned her head in and rested it against his neck. “I’ll have anything without bones in it.”

Hearing her opinion on the chicken, he nodded happily and sat her up, sliding her onto the countertop next to the fruit.
”Hell yeah! Alright, probably a box or two of boneless, I’ll get Mia her falafel, do you…-” he was patting around for his cellphone, but realised it was still in his uniform pocket.

As he moved away to move to his room, he stopped and turned back to her.
”-I’ll let you look anyway, I think. Because they may have a side dish or something you want. Or dessert. They fry chocolate bars like they do in the UK, with that thick ass batter?”
He waggled his eyebrows, then waved his hand.
”You wanna see my room? Or wait until later?”

“My friends told me about the battered chocolate bar thing, I was never sure if I’d be able to eat it,” Trisha wrinkled her nose, but she then smiled cutely, leaning towards Casey. “Maybe you can get one and I’ll have a bite or two of it?”

It wasn’t that she cared much about not eating junk food - she was blessed with a high metabolism and did actually exercise. But she also really wasn’t sold on the idea of a chocolate bar covered in batter. She liked battered things, and she liked chocolate, but combined? Wasn’t so appealing.

“I want to see your room.” She slipped down off the countertop and smiled teasingly. “I need to make sure it isn’t like Leon’s before I’m stuck here for the night.”

Ever since Leon and Casey had come to terms with their personal relationship, Leon had taken to curating a space for Casey to come that he’d be comfortable in. To that end, it was a far more tame and warm room than many of the others. There was a pleasant draft rolling through the room as the tall, slender windows were opened on the different walls. This was where most of the plant life seemed to be, various spider plants and hearty crawlers that had been given their own little tressels.

The bed was big, fluffy, and low to the ground as the frame swallowed the mattress and the boxspring. A closet was next to the entrance door, and there was a smaller entertainment centre that had a television and a bunch of knick-knacks. Different pictures, small frames, of Casey and their family, or pictures that had a teenage Casey surrounded by his fellow soldiers as they graduated basic. There was an American flag that was folded and pressed into its own little case, and two boxes of medals for various qualifications and awards he’d received.
Interestingly, there was a picture of Casey with the President… He was in uniform, so clearly they’d done something special.

There was also an amazing looking fish tank that was somewhat built into the wall. The whole thing seemed to be built for a turtle, and was a replicated freshwater habitat for the north-western painted turtle. The creature was at the top, sunning itself in the bright light of a warm lamp. Below the water, a myriad of different fishes swept to and fro through the ample space of water.

Casey found himself staring at it as the two of them stood together. He had one hand on his uniform pants, the other stuffed into a pocket and gripping onto his cellphone.
”Sometimes, I can stare at it for hours. I was amazed that Leon had kept Traitor after I left, but… Well, after he told me how much it meant to him too, I understood, but when he first told me the old guy was still around, it was a surprise.”

The tank was tall enough that to get to the top, Casey still needed a stepping stool. He slid it out, climbed up, and scooped the dinner plate-sized turtle out. It’s little webbed feet paddled at the air, and rather than retract, he aimlessly waggled his long neck out at Casey.
”Yet, here he is! I was like, five? We were up north camping. Traitor here was all alone, me and Leon made believe that he was a rogue turtle who betrayed his family. At one point, Leon had made a little band to put around him so he could project his thoughts, but… Well, turns out he has none. Or, that Leon was lying to me since I never would’ve been able to hear anyway.”

He found himself smiling like a kid at the turtle, and held it out for Trisha to touch.

Trisha looked around the room with a feeling of relief - not that she’d expected it to be like Leon’s, but it was his flat… maybe Casey could’ve been stuck with a room like that too. Thankfully he wasn’t. It was nice. She could see herself spending a lot of time in here… just relaxing with him, that was. Well, other things too, eventually. She walked past the pictures, looking at each of them for a moment. She was mostly curious to see teenage Casey - how different he’d been, but also the similarities. Sadly, none of the pictures were too embarrassing.

There was, again, a stab of jealousy as Casey talked about how much the turtle meant to both him and Leon. A shared memory. That must be nice.
“How many surprise pets do you have? At least I was upfront about the bees,” Trisha joked, staring at the turtle, half expecting him to talk too. Seemed to be a normal turtle, though. Thankfully. “He’s… cute but there’s no way Leon made him a thought projection band. No way. He’d have to have some thoughts in there, surely? Even my bees have thoughts.”

She smiled, cautiously reaching out a hand to touch the turtle’s shell. Then she, even more gently, stroked his head. She then dropped her hand. She wasn’t really the animal type, beyond the bees she’d ended up with, so she wasn’t sure what to do now. She ended up looking around the rest of the room again.
“You have a television in your room? Do you know how perfect watching stuff in bed is?” she grinned up at him. “I always wanted one when I was a kid, but my mum said no, and dad actually listened to that… Oh, I suppose you probably didn’t grow up here. I don’t have one in my current place either, since I got so used to not having one.”

Casey shrugged his shoulders, setting the turtle back up on its perch and sliding the footstool back.
”Well, actually… Funny you mention that, I’m pretty sure I was born in the kitchen out there. Mom doesn’t really believe in hospitals unless she owns the doctors.” he mentioned offhandedly.
Looking around the room now, he chuckled to himself.
”Leon and Elise got their own rooms. I had to share. This was his. Now he’s got our parents’ old room, and if you can imagine it, their setup was actually way worse. Like, I’m pretty sure my Mom still has a painting of her and my Dad just getting absolutely freaky with it. And that was hung as a portrait we all got to see every day. Titled Genesis, y’know like us kids were supposed to be proud of our parents’ active sex life or something.”

If it hadn’t already become abundantly clear, Casey was quite the oversharer. Mostly thanks to all the time he’d spent with nobody to talk about what he’d seen and experienced, he’d only recently come into contact with Adepts outside his family during his work with the ARC program.
”I had this tv in my barrack at the base. I brought it with me figuring Leon was gonna be home a lot more, but since I’ve been back and this whole Father Wolf shit is going on, he’s practically our Mom’s slave dog right now. So she knows he’s safe.” Casey finished in a mocking tone, returning to his pants and grabbing his phone.

”Alright, this food… Gonna have to work this and the breakfast tomorrow off really hard. I know a certain drill sergeant who would beat my ass for eating like this, but hey; calories in, calories out. I defended our freedom to eat Nashville hot chicken.” he smiled, his free arm wrapping around Trisha’s waist and gently pulling her close before plopping down on the bed with her to stare at the menu.

”If I could find some pot, would you smoke it?” he asked, glancing a side eye at Trisha with raised eyebrows.

Trisha was getting whiplash from the speed at which Casey changed topics. She was still processing his mum giving birth in the kitchen when he dropped that his parents had a much kinkier sex life than Leon, who seemed to have a pretty fucking kinky one. Trisha wasn't a prude by any means, and she was pretty open to trying anything when it came to that but… she was surprisingly private about it. And she really didn't need to know about other people's. But Casey had to grow up with a picture of his parents doing that?! That was fucked up enough even Trisha could truly feel sympathy.
“My dad's sexual escapades are well known across the city but… at least that's detail free. And hey, that's one benefit of you missing out on being in the coven - a serial killer isn't hunting you and you're not locked up by your mom.”

Trisha grinned at him then swung her legs around to hook over his, leaning into him to look at the menu. Fairly standard chicken affair, that bit was easy. Did she want any sides? She was pretty hungry.
“Ooo, they have curly fries, can we get those? And one of the deep fried chocolate bars… I want to try it.”

She flashed him a bright smile, before glancing down at his chest - not like, checking him out or anything (well maybe a little bit), just with his comment about working the food off…
“You're not in the army anymore, surely you don't have to work out that hard? Unless you eat your bodyweight in chicken you won't lose these.” she reached out and poked the top of his chest. “You're not going to start dragging me to the gym too, are you? Actually, I wouldn't mind if I got to watch you work out.”

With food mostly decided on, she was able to consider the pot question. “Like, for tonight? I'd smoke it, but you'll have to order at least another box of chicken… I've done it once before and I ended up eating like thirty chicken nuggets by myself. I don't really remember that bit but Cass- one of my friends- said I just sat in a corner for thirty minutes just eating. Didn't say anything, didn't respond to anything, just ate. So you'd have to be prepared to deal with possibly silent, constantly eating Trisha.”

Casey giggled when Trisha poked his chest. He was supremely ticklish around his chest and armpits, and he almost flinched. Instead his hand swept up, itching the spot where she poked him.
”Fitness is super important to my family. The Philosophy dictates an Adept's body should be immaculate and healthy. It's thought that a clean bill of health and a hard body gives the Lux a place where it feels more comfortable.”

He bumped his shoulder against her playfully as his head tilted over hers slightly as he loaded the cart.
”Honestly though, I just like it. I train to failure more often than not, so I always need a good spotter. It's not a necessary shared hobby, but love is quite the motivator for one last set, y'know?”

His eyes passed over to her with a gentle wagging of his eyebrows. His large fingers slid across the glassy screen of his phone loading the delivery cart up. He watched the total climb. Fifty, sixty-five, ninety… When Casey saw it was almost a hundred and fifty dollars for two people, his brow furrowed.

• Three Sandwiches
• Three Large Plain Tenders
• One Large Nashville Tenders
• Family Coleslaw
• Family Curly Fry
• Family Mac n Cheese
• Large Felafel
• Two Fried Chocolates

Oh, Mia… Will she want the mousse? No, it’ll be gross by the time she gets to it.
He grinned thinking about stuffing his face with hot chicken. He always imagined getting chubby, or even fat, and after what he'd been through in his childhood, the voice of his Father's “motivation” was always in the back of his head. The truth was that it was ritualistic self-harm. The training, the constant pain and discomfort, the voice always in his head that said he needed to do better and punch harder and run faster…

Like he wasn't ever good enough to be a cheater.

Casey hit order, watching the loading wheel spin for a moment before it was confirmed. He took a deep breath.
”Alright, that's out of the way… Though it's probably gonna take longer than usual because of all the traffic.”

His free arm was still wrapped around Trisha, his hand gently pressed into her side and stomach. He pulled her extra close, then tilted his body to topple them both over. Now laying next to one another, Casey tilted his head.
”I could deal with eighty thousand bees stinging me at once if it meant spending time with you… his voice trailed off, eyes locked onto and lost within her own.

“Well, lucky you… I only have sixty thousand,” Trisha giggled. She rolled over so that she was on her side, snuggling in as close as she could get without actually climbing onto him. She rested one arm loosely over him with the other one curled up against her own body. It was easy for her to hold his gaze, lips tugging up into a gentle smile and eyes crinkling. This close, in the soft light, their actual colour would be more obvious - a unique hazel that looked brown in most unnatural lights. “Earlier was an accident, anyway. They normally don't try to sting people unless I tell them to or they're in danger. It… doesn't kill them like it would normal bees, but it still hurts them. Regrowing the stinger takes a while too.”

She stretched her head forward, lightly kissing his cheek before resting her forehead against the side of his. “If you help look after them, like all the manual shit that comes with having a whole hive of bees, then they’ll be even less likely to sting you. Another shared hobby - I’ll be your spotter, and you can be my beekeeping assistant."

Trisha smiled brightly at the thought of that. It was a lot of work by herself - while magical in their connection to her, their long lives and not dying to sting loss her bees were otherwise normal. They made honey, which needed taken out and processed, and they needed tidied up after. She didn’t mind it, because it was her only hobby really, but it’d be nice to have help.
“Oh, one minute.” She closed her eyes, expression briefly tightening. The bees that had been on the fruit plate next door, lazing around after being fed, eventually flew through and out of the open windows. Her brow furrowed slightly as she called a few more, very carefully… If she messed up the call, then she could end up with thousands of bees flooding in. She really didn’t want to deal with that. Eventually she opened her eyes again. “Sorry, just had to do a little bee rota change. Those guys have been with me all day so they need to rest, and they only sleep in two places - me or the hive. It’s a pain if it's on me, cause then I can’t move much.”

Her face relaxed again, and she smiled at him again. “Sooo.. What are we going to do while waiting for the food? No point in starting a movie…”

Casey laughed, sincerely at a loss. He’d probably just come off as a creep if he said what was on his mind.
”Stare at you… Wonder how I got so lucky?” he grinned, shaking his head.
”Honestly? I don’t know. Maybe fix us both a drink, figure out what movie we actually want to watch. Maybe get something to smoke out before the food gets here so your appetite is ready? Does all of that sound like a plan?”

“Mm, I am pretty great,” Trisha grinned playfully. His words were nice to hear, and it made it easier to project that confidence she wished she fully had. But she did know how attractive she was. That was one thing she was truly confident in.
“Sounds like a plan to me… But we should choose the movie before the drink and smoke. I can’t promise I’ll have good taste after.”

She went to sit up, but then paused with just her head slightly off the bed. A slightly devious, but cute, smile appeared on her soft lips. She wriggled a bit, bending her legs and throwing them both over him while pressing closer so that she was almost on top of him. “But, I’m soooo tired after calling for more bees. I don’t know if I can walk…”

”Oh, Queen Bee… You’re so lucky I come pre-trained.” he grinned at her, taking her and sliding Trisha with great ease back onto the bed.
For a moment he was on top of her, not holding her, but looming. Daring enough to place a kiss on her open neck, it only took an instant for him to slip away. One hand grabbed thigh, the other hooking under her arm and hoisting her over his back in an army carry.

”Like, really trained.” he laughed maniacally, starting to spin around in place with her in his arms. It went on for several seconds, with Casey laughing loudly the entire time.
Once he stopped, Trisha would be able to feel him wobbling around in a daze; but it was mostly to scare her. He was pretty good at being dizzy. He drunkenly stumbled toward the door, then back out into the living room before flopping her down on the big blanket covered couch.

”I figured my Queenie would get cold at some point, so all those blankets are yours to do with as you wish.” he finished, planting a kiss on her forehead and pulling away to head for the liquor cabinet. There was all sorts of fancy mixology shit inside, but he was only really worried about the bottle of tequila and the lemon squeezer. He dropped a couple nice glasses on the crazy table. One in each slot, and they both lit up underneath as a small refrigerating hum starting to chill the glasses before liquid even entered them.

He went off for a lemon from the fridge, split it in half with a knife, and grabbed the honey from the cabinet nearby.
”So you say they make honey? We should make mead with it or something…” he said from across the room.

“Yeahhh, they do.” Trisha rubbed her head, head still spinning slightly. She’d gotten excited for a moment, could still feel a hint of lingering heat on her neck. Or maybe that was just from getting shaken around a whole ton immediately afterwards. She pulled her knees up to her chest and grabbed one of the blankets, wrapping it tightly around herself. She ended up as just a blanket with a head poking out, twisting around to watch Casey. It helped with the lingering dizziness.

“I actually have so much honey I don’t know what to do with it. Most hives have a brood box - where the queen lives and lays eggs. Pollen and honey is used to feed them, but mine don’t have that. Occasionally if too many die they’ll create a temporary queen… but it doesn’t happen often. So it’s all just honey. Harvesting season ended in September, but I’ve barely gotten through it. I never thought about making mead with it... It’s always just been part of looking after the bees for me, since they’ll get unhappy if the whole hive is filled to the brim with honey. There’s the risk of them leaving to find another place too… Don’t know if that would actually happen, and I don’t want to find out.”

She stopped, realising she’d gone on and on about bee information he probably didn’t have any interest in. She wriggled an arm out of her blanket burrito to fiddle with one of the three small gold hoops in her ear lobe. Change the topic to something more interesting, nobody wants to hear that much about bees- “Oh, what movies do you have?”

Casey had been intently listening to the topic of the bees. He was, as it stood, absolutely fascinated by the strange pseudo-physicality of her Abstraction. In his time with the program, he’d been able to work with a lot of different Abberants and Adepts whose abilities varied drastically between the most mundane spells and the most incredible feats of strength he’d ever seen. In all that time, however, he’d only rarely seen a manifestation as she described. He wondered wildly about what the “Voice in her head” was, as he understood almost all Abberants had such a voice: The Apparition within.

Did her’s tell her to change the topic? Were the bees so sacred that she wasn’t allowed to babble about them? Would pushing it be too far?
”Oh, every streaming service known to man, and connection to the Temple’s archive on the other side of town, so if we can’t find it legitimately, we can have it beamed over here. Remotes are in the drawer near your knees.”

The lemon, honey and a tray of ice got brought to the couch, and he placed the ensemble down before he started making them both a drink. Lemon juice, honey, stir; then the tequila and ice, stir again. He picked both drinks up, handed Trisha her chilly glass, and raised his.

”To what I hope is an enriching and long lasting journey for the both of us.” he smiled at her with warmth and, probably, love.

Trisha had wriggled more out of the blankets out of necessity to get out various remotes (because she had no idea what was what), and now to take the glass from him. It was cold to the touch, and she automatically shivered even though she wasn’t cold. She smiled, trying not to read too much into his, and gently tapped her glass against his before taking a sip.
“To that- mm, it’s really nice.” She took another, longer drink. She’d been a bit hesitant when she’d seen there was honey in it - not because she disliked honey, but she was sick of it. She had so much that she ended up putting honey on whatever she could so it didn’t go to waste. But this was really good. The honey was the main flavour but… the other’s really added to it. “You’re making all my drinks from now on… We have a pretty insane collection at my place, I bet we could create all sorts of cocktails. Might have to fight two of my sisters for it though…”

She trailed off, drinking some more. It was really nice. Perhaps too nice, as she drank half the glass in a short period of time. She grabbed one of the remotes she’d pulled out, trying a couple before it turned on something that changed it from the fireplace image to a selection of streaming services. She found the horror genre and started flicking through them.
“Do you have any suggestions? I don’t really watch horror- not cause I can’t, but I don’t tend to watch movies alone and some of my college friends are wimps. My sisters could probably handle it, but whenever we try to watch movies together it just ends up as an argument and we can’t even choose one.”

Trisha was rambling a bit again, partly so she didn’t just continually drink and end up finishing it far faster than she should. She kept flicking through but honestly, they all just looked like… movies to her. Nothing stood out. “Or I can choose randomly?”

”Well, a vibe is a vibe. So I hear anyway. Maybe…” he trailed off, holding his hand out for the remote. Taking it, he began to scroll until he stopped himself, fighting every urge to put on the classic ”The Bees”. The fruit was low: too low, he couldn’t possibly pluck it so close to the ground. It was for the pests. The carrion would feast upon such a joke.

So he moved away from the classic horror section, moving into more contemporary options.
”Horror movies are kind of a joke for people like us…” he commented casually, eyes glazed over slightly as he found it hard to think of a title that really impressed him.
”You fought some fucking thing called the Stygian Snake. It’s like a horror movie in itself. So, maybe something that doesn’t take itself too seriously?”

He wound up on Beetlejuice. He’d never seen it, but he heard it was funny and creepy.
”I always have a rule. Twenty minutes. Unless one of us sees something in the movie that we like, we find something else.”

“The Snake itself was pretty bad, but the apparitions it created…” Trisha shuddered slightly. Nothing would really hold a candle to it. It was hard to find fictional horror scary when you lived in a world full of it. Though she’d mostly managed to avoid that stuff since the Stygian Snake.

“Oh- I’ve heard of this one,” she nodded at his choice. She really wasn’t much of a movie watcher, but she remembered when this movie came out and a couple of her college friends had gone to see it. She’d been too busy studying for an exam to join… but they’d all given it glowing reviews.
“Twenty minutes.” She repeated, as if thinking it over. She took another drink… and realised she’d finished it while Casey was scrolling. “I guess my time isn’t so precious that I can’t waste twenty minutes if it's bad.”

She laughed, leaning forward to put down her empty glass before leaning towards Casey with a wide smile. “Sooo are we going to start now? Twenty minutes is about how long my bees should take to get here… shouldn’t be many, but they’ll probably be a bit annoying for a while. Oh, I guess if we enjoy it enough to continue it won’t work out so well.” She frowned, as if thinking about some large problem. Really, her mind wasn’t doing much of anything, because she’d drank the cocktail so quickly without thinking about how much alcohol was in it. But another problem did cross her mind, slowly.
“If I smoke, I might not be able to control them. I’ve never tried…”

He laughed thinking about a few dozen bees buzzing about while she was high and they were trying to watch a movie at the same time. It was a comedy movie in itself.
”Honestly unless they start trying to kill me in some crazy swarm, I don’t think I’ll bee too worried about it. I’ll pull the rest of the fruit out for them.”

Casey sat for a moment, trying to figure out whether or not he wanted to start the movie. She made it sound like just a few of them were going to be a pain in the ass, but he didn’t have any kind of prior experience to know what she meant exactly. It was a tossup. He checked the order for the food on his phone.
Twenty minutes… They’re already on the way? Oh, it’s over there… That makes sense.

Movies weren’t supposed to be this complicated. He hit play on the remote without the chance for another thought, tipping his drink back and letting it slide down his throat. They probably didn’t need to be drinking and smoking; she even sounded a little hesitant about it overall. But it helped his appetite. Despite his love of food, getting it down was hard. Nothing tasted right after the Faim Incident on the Western Front, even after the effects had worn off and things tasted how they should again. Fruits, grains, those were easy enough. But meat… You learned to be nervous about the meat you were eating.

As the movie started, he patted Trisha on the thigh.
”Be right back.”
Long legs picked him up and took him over the back of the couch to stand on the unsunken floor. He made for a small box on the mantle, and brought it back to his seat. Inside was a bunch of baggies and other stuff. He pulled a stubby metal cylinder and a small piece of paper.
He unscrewed the cylinder, the smell finally wafting out of the box and into Trisha’s nose. It was a box full of different strains of marijuana, and Casey absentmindedly rolled a joint. He’d always smoked, since he’d stolen his first cigarette from his Father and realised that the man was never actually sober. Even on the Southern Front in North Africa, when they’d done some door kicking and found a few bundles of Afghani Kush bound for Morocco: Nobody was going to tell the CW3 that he couldn’t indulge.

After a few moments, a tight little joint had been rolled, and Casey put it to flame. The smell was potent, pungent like a skunk’s grave. One puff, and then another, and then he looked at Trisha.
”You don’t have to, by the way. No pressure if you think it’s gonna be too tough to deal with the bees.” he said calmly, holding the smouldering joint in his hand up in offering to Trisha.

“I want to.” Trisha reached out and took the joint from him, fingers lightly brushing his before she pulled away. She put it to her lips and took a small drag, quickly blowing it out before taking another, longer one. She’d only smoked it a few times before, all during college parties where her bees were safely locked in her apartment and she was free to get as high as a kite. But she was sure it’d be fine.
”I only called about ten… Well, it’s not that precise, but a small number.”

She shrugged, handing the joint back to Casey. Then she shuffled closer, ducking down to try and get under his arm so she could lean into his side. Her upper body was completely out of the blankets she’d wrapped herself in, but her legs were still tangled in them, stretched out beside her. She turned her head back towards the movie that was playing with a slight smile.
”I’m going to be honest, I’d hit a dog rather than driving into a river like they did- is that bad?”

He shook his head.
”When I was in the Middle East, they would just roll over people who got in the roads. Can’t stop the convoy, it’s too dangerous.”
Casey’s arm dipped down, holding Trisha tight for a moment before loosening and taking another few drags. It didn’t do much for him. Neither was the movie so far, but it was getting smoothed out by the THC mixing with the ethanol in his bloodstream.

Being crossfaded was, in his opinion, the simultaneous best and worst state to be in. It relied totally upon what kind of drunk you were, since the pot only really made you happy, hungry, sleepy or paranoid. The worst was a paranoid smoker and an angry drunk: Casey was neither. A hungry smoker, and a happy drunk. Neither of which he often partook in, though now it wasn’t going to be so difficult. No more random tests, no more PT. No more structure.

The movie went on a little more, and before the main characters managed to get home, Casey spoke up.
”Y’know a crash like that would’ve killed them…”
They didn’t have reflections. A scene later, they didn’t have reflections. He pointed at the screen.
”Gottem…”

“Hey, maybe they’re vampires,” Trisha giggled, reaching out for the joint again and taking another few smokes from it. She kicked the blankets off her legs and curled them up against her chest. She properly snuggled up against Casey, throwing one arm across him. “Oh wait, they’d still be dead.”

She squinted her eyes when the guy, who’s name she’d completely missed, went outside- before her jaw dropped at the sight of some kind of worm. What? The combination of weed and alcohol, for someone with a low tolerance for both, made the already weird scenario seem kind of insane to her. “I’m seeing that, right? There’s a worm inside a worm- why are they even in a desert? Did I miss something?”

Trisha was actually kind of confused, even though they were hardly into the movie, looking up at Casey and then back at it. They weren’t even in the desert anymore but they were given a handy handbook about dying. “Oh, they are dead. What were the worms about, then?”
She was really fixating on the worms.

Casey was just as lost. He hardly had the words to describe how lost he actually was at the prospect of what was going on. The little world that the titular character lived in, the strangeness of the transitions. Not that he wasn’t entertained; it all seemed to be an interesting aesthetic, but it was just… So strangely composed.

His phone began to ring.
”Warrant Richoux…” he answered it without even looking.
”Oh, just leave it at the security desk, they’ll make sure it gets to me. Thanks.
And then he hung up. Not once did he blink or even stop staring at the screen. He hadn’t actually laughed yet, however, and it was difficult to get a read on whether he was actually enjoying it from an outsider’s perspective.

He took another drag of the joint, then patted Trisha on the arm, holding it up to her.
”You can leave it running if you’re liking it… I gotta get the fruit bowl back out and meet Charlie at the door.”

“Alright,” Trisha smiled warmly at him, taking the joint from him. She was actually quite invested in the movie - not because she had any idea what the fuck was going on, it was just very visually entertaining. There was always something different going on. She did find it funny, but probably not at the moments that were supposed to be funny.

She raised the joint to her lips thoughtfully, as the strange girl on screen was able to see the ghost couple. She looked a little like one of the various edgy girls that had been in the coven- Trisha snorted. What was her name again? Didn’t matter. She was completely relaxed now, mind pleasantly fuzzy. Her bees should be turning up soon, too, and then Casey would be back with the food. It would be pretty perfect.

A quiet buzzing came from Casey’s room, and she could sense the blurry pheromones her bees were giving off. Some of the more sensible ones… Wait. Wait. There were a lot more scents than she expected. Was it because she was high? She was imagining some? But the buzzing was getting louder too. It didn’t sound like just ten bees, or even a hundred-

A whole swarm of bees spilled through the open door to Casey’s bedroom. There were at least a thousand, and Trisha didn’t have the time to figure out the exact number before they flew right over to her. Just like that she wasn’t relaxed. She was fucking panicking! The relaxing effect of the weed had completely reversed with the appearance of a thousand bees, swinging round to increased anxiety.

“Are you fucking with me?!” she yelled as the bees swarmed her. There weren’t enough to completely cover her, but they covered the front of upper body along with a fair amount of them landing in her hair and on her face. “I asked for a dozen of you, not a thousand! Fuck- go home! Go home!”

Along with talking to them she was doing her best to tell them in the language they actually understood, but they just weren’t listening. Instead they clung to her as if their life depended on it. She didn’t want a thousand bees with her! She increased the amount of pheromones she was releasing to tell them to fuck off - a sweet scent that humans would be able to smell leaking out of her, but not one that would have any effect on them. A few bees buzzed off her in confusion, and landed on the television. They followed the humans on it as if trying to ward them off. She waved a hand in annoyance at the bees crawling about her face, resulting in them moving onto her hand instead.
”Get off me at least- Plleeasssseee.”

Casey had been occupied in the side hall where they'd come in. The security guy in charge of the desk at the entrance was peppering him with questions that seemed less friendly and more suspicious. He'd never taken well to being bombarded by questions, and as politely as he could, Casey leaned on his name and the man's employment to remind him that those questions were for strangers, not for his effective Boss.

As he finally came back inside with the massive bag of delivery food, he could hear the buzzing. Lots of it.
There were only supposed to be a few…
He wandered down the hall with cautious anticipation, tantalised by the potential image he'd be privy to.

When the threshold came, Casey stopped and stared. He couldn't guess how many bees were there, nor was he cognizant of his fruit juice and alcohol stained hands and shirt, or how sweet he smelled…
He wasn't thinking about the honey mustard dip in the bag, or the fried chocolates…

He put the bag down on the island and grabbed the bowl of fruit.
She's panicked! I have to help her!
Shaking the bowl, he began to walk toward Trisha and the swarm.
”W-welcome… Welcome home, everyone! Come on, get off Momma while she's high, come eat some fruit! It's dinner time!”

A naive, foolish move.

Trisha didn't quite register Casey's presence until he spoke, and even then, she struggled to figure out what he was saying. But the bees didn't need to figure it out. All they saw was someone, a stranger, approaching their Queen. A threat? She was stressed. Panicked pheromones, but not alert ones. No order to attack. Confusing orders. Nice smell, strange smell.

The bees didn't act immediately, but they all started buzzing threateningly. Trisha noticed this, expression twisting from panic to a grimace to more panic. Shit! Ok, tell the bees to calm down. Calm down. Her eyes narrowed in concentration as she tried to tell them that Casey wasn't a threat, he wasn't a problem, that they could go to the fruit bowl but nowhere else. The scent in the air that she was giving off got stronger, hanging in the air without affecting humans - but he would be able to smell it. The bees on her got more agitated the closer he got. The pheromones she was giving off were confusing and indistinct, not really telling the bees anything.

But she could still sense theirs and their increased irritation as they geared up for a fight. The ones that had been on the television screen began to hover threateningly near Casey. Shit.
”It's fine, they're just being clingy, you should-”

Before Trisha could even tell Casey to step back, the bees made up their mind without orders… though not quite collectively. The majority of the bees flew off Trisha in a massive swarm, buzzing towards Casey - some were aiming for the fruit to eat, others for the stains on his hands and shirt to get a test. But about half had a different objective: attack. They were coming at Casey with killing intention.

”Oh shit," was all Trisha managed to get out as she tried to stand up, half falling back on the couch, reaching out as if she could grab the bees. But she couldn't, and her pheromones were doing nothing - the bees swarm was moving in for the kill.

Oh shit was right. At first he didn't flinch, standing there with that fruit bowl… He held fast in the belief of trust. He truly thought they were all headed for the fruit, and that Trisha had things under control. But, she'd said earlier that she needed better training. He should've expected something. Something like this…

The first cluster hit the bowl, diving into the sweetness of cold fruit. A few initial fuzzy-body impacts against his hand made him put the bowl back on the counter, and as Casey did so, his body twisted. By the time his hands came away, he had a set of searing, flaming gloves whose stingers began to drive their needle-like heads into his flesh.

At first he accepted the pain, turned and held up his hands. He was going to ask her what to do next, since he didn't want to hurt them at all. The sweet smell was overpowering now, and despite not physically affecting him, it did make him think of a particularly calm day somewhere in a French field. At least to the point where he could concentrate and focus on a solution.

But turning himself revealed the oncoming swarm. All at once, Casey Richoux was covered in fuzzy little bees that wanted to kill him. Dozens and dozens of stings covered his bare arms, neck, face and hands. He harkened back to a summer spent in Upstate New York, watching Cousin Feddy and Cousin Eligh both fucking with a hornet's nest.

Morons…

Ripping off his shirt was a blessing and a curse. It was only about ten feet to his bedroom, but he was almost certain that there wasn't going to be any help from there.
”No, no! NO!” Casey cried. ”Not the BEES! GIRLS, NO!”
The shirt ripped the majority of them away from his face and neck, and he swung his arms like they were covered in lava, sending angry bees flying in every direction.

He stopped, dropped, rolled, then pulled himself to a foot and sprinted down the hall. His body crashed into the hanging curtains of Leon's room, and he slammed the door shut before making his way to the shower. Every bit of exposed flesh felt like it was ablaze, the stains of accidentally crushed bees and their stingers still jabbing into him as the hot water began to rush down.

He looked at the curtains through painful eyes and hated himself. He could see the stains where he'd been caught and hit the ground, smashing them by accident.
And he was woozy. So woozy.

Every killed bee was a pinprick stabbing into Trisha, the emotional backlash like being stung herself. She curled up on the couch with a wince, gritting her teeth. It wasn’t that many- one was too many to handle- she wasn’t the one who got stung all over. The swarm of bees hovered at the door to Leon’s room, little bodies hitting against it with soft thumps. Trisha’s pheromones flickered between panicked and pained, and the latter eventually had them flying back to her. They landed all over her, small fuzzy bodies pressing against her in what seemed to be an attempt at comforting her.

It didn’t feel very comforting right now.

Trisha sat up, waving them off her hands so she could wipe away tears from the corner of her eyes. The pain from losing the bees had subsided but there was still an emptiness there. She didn’t want to count them. Belatedly realising that she’d been using the wrong pheromones the whole time, she’d stopped them and slowly pushed herself to her feet. The slightly smaller swarm followed after her into Casey’s room and she closed the door, sitting down on his bed.

”I only called for ten of you," she said softly, as if they could understand and it would magically fix everything. She pressed a hand to her forehead, rubbing it as if it would reduce the fuzziness over her mind. At least if she messed up with it here there was no one for them to sting, no perceived threat, and she could just keep trying until they fucking left. ”Go home."

The bees buzzed in confusion, a few flying off her and onto the bed itself. She didn’t feel so panicked anymore, just… empty. It helped not influence the pheromones she carefully put out. The bees calmed down slightly, seeming to think they’d dealt with the threat. That was good enough.

Eventually, after multiple tries and careful thinking, she gave them the right message. All the bees, just under a thousand now, flew out of the open windows. She was tempted to close them behind the swarm, but there was no way she could reach that. She’d ask Casey when he was- Oh.

She probably wasn’t going to be able to ask Casey anything. He’d just been strung by a thousand bees. He’d want nothing to do with her now. It was fine, though. It was totally fine. So fucking fine. As if telling herself that multiple times would make her believe it. She always went and fucked things up, losing control in some way.
Because you’re a failure, Patricia. Maybe her mother was right about that. She couldn’t even stop her bees from stinging someone after smoking a little bit- Someone she actually liked! And now he was going to leave her, and she couldn’t even blame him.

Trisha scrunched her hands up into balls, nails digging into the palm of her hands, and forced herself to stand up. Even if he was going to leave her, or kick her out immediately, she should check that he was alright. Make sure he went to a hospital or a magical doctor or something… she had no idea where medical supplies were kept in here for immediate help, though. She’d just check then.

She slipped out of Casey’s room and to the door of Leon’s, knocking on it with a shaking hand. ”Casey? Are you okay? … of course you aren’t, I, uh, they’re gone now. You should go to a hospital or something…"
She winced. At least if he leaves me, it will be over quickly.

Trisha didn't have a long time to think about feeling sorry over the situation. Casey had cleared any remaining bees and remnant material off himself and had been sitting in his wet underwear on the cold bathroom floor, trying to get the dizziness out as the poison slowly circulated through his body.

But when she knocked, he was right back on his feet wrapping a towel around himself. His soaking wet hair was pulled back fully, out of the way as he ripped the door open and fully embraced Trisha. His skin was cold, he was gently shaking. He felt weak.

The shaking was tears coming up. Ragged breathing as he tried to hold back.
”M-m-my fault…. I… I hurt them… I co-couldn't…”
Casey's head leaned back slightly, eyes moist.
”I didn't think it was gonna hurt so b-bad… I just reacted, and I hurt them, and I'm… I'm so…”

He broke down. He was remembering the bee he killed in that field again: How he'd felt nothing, thought nothing of its consciousness or its life. He snubbed it out. He'd killed it. He'd killed men. Other men with families, and children… He couldn't hold back his regret, and after a moment he was on his knees, clinging to Trisha's legs and weeping.

He was sure he'd ruined the night. He regretted getting her to smoke, he regretted telling her he'd be stung by bees to be with her: Not because he still wouldn't, but because he'd failed in doing so to begin with.

Casey readied himself to be bombarded by anger and fury, and all he could do was repeat the phrase:
”I'm sorry… I'm sorry… I'm sorry…”

”Why are you sorry?!" Trisha wasn’t strong enough to pull him up, so she curled forward, face pressing into his wet hair and hands rubbing his back. It masked her own tears, coming from the pain and fear of getting abandoned again all combined together with the alcohol still in her system. But she didn’t understand why he was so sorry. He’d been attacked by her bees - bees that she was supposed to control.

They wouldn’t be in this situation if she’d been able to. Losing the bees hurt, people killing her bees always hurt and she hated it, but for once she couldn’t actually blame someone else. Because if anyone else was to blame, it would be the bees themselves. ”They were the ones that stung you… I couldn’t. Just. It wasn’t on purpose, I didn’t mean to call so many, I thought it would be fine- I’m sorry."

She shook her head against the top of his before pulling back a bit, loosening his arms around her legs enough so that she could squat down to his level. She leaned forward so that her forehead rested against his, arms wrapping around his shoulders.
”I’m the one that should be sorry… It was…" She couldn’t quite bring herself to say it was her fault out loud. ”I didn’t mean to hurt you. Please…" don’t leave me.

Casey didn’t respond with words. He just held on tighter as she got to his level, and ragged breathing turned into something more calm until he was finally able to piece together what he was trying to say before.
”I’m… I’m sad. I’m not hurt.-” somewhat of a lie: the spots that had been under heavy attack were black and blue from the amount of stings. But physical damage was temporary. ”-I… I just didn’t think it would hurt like that. I told you, I just got done telling you… That I’d be stung by all of them constantly if it meant being with you, and I instantly fail the test. And I kill them, because it hurts and because I can’t control myself, and I-”

They were sitting in the sex room. The gross creepiness of it, surrounded by fallen curtains covered in dead bees. He could’ve beaten himself. He could’ve driven spoons through his own eyes to scoop the worthless brain behind it out. He felt like he should be on trial like he’d always been. Like the scrutiny should’ve killed him. But she was holding him still. Probably because she felt bad that he’d been stung.

”-I’m sorry because I failed, and because I hurt your girls. And… I need to apologise to them too…” he said, finally pulling himself away enough to look Trisha in the eyes and apologise to her.

”I couldn’t control them," Trisha said, voice shaking slightly. When he said he’d take being stung by all of her bees, she’d taken it as a joke… because why would he suffer that? Why would anyone, when she wasn’t even worth it? ”I didn’t… want you to get stung. Didn’t think it would happen."

She just didn’t understand why he thought he’d failed. He’d hurt them, but they’d hurt him first. Wasn’t that how it normally went? If someone hurt you, you just hurt them back, bees or human? She would have done the same. But… he was obviously really upset over it. She wasn’t sure how to tell him it wasn’t his fault. She wasn’t very good at comforting. And there was still that fear clutching her that one he recovered from this he’d want her to leave. He’d realise he was being stupid.

”It’s okay. It’s fine, I forgive you, and they-" she paused. ”They can’t really understand words… I can try. Not now. Not tonight."

She tightened her arms around him and curled in against him so she didn’t have to meet his gaze anymore. It was difficult to. She shouldn’t ask, because it was selfish, and he’d been hurt and he was sad, and she should just tell him it was fine and really there was nothing to forgive and then let him tell her to leave if he wanted to but- ”You aren’t.."

Trisha paused, voice getting quiet. ”You don’t want me to leave?"

Casey’s swollen brow furrowed as his face scrunched with confusion. It wasn’t her fault. He’d walked too close, he didn’t understand. Frankly, he’d been cocky. The fruit bowl, the sugary smells… He hadn’t realised until it was too late. He felt idiotic and useless, and she was worried about if he was going to ask her to leave… When he’d put himself in jeopardy?

”Please don’t leave…”
He pulled away, picking himself up and bringing her with him until they were both standing again. He wiped his eyes and face, took a deep breath, and felt a warm bubble of annoyance wash across him.
Way to be a tough guy. Way to be strong for her. Tears are always the best way to get a girl to like you, Fuckface.”
”You don’t deserve to have your night ruined because some asshole got stung by a few bees… It was my fault. Let me get some new clothes and clean up. You should eat your food while it’s still warm. I’ll clean up, and we can pretend like I’m not an infant.” he offhandedly finished, hugging Trisha properly before adjusting his towel.

He gestured with his head for her to go back.
”You don’t want to hang out in this room anymore than I do.”

”It was at least a thousand bees, not a few," Trisha shook her head. But he didn’t want her to leave… Which meant he didn’t want to break up after less than a day. How did that make sense? But she was glad. She was still worried, she’d always be worried, but she was probably safe for tonight. ”Okay, I’ll go eat… but come back out as soon as you're dressed. I might eat it all otherwise."

Of course, that wasn’t actually the reason. If he took too long alone he might start to have second thoughts or doubts, he decided he actually did want her out- she would be worrying the whole time. She couldn’t say that, because then she’d look weak and needy.

She moved in quickly, pushing up onto her tiptoes to quickly kiss his lips. She lowered herself back down with a slight smile then backed out of Leon’s room. She grabbed the bag of food from the island and took it with her to the couch, putting it on the table there. After rummaging around a while she found the curly fries, and started munching them absentmindedly. It was strange not having any bees around, but… she didn’t want them there right now anyway. She tried just to concentrate on the food, finding some chicken too and just eating.

Before he could think about drying and dressing, he was already picking up the fallen curtains and staring at the fixture he’d broken in his escape. It didn’t look too bad, a few seconds under a spell would have it fixed right up. But, he had to wash the curtains first. They needed it anyway. But he couldn’t run the risk of another tenant being in the laundry area without clothes on, so he piled the curtains by the hallway door and came back down into the kitchen.

There was a brownish green smear where he’d hit the floor and probably crushed a hundred bees. It totally killed his appetite, Recollection colouring his PTSD in vivid shades of red and brown. The limbs never looked real…
He had to close his eyes and tilt his head back.
”T-trisha? I’m… I don’t want to ask you to do this, but I think I need your help…” he intoned from behind her.

”Huh?" Trisha twisted around to look at him, curly fry stuffed in her mouth. She quickly chewed and followed it. What was wrong? Had she done something wrong- no, he needed her help, that wasn’t going to be something bad she’d done, right? She stood up. ”What do you need?"

Casey had a grim look on his face, eyes closed. He was standing over the half-dry, puke green stain.
”I just… Seeing the…-” he gesticulated to the particular spot. ”-God, I’m so fucking worthless… It’s making me- It’s giving me-”

Not the innocent fucking bees…

He unfurled his towel, revealing himself down to the underwear but not entirely caring, and tossed the towel at the stain. His hands flew up in frustration.
”Fuck it! Don’t! I’ll fucking get it, I made the Goddamn-” his door slammed shut. There was a pounding noise that lasted a few seconds as he smashed his fist into the sturdy wall for a few seconds as he tried to stop the searing memory from being Recalled completely.

Oh good, now she’s really going to think you’re a freak. Yeah, where was this one? Mopping up for the Artillery crews in Zanzibar? Remember the screaming? You’re like a bee artillery shell. A shell meant to kill bees… Neat.

Trisha’s wide eyes were fixed on the shut door, and she flinched slightly at the loud noise from inside. Was he that upset about the bees? No, no, it must be something to do with having been in the army… PTSD. She’d heard about it, listened to her friend studying psychology talk about it often enough she remembered something about it (but not enough she knew what to do). She carefully made her way over to the towel covering the stain, putting her foot on it and rubbing it against the floor a few times, before sitting back down.

Casey spent a few more minutes trying to collect himself. He was thankful that the Recollection only ate up a few seconds of his time, no matter how long he felt like he was back there. It was like a waking dream almost, where things were replaced. Elvis’ head was a bee head, the other heads were bee heads. The guns sounded like bees, the screams were bees, the whole thing was fucking bees. He was a bee…

Another new pair of sweatpants and shirt later, and he returned to the door. He figured he could look again, figured he could do it. Opening it, his eyes immediately travelled to the spot again praying that it’d been taken care of. It had clearly been moved, and was fully covering the stain. It was wet, so he figured it would be fine. He just couldn’t look at it again. Not like it was.

He sheepishly made his way to Trisha, leaning down and kissing her on the top of her head. His hands gently came down to rub her shoulders.
”Thank you for doing that… And I’m sorry for giving you a show like that so early. It wasn’t your fault. It’ll never be your fault…” he paused, looking down at her.
”How’s the food?” he asked, trying to move away from the topic altogether.

”It’s okay." Trisha tilted her head up to look at him with a smile. It wasn’t like she did much, she rubbed a towel across the floor with her foot. Though for her cleaning anything up was… well, not a first, she’d been in dorms, but definitely an effort. She raised one hand to his wrist, gently rubbing it. ”Mm, the food’s good. Really good."

She’d grabbed a piece of chicken, munching on it like it was nothing. It was gone in seconds. The weed’s more relaxing effects were… only slowly coming back, but her appetite? It was still in full force after everything. As she ate another piece she patted beside her on the couch, indicating for him to sit down beside her. It was nice having him rubbing her shoulders but she wanted him beside her, where she could see him and he couldn’t suddenly decide to run away.

”Have something to eat, or I’ll have it all and then I’ll need to hit the gym hard tomorrow… nobody wants that," she said, on her third piece of chicken since he’d come back out. She then gestured to the television, where the movie was still playing. ”We missed a lot. I didn’t really understand it anyway."

”It’s all background at the end of the day… But I gotta finish what I started. Otherwise I can’t relax.”
Casey reached over her, rummaging through the bag and putting all the stuff out onto the table. He grabbed the box of Mia’s food and brought it to the centre island. The oven beeped behind Trisha as he carefully transferred the food to an oven-safe container and slid it in to keep it warm for whenever his sister would be home.

Then there was no excuse left. He had to move the towel. He bent down, rubbing it from side to side a bit more deeply, then closed his eyes and furled it into a ball that he pitched down the hall toward the back door.
He’d do the laundry later. For now, he needed to re-relax, the adrenaline having pumped every other intoxicant from his system over the last half an hour. He stepped back over the couch, taking his place next to Trisha.

The half-smoked joint was still sitting in the ashtray, and he went for it before grabbing any kind of food.
”Did you want to restart this and actually watch it? Or does it bother you?” he asked her, flicking the lighter to take another drag before putting his arm around the happily munching woman.

”I’m not bothered, I wasn’t following even from the start." She was more sober now, but she wasn’t sure if that would help. Not her kind of movie, maybe. It was entertaining but she wasn’t hooked. As he said, it was just background. She enjoyed movies socially but she wasn’t the kind of person to sit down and fixate on one the whole time anyway. Unless dragged to the cinema.

Trisha curled her legs up at her side, placing the box of chicken in her lap and snuggling into his side. She kept eating near continuously, with gaps only to pick up another piece, while watching the screen. Not that she was really taking it in. She was trying her best to push down all the insecurities she was suddenly feeling again, pushing it all back down into the depths with each bite. She didn’t speak again until she’d finished all of the chicken in that box. ”This is really good… I think I’m going to be ordering from here a lot. I wonder if they deliver to my house. Then I’d have to fight my sister’s for it… They can be kinda insane with food. And alcohol. Sabrina has to restock the alcohol like every week because of the other two."

She definitely didn’t drink loads either. Absolutely not. It was mostly them.
”Oh, I guess that doesn’t matter since I can just get it to your place. Since you’re not b- bothered by that." She awkwardly changed what she was going to say midway through her sentence, swerving away from mentioning the swift breakup she’d expected. ”I’ll come here every day and eat chicken and steal your bed. That’s what you’ve signed up for, so you can’t say no."

She smiled brightly at him, leaning forward and grabbing another box of chicken.

He felt warm again. Like his flesh didn’t feel gelatinous with bee venom. He leaned back gently, smirking as he wrapped his free arm around her.
”Once it gets warm, and things settle down for you Sycamore Kids… We can look for our own place. Maybe. If we want… You. Want. Or, I can ask Leon if I can get a bee box installed.” he smiled, smoking again before putting it back down and grabbing one of the sandwiches.

He felt safe to eat. Like nothing was going to happen again. Like the night could go on forever. He tucked into it and felt the warm juicy chicken paired with the crispy lettuce. He’d gotten extra pickles, and the acidity cut through the fat and the crisp and made his mouth tingle.
He tried not to think about eating flesh. Don’t think about eating the flesh.

”Sometimes I think about going vegan, like Mia. But I don’t think I’d be able to stay in shape the same way… But there’s no exact fuckin’ science I guess, so there’s nobody I can ask. I try not to live in a world where magic can just fix all my fuckin’ problems. Junior, fuckin’ guy… Dude goes to our Doctor every week, gets Green shaped, has his dick changed. ’I’m trying a new nose this week, what do you think?’” Casey thought aloud.

He had to let himself trail off just to get the energy to have another bite. Focusing on being annoyed was easier than letting himself get caught back up with the meat thing again. He’d had so many years to get over this, yet it kept coming back and back again. Sometimes good, sometimes bad. He just didn’t seem to get it completely.
But he took another bite, and he loved it. He fucking loved the way it tasted. And he would eat all three of those sandwiches, but he would be complaining the whole way.

”I think I should break it for you, give Nedia some more work. I don’t say that to him, because it just makes things worse.-” he spoke in between bites until the first sandwich was gone. Mac and cheese heaven was calling him. He grabbed the family sized bowl and one of the accompanying plastic cutlery sets, and began to dig into the gooey golden bucket of macaroni. ”-So instead I’ve gotta be like ‘Yeah man, looks a little more like Dad’s than the last one, that’s crazy.’ like he hasn’t looked exactly like our Old Man since he was allowed to start freely requesting procedures… But she won’t make him any taller.”
Casey giggled to himself thinking about how he’d never be their Dad, no matter how hard he tried.

Casey moved on before Trisha had time to say anything about his suggestion they get a place together… and she was glad about that. Her knee jerk reaction was to say no way, because it was jumping into things like that which had gotten her mom betrayed. But another part of her was happy and liked the sound of it. Not answering was easiest.

”Wait, wait, go back a minute-" Trisha grabbed a plastic fork, leaning over and stealing some of the macaroni cheese. She quickly ate it before continuing. ”You’ve got a green lux doctor that… basically performs plastic surgery? And dick shape surgery I guess?"

She snorted, finding the whole thing crazy. Maybe because she was brought up mundane and thrown into the world of magic with no preparation, and then went back to living as normally as she could. Getting a magical face lift every week was insane! She stole a bit more mac and cheese, eating it with relish. It was also really good.
”Yeah, I don’t get it. Maybe because I was born this attractive- well not born- but why get magical modification. Or any. I don’t think I even know a green lux doctor! My mom’s sister did try to take her to this spiritual healer when I was younger but she had none of it. She’s a woman of science, you know, kind of why I’m not too reliant on magic either."

Trisha grinned up at him, tone teasing. ”Surely your whole family needs some height removed if anything. Share some with the rest of us."

Casey laughed at the comment with warmth in his voice. It wasn’t a comment he hadn’t heard before. There was always talk among the adults about which of the five was going to reach for the stars like Dead Old Dad. Turned out none of them were good enough for it. He was fine, he came to terms with who he was: The shortest of three boys from a family of Jotunoid freaks.

”I can say for a fact that the Green Doctor and the Pink Therapist aren’t any big help. Well, they are. They’re big helps, and they’re experts regardless of their supernatural abilities, but often I find the people they treat regularly to be more damaged than they were before their help.”

Casey took another bite of the mac and cheese, smiling at Trisha as he held a spoonful out to her.
But the thought and subsequent action were interrupted. There was noise and clamour from behind the wall and door from the kitchen into the other part of the apartment. Voices got a little louder, and a little louder still.

And then the door popped open.
”-nd I just couldn't fucking understand her!”
”Almost as frustrating as listening to you bitch about it for two hours.”
”We can take care of this, yes yes!”

Three young women, accompanied by two creepy giant cats, poured into the kitchen, one carrying a large paper bag with a familiar logo. The very same chicken place Trisha and Casey were eating from…
It took them a couple of seconds to shuffle about before there was acknowledgement of Casey and Trisha. It was surprise that greeted them.

”Oh, shit! Humble Hottie, home with… A woman!?”
”Ohhh, Case! You got Pearla's too!?”

Casey shifted in his seat, a little less comfortable than he was a second ago. He mouthed the words “I'm so sorry” to Trisha, hand gently dropping to put the food down on the table. He stood up.

”Waaaah, waaaah, it hurts! Bees! Nooooo!”
The two cats snickered as Casey came into the kitchen light a bit more.
”Girls, I uh… This-” Casey gestured to Trisha. ”-This is Trisha. My girlfriend.

He gave her a chance to introduce herself, but before she could, Mia was already sliding her way across the floor to wrap her arms around Trisha.
”Dude, oh my fucking God, welcome! Holy shit, and you're a hottie too!? My God!? How long have you two been seeing one another, Casey, are you keeping secrets!?”

Trisha didn’t have a chance to get away, completely caught off guard by Mia’s hug. She really wasn’t used to familial affection, nevermind from her boyfriend’s family… who she’d just met! It must be a Mia thing, because Leon certainly hadn’t come across as the hugging type. Trisha just awkwardly sat there, neither pushing Mia off or reciprocating. She looked at Casey with eyes that screamed ‘please save me.’
”Uh, thanks…" Push through it, Trisha, you’re used to dealing with people like this. She smiled at Mia, though her shoulders were drawn up and tense. ”If I wasn’t this hot do you think I’d even be here? Of course I am."

It was a joke, of course, and an awkwardly made one. She finally removed Mia’s arms from around her and wriggled away, immediately getting up and shooting towards Casey. She slotted right in at his side. Hopefully being right beside him would deter any other surprise hugs, human or cat.
”It’s been less than a day, don’t give him too hard of a time." She tilted her head up towards him, smiling a bit more genuinely again. ”My family has no clue, so if anyone’s keeping a secret it’s me. But it hasn’t been long."

Mia looked a little embarrassed. While it wasn’t clear what the reasoning for her being so cold was, the Richoux woman knew what a cold response was. She backed off out of respect for Trisha as an individual, accepting that she’d either have enough time to get to know this woman, or it’d never matter again anyway. Both options were equally low stress, so she did what she was best at: She simply chilled.

The cats weren’t so chill.

”Ask Casey about the bruises.”
”Oh, Girls… You should have heard him screaming.”
They did pause to look at Casey. In the low ambient lighting situation, it wasn’t so easy to tell how swollen Casey’s face was.
”Oh my God, Casey! What the hell happened!?”
”I got stung by some fucking bees, it’s not a big deal.”

The trio stared at one another incredulously.
”I think we’re old enough to know about kinky sex, dude.”
”They were beeeeeeeees.”
”In fucking October?”

There was enough of a pause for Casey to stop them from pressing further by forcing introductions.
”Trisha… This is our foster-sister Harietta… She prefers Hari..”
The group understood the redirection, and embarrassedly, they held out their hands to Trisha.
”Hi, hi! Sorry, I know we probably interrupted you guys…”
Casey wildly nodded his head.
”This is our cousin from New York; Etiennette… We call her Eddy, it’s easier.”
”If you and Soldierboy break up, look me up…” Eddy said with a wink and a lip bite. Casey gave her a dirty look and shunted his fist forward to punch her in the arm. It seemed playful, and she responded accordingly by rubbing her arm and pouting in a comedic fashion.
”And this rat is my blood sister Mia. Youngest of the brood.”
Mia grinned and shook Trish’s hand.
”Sorry I got too excited… I just don’t think Casey’s had a girlfriend like… Ever…” Mia intoned in response.

Trisha just found the bee conversation funny rather than embarrassing - funny enough that she was still laughing when the introductions started. It was a lot of names to take in, but just three people. That wasn’t too many. Nothing compared to the various functions she was dragged to as a teenager. She awkwardly shook all of their hands - which was really taking her back to meeting various family friends she never wanted to meet.
”I’m Trisha. Just Trisha." She didn’t give out her full name, because she hated it and any other nicknames that would come from it. Her surname was better kept quiet right now, too. ”It’s alright, I’m just not used to… Well, my family isn’t really the hugging sort. I’ll get used to it."

Possibly. She then looked at Eddy, laughing lightly. ”Hey, getting with an ex’s family is not going to happen. My dad did that, and now two of my siblings are also cousins, do you have any idea how much of a mess that is? Even if we break up- which we won’t- I’d move to fresher, non related pastures."

Eddy dramatically gripped at her chest.
”Yo, I’m devastated in the wake of your honour. I only simp harder.”
The entire group laughed, and it did a good job of cutting the tension. Casey smiled at Eddy, knowing that was her strongest suit.

But the cats…

”Patricia Vanburen.”
”You know, the Vanburens? The Vanburens?”

None of them acknowledged the cats. But the information was left in the air, and there was a very noticeable wide-eyed glance that passed between the three girls and landed squarely on Casey.
He cleared his throat.
”She can hear them… She’s magic.”
The tension between them all deflated, and Mia immediately turned to the cats.
”Oh my fucking God, you two! You don’t stop, you don’t fucking stop!”

They both meowed happily, wagging their tails. Hari clapped her hands together to get attention off the creepy fucking cats.
”Yeah, anyway guys, let’s give them their night, huh? Casey, we-”
She reached into the bag of food they brought home, laughing to herself as she pulled out Casey’s usual: Three sandwiches, a small curly fry, and a family sized mac and cheese…
”-we got your usual for you! My treat this time… I’m sorry we didn’t call, I think all our phones are dead.”

Casey waved his hand.
”I didn’t know if anyone was coming home tonight, but I ended up getting the falafel for you two, and coleslaw, and the tenders we both like. In the oven.”
Mia was surprised, and moved to the oven to pull the little pan out of the warmer.
”Oh fuckin’ sweet. Thank you, second favourite!” Mia chimed, leaning over and planting a kiss on Casey’s cheek.

It was uncanny, her incredibly tall frame leaning over the countertop. What skin she showed was pale, pallid, almost fungal. The three of them reeked of marijuana and vague body odour, and the longer they remained the stronger it got. But it wasn’t… It wasn’t real. Trisha’s pheromonal abilities would recognize the similarity to her own subtle scent signals, but these weren’t for bees… They were for people.
It was burned, it was rancid, it was toxic, it was… Plastic? Some kind of industrial chemical smell. Strangeness. But focusing, it all seemed to come from the girl Eddy, whose eyes were always just a little bit glazed over.

”It’s really nice meeting you, Trisha. My best advice if you’re gonna be around here more frequently? Learn to ignore those two. Because they’ll hurt you. Badly.” she intoned, pointing down at the Cats. Her lengthy arm snapped out, grabbing one by the neck. The other was gripped by a phantom presence, and both rose into the air in the exact same position.
”Demon! Wretched beast!”
"UNHAND ME! THIS IS NOT DIGNIFIED!

With the falafel in one hand and the eldritch horror in the other, she bowed her torso slightly, then turned with a sigh.
”Come on babes, we’ve done enough damage.”
Eddy winked and nodded at Trisha, mouthing “Call me.” before she followed behind. Hari, still holding onto the bag of food, grimaced slightly.

”Mimi is right… Honestly, I’d think about inviting him over to your place… Or meeting in public places from now on. Being here isn’t peaceful, it’s just free.”
She gave a stern nod and tried to form a friendly and reassuring smile.
”We’ll deal with them tonight, so you guys can have time to yourselves. I’m really sorry about barging in again.”

And then she left, closing the door behind her. Casey’s muscles were doubly tensed, and he was holding onto Trisha tightly and shaking ever so slightly.

The cats… had known her full name. She hadn’t told them her full name, had she? No, Casey had just introduced her as Trisha. Was she misremembering things? She didn’t think she was. She barely registered the conversation that followed, beyond the acrid scent in the air so similar to her pheromones yet not and the warning to not be around the cats. Maybe… maybe they should consider her place. But as big as her house was, her sisters were unavoidable. What would be worse? She wasn’t sure.

She half waved to the retreating trio (and creepy cats). Mia and her friends hadn’t seemed… too bad, but she was glad to be left alone. It was more peaceful and relaxing, and she always found dealing with any family difficult.

”That was an experience- uh, Casey, are you alright?" Trisha just noticed the slight trembling through the arms tightly wrapped around her, snapping out of the strangeness she’d been feeling after that encounter. She twisted around in his arms to face him, hugging him back nearly as tightly. She continued, slightly jokingly. ”Did you feel threatened by Eddy? Don’t worry, I won’t call her-"

Maybe not the best time to make a joke. Her hands gently rubbed his back, which she hoped would help. ”Did the… was it the weird smell? Or the cats… well they weren’t that bad… uh… don’t worry, it’s fine?"

He shook his head, his brow furrowing as he did.
”Being completely honest with you?-” he started, taking a deep breath. ”-I don’t honestly know… But I’ll tell you when I figure it out.”
His eyes closed for a second, and a deep breath washed the shakes out of his body. He really didn’t know; it wasn’t another attack. It was… It was dread. Fear of the unknown. Or, was it… Nah. Couldn’t be the smell.

”Magical friends are used to certain shit. But the cats? It’s just… They’re like a bridge too fucking far. I missed it as a kid; I didn’t Kindle, so I couldn’t hear them talk. I knew they could, and I knew they were smart like people, but they just… I guess I agree with Hari, even though I think the girls just want the run of the apartment to themselves. For your sake, y’know? My family, their bullshit, it’ll eat us alive.”

Casey had a look of conviction in his eyes. Or, it read as conviction; determination to tell her. To make her see. But it was a creeping sadness, like if things went long enough that he’d lose her, and she’d be scarred to boot.
But she fought the Stygian Snake… Leon did too… So, she’d be able to handle anything.

There’s the conviction.

He took a long and deep breath, closing his eyes and tilting his head back slightly. He opened them looking down at her, warmth hitting him as he saw her pretty face.
”Fucking debbie downer I am, huh? It’s still not our problem for the night, the girls will keep the assholes busy. All this other shit is a road we’ll hit tomorrow, after a nice toasty croissant with creme and a cup of tea. Yeah?”

”Yeah," Trisha smiled softly. It was something to worry about tomorrow - to worry about if he didn’t leave her the moment she stopped being just a fun, cute girl. They’d make it work… Really, she was sure she could handle the cats. They weren’t the only paranormal creature that had read things from her mind. Though, she didn’t really remember much of when the Stygian Snake had been trying to turn them against each other. Surely it must have been worse? She could handle a cult family and their creepy cats, right? Right.

”But it’s alright, we all have our family problems! You have a pair of creepy cats, I have at least twenty half-siblings that could be as bad and I wouldn’t even know." She was fairly certain she knew of all her magical siblings, which were the ones she lived with, but there were some that… didn’t need magic to get under her skin. ”Maybe I’ll just kick down Ezra’s door- my oldest brother, he’s got all the money- and demand he buys me a studio apartment so we don’t even have to worry about any of it."

She laughed lightly at that. She’d certainly done something like that before… It was the reason she still had an allowance at twenty four, constantly turning up at her brother’s workplace and causing a fair few secretaries to quit. That wasn’t information she was going to share with Casey, though. But it was easy to fake confidence about the whole situation.

Trisha glanced back over at the screen, and the movie that seemed to be in its final scenes. She pulled one arm out of the hug to gesture to it.
”Looks like we missed the rest of it… Not that I had any clue what was going on. Do you want to watch another one? Or…" She trailed off, expression growing warmer and gaze moving back up to him rather than on the screen. ”We could just chill. Talk. Finish the food… I’m happy to do anything with you."

He grinned like he had so many times that night. It was warm, devilish and playful. He was going to tell a-
”Anything? Alright, I’ll get my ruck, we can fill it up and see who can lift the most. It’s me, by the way… Well, maybe it’s the bees? But they’d all need to be here… Y’know, that begs the question:-”

He nodded his head back toward the couch, but grabbed the hot mac and cheese the girls had brought rather than eating the cold stuff he had to leave during the whole debacle. The sandwiches were one thing, but he couldn’t deal with the texture of cold cheese sauce sticking to his throat.
Reminded him too much of blood.

”-How do you get more?” he asked, wondering the logistics of it as he held her hand to let her step over the back of the couch to sit in that sunken square in the floor.

”Uh…" Trisha had been considering the logistics of her bees having a rucksack lifting competition with Casey, trying to figure out if it would even be possible because they’d have to stack, when he hit her with the one question about her abstraction which was uncomfortable to answer. She bit her lip, thinking about how to answer while sitting down again, crossing her legs and getting comfortable again. ”It’s a bit complicated."

She could just give the easy answer, the one that wasn’t incredibly fucked up and that she’d actually used. But… Casey came from a family of adepts and a place that seemed to revere apparitions. He’d probably be able to handle it? Probably. Trisha took a deep breath, looking down at her hands as she finally answered.
”There’s two ways. I don’t know how much you know about actual bees but.. Normally it’s the queen bee that lays eggs. Obviously I can’t do that. All of my bees are female worker bees, because there’s no need for drones- they, uh, mate with the queen. So, if I want to get more I need to… create a temporary queen, basically. In normal bees this is done through the healthiest larvae being selected- again, not possible! So I can make one of my workers a temporary queen. She can then lay eggs, and the hive tends to them like normal. It’s harder to control them when there’s another queen. They listen to me outside, but tend to listen to her in the actual hive… But it’s how I got this many. I started with only ten thousand."

Her eyes had lit up as she explained, hands gesturing about as if to help show the process. As much as her bees and abstraction was something thrust onto her, she’d grown to genuinely love them and the process. It was one of her few interests… But, the other method wasn’t one she liked.
”There’s another way too. I’ve never done it, but it’s what the apparition did. I think she had… nearly a hundred times the amount I did before she was sealed. It’s…" Trisha grimaced, hands lacing together in her lap and nails lightly digging into her skin. ”Not nice. Basically she’d lure in in people using her pheromones, like the ones I used earlier but stronger I think, and then… she’d… directly plant larvae into their bodies. I think some died, some had to carry them while alive- I don’t know. I could do it, she said I could, but I haven’t. It’s just too…"

She trailed off, waving a hand. Just thinking about it made her feel a little sick.

Vulture Bees… Don’t think about the meat jelly…
Casey’s eyes didn’t leave hers, even as they both managed to sit down and he started going to town on the bowl of mac and cheese again.
Too much cheese, don’t think about the meat jelly.
He took a long deep breath.
”Oh, shit… So it’s uh… It’s not picky about living or dead?”
God is funny like that. Don’t think about the meat jelly.
”That’s honestly… Does it have to be human? I mean I get that it’d freak you out, but like… If we could make it sustainable, why not try? They’ll be living their best lives, you’ll have more bees to use and you’ll never have to compete with another Queen.”

If Casey was anything, at least he was solution oriented. He really didn’t want to look at raw meat like that, but he figured with modifications, she’d be able to take care of the majority of it on her own. Like feeding any other pet, except this was feeding and… Housing?
”Not like I mean I’ll take the bee pregnancy, it sounds like a nightmare. But, the Doc could probably make an entire person without the, y’know… No soul, just an empty vessel to fill with bees.”
Macabre didn’t begin to describe the idea of fully recreating the physical anatomy of a human body just so his new girlfriend could make an army of bees. But he also believed that if she really was serious about getting to learn her powers more, she could possibly get into the spirit of it.

”Though, I’m sure there’s a freak out there who wants it. With proper backup, I bet…”

”No way," Trisha cut him off before he could go further with that idea. It wasn’t that she cared about other people enough to not want them to go through that suffering even consensually, but more that the whole process was grim for her.
”It’s not as simple as just putting them in and being done with it… I have to check up on them, I think. Which was easier for her because she’s an apparition. I don’t want to do that."

She’d shuddered slightly at the thought of seeing bee larvae underneath someone’s skin, then having to watch them burst out. She wasn’t generally squeamish but that… was beyond what she was alright with.
”I could maybe do a… empty human vessel. I could pretend it wasn’t easier, I think. But I’ve never actually asked if it has to be human… I never asked. She always used them, so I assumed. Wait."

Trisha closed her eyes, frowning as she tried to speak to the apparition inside of her. They didn’t communicate often, and Trisha rarely started it but… it was the easiest way to find out if she didn’t have to fill an empty human body with bee larvae.
Hey, does it have to be human?
Silence. Trisha’s brow furrowed, lips twisting down into a deeper frown. Seriously? Surely it was an easy question to answer.
Does it have to be human?
Nothing. Trisha scowled, opening her eyes for a moment to glare up at the ceiling before closing them again.
Oy, freeloader in my body, answer the question.

... Patience. Came the response, finally, a smooth, deep feminine voice ringing in Trisha’s mind. I was sleeping.

Fucking hell- Well if you’re awake, answer the question. Do they need to be laid in humans?

It can’t be animals. That would be undignified.

Undignified how? Well, whatever. It was enough of an answer for Trisha to cut off the conversation, eyes opening and expression relaxing. She looked back at Casey with a slight smile.
”She said it can’t be in animals, so I can’t just buy a chicken breast and put them in there- I guess that means only humans. What other kind of flesh is there?"

Casey gave a momentary thoughtful look..
”For certain rituals, we’ve always eaten things that aren’t from this uh… Dimension? Mostly in my life, we’ve had this guy who lived with us. Well, the Chef, Andrade? You ate his food tonight. The cake that healed your pretty face.”
He shrugged his shoulders like it was no big deal.
”Maybe it’d be morbid to her, but there’s this spell that Andrade uses that can make Apparitions vaguely physical. Enough that we can harvest actual meat off of them. I don’t know if she’d be offended or think it’s a better offering, but… We can make it happen I bet. Andrade likes me, he treats me well.”

”Oh, I’ve heard of him- I think we had a family meal at one of his restaurants once? Didn’t know about the apparition meat thing… Wait, does that mean I ate an apparition earlier? Or was it just a magical cake?" Trisha shook her head, that wasn’t what was important right now… and she didn’t really care either way. There were friendly apparitions like the Queen she hosted, but most weren’t. She’d help kill enough ten years ago that the thought of them being used as meat didn’t bother her, at least.
”It doesn’t really matter if she doesn’t like it, as long as it works. Well, I suppose I should check."

She didn’t bother closing her eyes this time. Would apparition meat offend you?
There was no response. Only silence, echoing on and on… Trisha rolled her eyes.
”She’s either ignoring me, or asleep again, so I’m sure it’s fine with her. If it’s possible, I’d prefer it… Something that isn’t human shaped.’"

She gestured with her hands, as if forming a body, then tilted her head back towards Casey with a bright smile.
”Thanks. I didn’t think it’d be possible to grow my hive any further- I’ve had this many since the Snake. Not that I needed to… but now I think I should."

Casey nodded his head, polishing off the last of the family sized bowl. It was like a fucking tub of macaroni and he felt proud of himself that he cleared it while the image of the substance was still in his head.
Stop thinking about the fucking-”
”There’s bees in South America that eat meat. Like, they eat it and make uh… Meat jelly. Which, until I did mop-up for artillery crews, I never knew existed. But one of my buddies whose parents were from down there, when we… When we were cleaning, he mentioned it. Like a joke, trying to make the squeamish guys yuck up. “

Verbalising the image was new and uncomfortable, but he was able to take it mostly in stride. Maybe because it had to do with her. Or not, since he wasn’t able to take the pain of a few bee stings. Failure.
He went back for the sandwich he hadn’t finished. It was kind of cold, but a room temperature chicken sandwich was easier to handle than the sticky cheese sauce. But he was feeling the sense of comfort washing back over him as his body tried to relax in a place it never felt relaxed in.

Not without her. It was new. It was new, and he liked it, and he wanted to be comfortable for her and with her. Life would be good if he just tried. Try and fail, why try? He grimaced, making a funny face to accompany his explanation of meat jelly.
”But, I guess they still go out and get flower pollen like honey bees? They only breed in the flesh?”

Trisha grimaced at the thought of a meat jelly making bee. She knew there were other, stranger types of bees but hadn’t looked into them when researching her own. There weren’t exactly beekeeping guides for meat eating South American bees- who would want that? Though she’d seen and directed her bees to attack people before, and seen them sting and bite them to death. Perhaps it wasn’t so different. The image was a little less disgusting when thought of like that.

”Yeah, mine don’t eat flesh. They’ll kill people if I ask them to- not that I do- but they won’t eat it. Really the, uh, flesh breeding thing is the apparition rather than them…" She glanced at his chicken sandwich, feeling her own appetite come back again, and reached out for the lukewarm curly fries she hadn’t finished earlier. They weren’t too bad. She munched on a few before continuing.
”When I’m not telling them to do anything, they’re just like normal honey bees. They collect pollen, stock up the whole hive with it and make honey. I’m probably single handedly doing more for the flowers in St Portwell than anyone else-"

She grinned, stuffing a few more fries in her mouth. They weren’t as good as they had been hot, but it was alright, she just wanted to eat something. ”It's funny sometimes, because if I call too many during spring or summer half of them will turn up laden with pollen… It gets everywhere. I considered only wearing yellow and brown last spring because they kept landing on me with it. I try not to interrupt them going about their… bee business when I can, but they need frequent contact with me to even do it."

Trisha waved a curly fry in the air. ”Bit of a long winded answer to a simple question, sorry."

Casey was very clearly in the middle of churning out some thoughts.
”No, you’re fine! You’re talking and I’m listening, and… Do you ever think about how when you meet someone new, you get through all the interesting stuff in the first few days? Until secrets are left? Then nobody says anything until it becomes relevant?”
He was chewing as he asked the question, but when he swallowed, he put his hand up and slid it as if to cut her off.

”Wait, no… Save that one. Back to the bees; I hope you aren’t annoyed answering my questions but I’m super fucking interested. So, like, what? She, The Queen, just was like some fuckin’ nature spirit? One of the other Warrants in my special unit used to always say ‘It’s magic my man, don’t think too hard.’ But, he was like Leon; he Kindled early in a family where it was all magic all the time. Me; I always had to hear about it second hand, or see weird secondary results like phantoms throwing furniture or something.”

He shrugged, waving his hand again in a different direction, like he was turning a page in the book.
”But basically, if she does this whole thing about letting them grow in flesh, then why let them keep the whole process just for a backup? I mean, I get it being kind of convenient, but at the same time you’ve gotta ask yourself how long she’s been around. Have you ever just like sat and bothered her with questions like that?”

And then he grinned. The hand he was moving to gesticulate through the conversation began to roll, like he was winding a chord or something.
”So I combine the two points: We’re getting to know one another, and I’m trying not to blitz through my life and dump it all on you. Are you down to the point with The Queen where it’s just secrets? Or have you ever gotten to know one another at all? Or, what are the chances there’s a bunch of stuff she knows about that you don’t? Like, maybe, raising them in meat changes them?”

”I…" Trisha trailed off, actually thinking about it. She felt a bit embarrassed the answer to whether she’d just sat and asked questions was no. They adjoined, the Queen taught her the basics, she helped against the Stygian Snake a year later, then she settled into a routine of tending to the bees she had. She hadn’t thought to talk to her more or find out more about her abstraction. It hadn’t been that important beyond the companionship the bees brought her.

”I don’t really know her at all. She talks to me maybe… every few months? One time we didn’t talk for a year. Normally it’s just something stupid as well, like pointing out that I’m cutting off the honeycomb wrong- or a snide comment." She was quickly realising how little she knew both about her apparition and the abstraction that came with her. There were the bees, there were the pheromones, but was there more? She’d never thought to ask.

”I always just assumed what she told me at the start was all there was to it. She said raising them in humans was faster, but that was it. I don’t… Well, all of my friend’s with magic are adepts. The ex-Sycamore group I’m still friendly with, and one college friend- my ex, actually. The rest are Blind so I spent those four years barely thinking about it." Her eyes widened slightly, something akin to excitement shining in them.
”Do you think I should? Try to get to know her, that is, just like I am with you? Well, not the same, I’m not trying to-" she snorted, covering her mouth. ”Date her."

”It’s more intimate, isn’t it?”
He rolled his head about slightly, thinking about the situation. Leon had described some pretty intense feelings to him, and he understood that it was done in confidence. So he couldn’t really share it.
Rather, he reached out and grabbed the conversation again.
”Well, you’re sharing a body right? A total union. Sometimes… Sometimes, you’re like a prison warden. Some people seem like they’re besties with their ghosts. Some people practically gave birth to their ghosts. Like the trio of slugs in the other room; Eddy’s Apparition was born after they did a ritual together. She treats that ghost like her baby.”

He didn’t like the Heroin Baby. He really didn’t like it. He didn’t believe for a second that they weren’t using it to get high. What was the difference besides not catching diseases from dirty needles? But that wasn’t Trisha’s problem, and Casey wasn’t a detective…
Yet…

”Ohhhh…" Trisha couldn’t imagine treating an apparition like a baby- Well, she sort of did it with her bees sometimes, but it wasn’t quite the same. Nor did she feel like a prison warden, or really a friend of the Queen. What was it for her…
”If I had to describe what it’s like for me… it’s kind of like having a second mom, except she’s in my head. Silent for months before popping up with some unwanted advice or criticism. Doesn’t always respond when I ask, but will answer when she feels like it-"

Trisha froze, realising that gave a little more information about her actual mom than she’d wanted to. Though her mom tended to just come in with criticism rather than advice, while the Queen tended to do the former a bit more. It was kind of sad. A bee ghost she shared a body with was more maternal than her own mother.
”Point is, I don’t really feel close to her or… find it that intimate. She’s just there, and I sometimes forget that the bees aren’t just mine. I never really thought about talking to her, or treating her like a friend or… well, I think she’s at least a thousand, I couldn’t treat her like my child."

Finding her comment on it being like a second Mom to be funny, he thought about his own mother. Lots of nightmares there. Lots of screaming. He’d hate for her to be in his head. If she wasn’t busy doing something, there was a chance she was in the room with them without either of them really knowing. Mia taught him a White spell that the others use to feel her magic’s presence, but it was impossible to identify a source that she’d enchanted.

He didn’t have his glove, however, so he’d have to ignore the paranoia.
Focus on the good stuff, don’t trauma dump about your Mom. Girls hate hearing about their boyfriends’ Moms.

”Well, then it sounds like she’s not really the type to be in your head. Which sounds great, it means she probably doesn’t have any preconceived notions about you. You can make the relationship whatever you want. Lets brainstorm it.-”

He leaned forward for a minute to roll another joint, and remembered there was a couple fried candy bars.
Fuck! Just don’t bother saying anything. The meal is fucking ruined, we’ll do it again soon.
So he simply worked out the immediate problem, licking and sticking the paper roll full of ground up herb into a complete conical cylinder. He lit it, smoked again, and offered it to Trisha.

”My first thought after hearing you is that she’s got pretty high standards. Like, maybe unless we get this whole meat thing worked out, maybe get control of some more bees, she won’t want anything to do with you in the first place?”

Just like my actual mom. Trisha was beginning to find her analogy a bit too accurate, now. Though it was just a guess when it came to the Queen… She took the offered joint, taking a long inhale from it. She slowly exhaled as she thought, handing it back to Casey. After a few seconds she felt it relaxing her again, just slightly.
”You’re probably right. I don’t know much about her, but she doesn’t really care about humans… she only adjoined with me in the first place because she was weakened. She probably only told me anything so the bees were cared for."

She tilted her head, half expecting the apparition to say something about that. Of course, she didn’t say anything at all. Typical.
”That would explain why I can’t do much with the pheromones people can smell- I can only lure people in because she wants me to make more bees, and scare them off to protect the ones I have. Though they’re not even strong enough for that- oh. If they start leaking out again, cause of smoking, just hit me or something. Anyway, she must’ve been able to do more than that."

Casey nodded his head as Trisha spoke, punctuating any particular points she was making, or where he agreed with her logic, with nods or gesticulative pointing toward not much of anything.
”The uh… The Cats are apparently from America. They say they grew up in the swamplands, like down South, and that before it was settled and populated, America was this magical forest where spirits had a bunch of territory to themselves to just do shit. That things were natural because the people believed they were how things were. Leon says Lelou has mentioned similar things.”

He liked to imagine the world like that. Primal and beautiful. But maybe people like him would’ve just spent their time afraid of every tree and creek. They’d be terrified that the ground would just swallow them whole, leave no trace discernable by any other mortal man. The shaman would know, but the soldier would just fucking die. The Blind Soldier. He did identify with them best.

”So, if she’s that old and she’s from here, she’s probably used to just doing things on her own. A free spirit, trapped in a box first, then forced to hitch a ride in a foreign body. If we started honouring her the way that a consciousness that old wants to be honoured, I’m certain we’ll find a whole different kind of spirit than what you’re used to. We find a little land, we put some better hives down, bigger and more robust, we deck them out with some ancient symbols and other shit that she likes, and boom.”
Casey reached for Trisha’s hands with excitement at the prospect of making this work with her.

Trisha let him take her hands, fingers curling around his. That sounded nice. She wasn’t so sure about the whole honouring her thing, but… she’d like more space for the bees. Proper hives built on proper land, rather than one she’d managed to get in her bedroom because it was the only space that was really hers. Funny, when her family undoubtedly had acres of land… But that was all Ezra’s, maybe shared with some of the other oldest.
”So, kind of like filial piety but for a spirit? I never thought about what it would’ve been like for her before… I’ve never heard of anything like that from her, but she must’ve had her own little spot in the world without humans around. The bees probably made their homes in whole trees or some shit like that.”

She tilted her head, smiling warmly at him. ”Even if it doesn’t make her happier, I’d love to have more space for the bees. Even just a little land, somewhere outside, for them… I already mentioned they’re in my room just now. It’s not ideal for anyone. I don’t know… how do you even go about buying land? We’d have to buy it, right?"

Her face scrunched up cutely as she tried to think about how much that would be. She had no idea. She’d never bought property. How much did she have? Not much, she spent most of her monthly allowance on herself and the bees… Ah, she did have a little leftover from a coding job she’d done recently.
”It’d have to be somewhere close- or at least, driveable. If I don’t visit the hive every day or two the bees get grumpy about it. Though maybe they’d be better if they had more space… or if she told me more about how to look after them. Oh, I wouldn’t have to worry about cleaning up the mess either."

He thought about her question having to do with the land. She really was a rich girl, and he imagined she didn’t ask many questions overall. At least not about practical things, maybe.
”Well, I do have a choice. There’s a program for Veterans coming back home where if you have a business idea or something, the Feds will grant you out land or property for you to use. If I file the paperwork for a beekeeping and honey business, we get the land granted. We could build on it; things may be rough at first if it’s just a plot of land though, and there’s no guarantee we could zone for residential on it since it’s granted.”

He had looked into the program earlier, when he first considered stepping away from the Army. He wanted to start a Gunsmith, but really he just wanted a free property to have a trailer on where people wouldn’t bother him without a reason. Some quick income he could do with the effort of his magic, or if he cared enough he’d do the work with his hands like an actual craftsman. But bullets and bees would probably net even more cash.

”I uh… This is fast, isn’t it? No, right? Because it’s for the bees really, it’s not about either of us. You deserve to have a good relationship with your ghost, and if you can make money while you make memories, that’s best right?”

”Yeah, it’s for the bees and her, not us," Trisha nodded. That sounded about right. She wasn’t really thinking about all the other things that came along with running a business with someone… Well, she didn’t really know much about running something like that at all. If she did, she might have already started trying to sell her honey.
”But, would you really want to do that? I assume you can only get land granted once… What if it doesn’t work out? There must be so many honey businesses, mine aren’t that special, so-"

She cut herself off before she started vocalising all of her concerns about that, and going down a dark path she didn’t want to. It was for the bees, for improving her abstraction, and for the possibility of a little money with it. That wasn’t the main point, right? And it would be fine if she had to move out of those hives later. Maybe the bees could still live there.

She smiled again, as if all of those concerns were nothing. Really, they weren’t. They weren’t.
”It sounds nice, even if there’s a lot to do at first- I put together my own hive mostly by myself, I’m sure I can do multiple with help. I’m harder working than you’d think."

Though, hard work for her had been hours of studying rather than any kind of manual labour. She then thought about something he’d said in among all of that.
”Why would we… zone for residential? Do you want to build a house as well? Bee hives don’t count as residences, do they?"

”Well, I always imagined living with my business. I guess I like the idea that I’m the one defending it. But, no I’m sure that bee boxes aren’t residential like that. But I bet you we could have staff and stuff. And better, you’ve got magical honey. See, magic is useful for shit like this, we used to talk about this all the time in the dirt.”

He scooted on the couch, arm wrapping around her and holding her close while the other painted a scene in front of them.

”You know people will buy any crock of shit with a clever punchline or some story in it. So we play it up. It's magic honey. But the people who know really will know that it is magic. We use our connections to the people we know, and we pipe it back to them. Special ingredients, or exotic pollens… There’s this guy? Ken? From the Sycamore? And Leon told me he like, travels across dimensions and brings some of you guys like souvenirs. We could go to him and get weird pollen and stuff to use!”

”Ken…" Trisha leaned into Casey while trying to remember. There had been a lot of people in Sycamore, and while she’d interacted with people outside of her clique a little more than the other rich kids… it was a bit difficult to remember them all. Oh! ”Kenshiro? I remember him. We didn’t really talk much- but if he has flowers from other dimensions, I don’t see why not. I bet the bees could use it easily, they’re smart little creatures… I wonder what it would do to the honey. The honey they make is already better, I think, but I’m probably biased. I’ve never heard another opinion about it."

She smiled, just thinking about it… There would definitely be a market for magical honey. There were people with too much money and knowledge of the magical world who’d buy anything.
”I don’t really have any magical connections in that way, but I bet I could sell it to my brother- Ezra just eating it would be enough for tons of other people in the business world too. He doesn’t know anything about magic, but I bet he’d just be happy I’m doing something rather than leech-" she stopped, laughing awkwardly. ”He’d be happy I’m following in dad’s footsteps."

But that was getting a bit ahead of herself. They needed ‘magic honey’ first.
”Oh, we could test the waters a bit to see if it’s even worth it before… building the hives, at least. I have enough from this year to give out, get opinions, I don’t know. Maybe that won’t help."

”Oh, I bet it will. We’ll run it to Andrade, have him use it to whip us up something. So long as I keep my business out of Lynette’s hands-”
He stopped dead, realising what it meant to go on far too long in a direction that wasn’t the right one. He frowned.
”I… Only really know The Temple. The people there would be the ones who could help me most. But, that’s me. I guess I would be worried that you wouldn’t want that in your life. Frankly I don’t either, but… Well-”
Casey’s hand rubbed Trisha’s shoulder gently.
”If I’d want to keep my own Mother out of my business, imagine how much I wouldn’t want her in yours? So, maybe we stay as far away from them as we can. We stick to what we can get, we use flowers from here, and maybe as you and the Queen get more personal, we find out there’s stuff we can do on our own to make things better. And we give her space, give you space, to just fill the area with bees in natural hives that we don’t even take honey from.”

He sat for a second imagining the macabre forest full of human-shaped natural hives built around never-living bodies hung from trees. Bloody Bees.
I’ll have forgiveness.
”I think… If it takes the flesh for things to get better, I think Doctor Nedia can be trusted. She’s always been good to me. Well, they all have, but she was… Special. Like an aunt who you can cry to. Andrade’s friendly, but he’d make one dish with the honey and my Mom would start asking questions. I’m betting that I can get meat under the table without much questioning though.”

”Surely…" She paused. She didn’t know how controlling his mother or the temple was. If her mom found out she’d probably laugh, and say that it would fail.
”You only mean stay far away from them business wise, right? You don’t mean… in everything? I really don’t mind, I don’t want you to just cut everything off for something that might not- Well, don’t do that for me. I can handle it being in my life for you."

Probably. There was some sick, twisted thought deep down that would have liked that. If he cut it all off, then he’d only have her. Then he wouldn’t leave her, would he? But she suppressed that. She was selfish and resentful, but not like that. She… didn’t want to become the truly bad person some thought she was.

”You know who my family is, right? Last time I checked we run the city. I talk to my brother, get his support or whatever, and it’ll be untouchable.” Probably. She didn’t really know if this was just about the business anymore, or their whole life… But she definitely couldn’t move away to a place where it was only them and the bees in some kind of natural paradise.
”We’ll… do what you think is best, though. I don’t know them. But it’ll be really hard to hide from your mom either way, right? We might as well use the resources- Don’t worry, I’ll protect you from the questions and intrusions."

She just felt like she was saying words now, not knowing if it got her point across, but hopefully he could see the earnestness in her expression. Like she thought they could make it work.

”Well, untouchable as in you’ve got infinite money to fund lawyers and bankroll politicians to make things difficult for normal people. You can hire a private eye to tail someone, or get a hacker to forward someone’s emails to you so you can snoop. But is your brother Magic? Can he teleport into a locked concrete bunker underneath a hundred and fifteen feet of granite bedrock and blow you to smithereens by screaming something stupid like ‘Get off my lawn’?”

Yes, Staff Sergeant Willaby was always quite a character like that. Casey really only had the trauma of his Mother neglecting him. It was only recently that she’d taken any interest in his life in the first place.

”The cats know who you are. I can’t lie to my Mom, because the cats already know the truth, and I’m sure they’re still listening to us right now, right-”
He held out his finger toward the sliding false wall, at the corner closest to where they were sat.
From the other side, there was some muffled voices. It was absolutely the cats. Two little paws bashed their way underneath, almost waving at them and exactly from the direction that Casey had pointed. For a moment their furry arms wiggled around, then retracted altogether.
”-right fuckin’ there!” he exclaimed in frustration. ”There’s no fucking peace in this place! None!”

His eyes were a little tired looking. He was tired of it, so it was only natural. ”My life’s been a narcissist’s toy for twenty-five years. And when she finds out that your last name is Vanburen, she’s going to bomb you with love like you’re her favourite person. She’ll buy you things and get you comfortable so she can start asking favours, and then when she knows everything she needs to know about you, she’ll try and make your world her world. And once she’s done that, she’ll start demanding things from you. She did it to my Sister’s ex-husband, she did it to Hari in the other room, she’ll do it again and she’ll try and do it to you. I just know it, Trish… Remember when I was talking about secrets? I don’t want us to get there. Where we’re just waiting for the ball to drop.”

That was a lot to take in. From the bunker blowing up, to the cat’s fucking paws sticking through the wall, to… his mom. No wonder he didn’t want her involved. But there was no avoiding it if the cats already knew, and it would then get to his mom. They couldn’t just cut everything off and run… She couldn’t.
”What can she buy me that I don’t already have? I’m not trying to dismiss it but… You know, my dad used to buy us things because he didn’t have time for us. People buying stuff for me has the opposite effect. It doesn’t make me feel loved. That won’t work on me."

She shook her head, twisting around so she was properly facing him and wrapping her arms around his midsection.
”If she’s going to find out anyway… Well, it’ll be fine. I know that you’re just concerned. It’s not the same, but I have experience in… conditional love. The kind of love you get because someone wants you to be something, and they force you to be that way. I don’t-" trust that anyone would actually love me. But she couldn’t say that. She couldn’t say she’d never be comfortable, no matter how much someone bombed her with love. ”I don’t want to get there either, but we won’t. If you don’t want me to meet your mom, if you want me to avoid her completely, I’ll do that. But I wouldn’t let her in."

She spoke confidently, even though she had very little confidence internally that it would even matter… That he would put up with her long enough for it to even become a problem. That they’d be together long enough to reach that point.

Casey looked a little dejected, but he didn’t think it was right to take away an opportunity for her to at least see if she really wanted something like the burden of his family. They were, if anything, close; he figured from what she’d been saying, that maybe it would be something she’d appreciate. For how much he didn’t trust his younger sister, she was ultimately a good, if not self-destructive, soul. Same with Leon, at least he was willing to stand by you when you needed it most. Though maybe she knew a different side of him at the end of the day.

”Honestly, until I came home Kindled, I’m pretty sure Lynette forgot I existed. Even now she still… I guess, I’m kind of afraid that she’s going to all of a sudden have a reason to pay attention to me like she does Leon. I’ve seen what she does to him, saw how she would treat him as a boy. Even if I wanted attention, I mean… Who wants it like that? She treats him like a little kid until he does something wrong, and then it’s fire and brimstone until he ‘makes it right’.”
Casey finally shrugged, leaning into Trisha and resting his head on her shoulder. He hugged her close.

”Who knows. I seriously don’t, the last one of us that had a significant other was Elise, and those two are divorced now. Not that we’re getting married, just… I can’t help but think that she had something to do with it.”

Trisha reached up and rested her hand on Casey's head, gently rubbing his scalp. She twisted around so her legs hooked over his. ”I didn't know it was like that for Leon, maybe I was too harsh on him ten years ago- I always got pissed off when he started trying to be some enforcer, but I see where it came from… well, that doesn't matter just now."

She tilted her head to lean it against his.
”I can see why you're worried, if your sister got divorced. Even if it was your mom, that doesn't mean she'll be able to get between us. I don't want to let her- and you've told me all of this. I'm not going in blind. I promise, I won't let her get to me. But it won't even be a problem- if there was a Vanburen pecking order, I'm right down at the bottom. I don't have much power, so I doubt it'll be that tempting to your mom."

Trisha took his hands, squeezing them and turning her head awkwardly to look at him again with what she hoped was a reassuring smile.
”And if it doesn't work out, and what you're worrying about starts to happen, we can just run away and get a little field somewhere with the bees, away from everything."

Casey blinked slowly, looking into Trisha’s eyes softly.
”You’re… You’re great.”
He tucked in a little closer, big hands rubbing her back and cradling her so he could lean back. He turned a little so that she had the back of the couch and him to lay against. It was a warm little nook. She’d be able to feel his feet moving around until his hands slipped a bit and rolled the blanket up over both of them.

”Can we just stay like this? You can’t imagine how lonely some places get…”
He was talking about places like they were in. Home, where if he hadn’t been attacked by the cats daily, the rest of the family probably never would’ve known he was there. Where it was him and his own thoughts echoing again and again about how he was never going to be good enough for anything.

At least he was good enough to kill for his country. He found out you didn’t have to be “good” to be good enough then. There was always the idea that he had to be some sort of noble hero like his Father was. Or like he wanted them to think he was, at least. He caught a lot of shit for being some goodie two-shoed fuck, and he got absolutely blasted by every drill sergeant he met during basic…

Because he thought that’s what Men were supposed to be.
”How’d you get so cool? Born with it?” he asked her quietly, as if they were really all alone.
Casey had a safe space. It was imaginary, of course, but he thought about them being there. No blanket, just the warm air rolling across the island beach in the middle of nothingness in the ocean.

”Who says we can’t just stay like this?" Trisha smiled softly, lying against his check. It was warm and comfortable and… safe. She really did feel like she could stay here forever, in his arms and covered by the blanket. Because, she did know how lonely places could get. Loneliness was studying in her room while her siblings played outside, yet their grades resulted in praise and hers in scolding. It was days left alone at her mom’s house during the only month they had together because she had academic conferences. It was never quite belonging anywhere, and her only proper company being bees.

But she wasn’t going to open up about that. She just smiled warmly and snuggled up against him, happy to be content for once.
”Mm, if I tell you all my secrets, I won’t be able to let you live," Trisha said softly, eyes filling with warm laughter. ”My coolness is all hard work, I definitely wasn’t born with it. I was a loud, annoying baby - the opposite of cool. I became this cool through sheer will."

She grinned, reaching up to tap his nose. ”Maybe it’ll start to rub off on you, and you’ll become as cool as me."

Casey laughed quietly, holding her tighter as he did so.
”Woah, hey… Easy. I’m very fucking cool.” he grinned at her still chuckling.
”And you can test me. I’ll pass the cool test every time. Someone taught me how to.”

Of course it was ol’ Commissar. The Warrant Three he’d been tasked under once he’d made it that far in was a man who didn’t flinch in danger, and didn’t shy away from telling people how he felt about things. But he wasn’t evil, nor was he cruel. Warrant Officer Comstadt was a Father, a Husband, a Leader who you never questioned. It was respect, that he would know what was best because that was his job.

And he was an Abberant. He had an awful, evil, zealous spirit inside him that claimed to be a vengeful angel from God. And it would send him into awful rages and fits that he couldn’t control. But nobody cared, because Comstadt had earned his position. They respected him, and they could separate him as a man and a leader from the spirit inside that made him a killer and a butcher.

To Casey, that’s what cool was. At least, his ideal cool. Trish was a close second though. He really liked her…

”Oh really?" Trisha leaned her head back slightly to give him an assessing look. Her attempt was broken a bit by a soft giggle. She didn’t… actually know what the cool test was, but it sounded ridiculous. Surely if you had to take a test to prove that you were cool, you weren’t really cool anymore?

”What’s-" she yawned before she could get further, surprising herself. She was just a little sleepy, mostly from the warmth of the blanket and being hugged so close. The comfort of it. ”What’s the cool test? You see, I’m so cool I never had to take a test… So show me how it’s done and prove that you're so cool, Case."

Casey grinned widely at her, biting his lip slightly to give a very sassy look at Trisha.
”Alright, cool.”

He jerked his head forward slightly, like he was in a bar acknowledging some other cool guy. Then he tilted his head back and closed his eyes. That was it.

Internally, Casey beamed at himself, his own baited joke echoing in his head. What else did she think he was going to do? What else could one do except be… Cool…

Trisha snorted, laughter escaping her lips at the ridiculousness of his actions. She didn’t entirely get it, wasn’t sure there was anything to get, but she did find it funny. Maybe not cool, but entertaining.

”Yeah, very cool," she giggled, slowly and carefully moving her own head forward. ”Sooo cool, wow, I just can’t hold back."

Then she darted in, pressing her lips against his in what she’d decided was a sneak attack. She let it linger for just a moment, but didn’t push for anything more as she pulled back slightly, smiling teasingly.
”That’s a reward for passing the test."

[AtomicEmperor]

---

Act One-Two

---

Casey’s internal clock knew five in the morning like it was branded into his brain with hot metal. Five AM was like a hiccup in a vacuum: It always felt like the world was closing in around him at that time. But today, there was something different. His sleep had been dark and black, devoid of the nightmares that usually plagued him.

He felt a little weight on top of him. She was soft, and her skin was practically hot to the touch. At some point over the night, he had tucked Trisha up closer and tighter to the couch so his feet and legs were sticking out in the cool air of the apartment. He didn’t like being hot like that, but he did like feeling the weight of something on top of him.
There was an order in the mail that he was waiting on: A forty pound aluminum mesh blanket was on the way from this blacksmith upstate.

It was perfect, the kind of material that didn’t add any kind of insulation. Only weight. She was perfect, except the part of his body she was tucked closest to felt like it had turned to sandstone. She’d rolled, and his bare arm was practically stuck to her bare back; apparently she’d accidentally rolled it up.

He took a deep, quiet breath. The cats’ muffled voices echoed from the other side of the wall, instantly aware that Casey was rejoining the world of the waking. November first. He laid there a few more minutes, still astonished that such a cute woman had just curled up and fell asleep.
He remembered being impressed by a joke, but mostly he was tired because…

Casey finally shifted, and felt all the searing pain of the bee sting patches rolling across his body like he’d been beaten up in his sleep. It wasn’t good, but it was at least easier to deal with than the reality that was getting actively stung.
He shifted his body, knowing he had very little room to work with. But she was already tucked and ready to roll into the couch if he slipped out. So, he twisted his torso, and the arm underneath her kept her in place until his legs and ass were free. With a single scoot, he placed her back down fully and got up.

He stretched hard, rolling his hips and midriff while his legs shook from the strain.
”Alright, Baby Bee. You’re just dreaming. Stay asleep.” he very quietly spoke down to her before squatting and scooping Trisha up from underneath herself.

Trisha grumbled in her sleep, a few barely audible and not fully formed words escaping her lips, before she twisted around to press her face against his chest.

He nearly squealed from the cuteness death. However, he had a duty. She was expecting breakfast in bed, but he couldn’t make that happen if she wasn’t in a bed specifically. So, slowly and methodically, Casey carried Trisha back to his bedroom. The gentle water noise and low hum of the electronics made the room a little more noisy, but a little more comforting in his mind.
Bending at the knees, he unfurled the blankets and let Trisha slip into the silky sheets before covering her back up.

With the payload safe, he made for his dresser and grabbed some morning clothing. Clean sweats and a new shirt, new socks; he changed in the living room and locked his bedroom door behind him so nobody could get in from the outside. It was one way, so she wasn’t stuck in there in case she wanted to use the bathroom while he was out.
But he had a strange feeling, and he slipped back in as quietly as possible to get two things: His Channeler, which he stuffed into his pocket, and a pistol in a waistband holster that he clipped to his front and slipped his shirt over.

Forty-Five in a compact, he was used to the jumpy little pistol. It was his range shooter, and the beam on it was nicely aligned so he didn’t have to aim. Just in case anyone felt funny, he refused to not be protected.
He leaned over Trisha, kissing her forehead again and smiling warmly at her before pulling away. He still had the place’s address in his head, and he typed it into his phone, then grabbed his keys and headed upstairs to his car. As he passed the hallway, he made it a point to scoop up all the dirty laundry that needed doing.

Coming out of the door, he turned right and immediately entered the laundry room of the apartment building, and he loaded up the curtains, his and Trisha’s dirty clothing, her bee onesie, whatever was in the pile. The machines were all card machines, so he pulled his phone out and slid it across the mechanical face. There was a gentle chime that told him the machine accepted his money, and the electric hum of the washer began as the barrel rotated. He figured by the time he got back, it’d be done enough to dry.

Coming back out, he came face to face with an unexpected person.
”Casey? Where the fuck have you been?”
Casey looked up at his older brother, who was just a little bit taller as he was still standing on the stairs. Casey’s face was blank, but Leon looked pretty bad. Like he hadn’t slept in days.

”I’ve been here. Why, what’s wrong?”
Leon’s face turned sour. His hands clapped together as he sauntered down the last couple steps.
”Have you bothered looking at your phone? We got hit last night.”
Casey’s gut fell out of his body. His eyes grew to saucers, and he slowly reached for his phone. He hadn’t actually looked at it, just scanned the electronic card…
Ten missed calls, ten voice messages, thirty-five texts.
Casey’s grim expression met Leon’s, and he took a deep breath.

”How bad?”
”Andrade’s hurt. The Doc fixed him up, but Elise is pretty shaken up about it. I guess she put Mondo in harm’s way, and-”
Casey stopped his brother, holding his hand up.
”Where are you in this equation, Mister Bastion?”

Casey didn’t like what Leon was getting at: He was conditioned to this sort of behaviour. If Leon had been there, Elise would’ve never utilised Mia’s gift; her Channeler was far too precious to be destroyed. She had to be desperate, which meant that Leon wasn’t there to help… So now it was going to be Casey’s fault. He was ready.

”Sycamore Business, you wouldn’t unde-”
”No, Man… I understand just fine. We weren’t there, and so you’re catching the heat and you need someone else to blame.”

Leon was silent, staring at Casey with frustration in his eyes. Casey saw his brother’s nostrils flare slightly.
”I’ll tell you what: I was planning on heading over there later. I’ll cancel all of my plans and intentions for you, Leon. So that you can be free to do what you want. Since I know that’s all you want to do, I mean all your friends are home. Who wants to spend all that time looking like he’s some cultist tool?”
”And what fucking plans did you have?”
”Ask my fucking girlfriend if you dare to wake her up.”

Leon had intended to square up and use his size to try and intimidate Casey, but once those words left his mouth, Leon slacked up. Confusion and fear set in.
”L-lena?” Leon croaked, fearing the answer.
Casey’s eyes narrowed. A wide and evil smile crept across his face.
”No, Lee. Honestly? I fucking hate Lena. I hate her fake enthusiasm, I hate the way she’s always on her phone when she’s not pretending to be interested in me, I hate the way she talks like our Mother.”

Leon’s face went from confusion to fear to sadness all at once. He realised instantly what he’d set in motion, and he cleared his throat.
”Is Promiscuous Patricia in my apartment right now?”
Casey stepped forward, cutting Leon’s space as he approached the stairs.
”Do not make your problems with her my problems, Leon. If you really fucking care, like you’ve said that you do? Then you’ll keep the fuck out of it. Please and thanks.”
His feet took him up the stairs, but Leon followed him closely.

”Listen, I just didn’t want to deal with her! But Casey, I promise you that she’s not going to give you anything but grief, Bro!”
”Wow, really concerned about it. That’s touching Leon, I’ll be sure to mark this down in my memories as one of the times you really tried your hardest to be a big brother. Crazy how you’re putting up more resistance about me dating a girl than signing up for a literal World War.”

Leon stopped dead in his tracks, great sadness flowing over him. It was enough of a stun that Casey got out of the side door and into the parking lot without Leon. But that big goofy man stood in the glass door and watched Casey as he got into his car. Casey’s hands flew up, questioning Leon’s actions, and then gestured to his passenger seat. Reluctantly the wolfman came and got into the car. The gate rolled open, and the car slid out into the dark St. Portwell morning.

It was quiet at first, but Leon broke the silence.
”So you… Had a good night?”
Casey didn’t respond verbally, clasping his lips into a frown and nodding.
”Did you?”
Leon shook his head.
”After we parted ways, I ended up getting involved with what I thought would be fun. It just led to a bad situation that could’ve ended a lot worse if some of my friends hadn’t been there.”

And there it was. Casey knew immediately, but hearing Leon say it was vindicating. He’d been fucking off, and because he wasn’t doing his job playing Temple Superman, people they were close to got hurt. Classic.

”So I assume when you got back with your tail tucked, you got your head ripped off?”
Leon didn’t answer with words, but his hand rose up slightly as if to agree.
”Didn’t get that far. After my situation was over, I went back to the tent because I figured there was some more of that health pie left, but I found the place wrecked. I found the two of them at the Merch booth with Keighla and Clarissa. She got things started, but it wasn’t long before Mom appeared out of thin air.”

Always too late to actually be of any help. Classic Lynette. There was another pause as Casey made his way on through the quiet streets. The sweepers were out in force, blowing away the confetti and candy wrappers left in the street the night before. The two men took long breaths between one another, slowly synchronising until their actions were in tandem. Things relaxed again.

”I’m sorry. And I already defended you.”
”What, from Mom?”
”She was pretty upset with both of us. You know how important Andrade is with things; and we haven’t found him any sort of apprentice to teach. But, I made sure she knew it wasn’t your fault. That I told you that you could head home. She’s frustrated you won’t get help with your condition.”

Of course she was; it made Casey less effective overall. He couldn’t deal with crowds, couldn’t deal with long exposure to social situations. He couldn’t be the same kind of butterfly Leon or Junior were.
”I know. I bet she wishes I never-”
”Absolutely not. You know she’s regretful, I’ve told you before. Just give her some time.”

The two dragged the conversation on as Casey drove closer and closer to the bakery. He saw it from the street, but there was no connecting parking. He picked a street spot and pulled in.
”Do you want anything?”

Leon looked out at the bakery and chuckled.
”You came all this way for a croissant?
Casey shook his head.
”I promised her breakfast in bed. Sh-”

Leon immediately clowned on his younger brother, scoffing and tilting his head back. Casey’s hands came up in a frustrated manner, slapping the steering wheel on the way back down.

”No, no, Casey… It’s fine! It’s fine, I just… Man, Patty? Patricia?”
”Just Trisha, man.”
”Well when you get into your first argument, make sure you call her Patricia Punkass, or literally any alliteration to her full name.”

Casey shook his head in disgust.
”Whatever, man. Do you fucking want something or not?”
Leon shook his head, taking his seatbelt off.
”No, the Gym is close enough. I’ll just hit a run and have a protein drink when I get there.”

Casey looked around a little bit, recognizing the neighbourhood a little more. He hadn’t realised their uptown branch was so close, but it made sense. With three Gravity Gyms around St. Portwell, he figured they were just always close to one.

The two brothers got out of the car in tandem, and Leon gave Casey a wave.
”So you’re gonna go over there at least?”
Casey nodded.
”I wanted to talk to Mary-Ann about helping with the Bees and stuff.”

Leon tossed his hands up.
”Well good luck with that. Chances are, all Mom’s concerns will melt away when she smells the money wafting off the body of a Vanburen. Ciao, Little Brother.”

Casey flipped Leon off as he turned and walked away. It wasn’t a great morning start, but he did his best to put the impending doom on the back burner. As he walked down the street, he pulled his phone out and rattled off a text message to Clarissa letting her know that he was aware of the situation, and that he’d be over later on to figure out what the next steps were.

For now, he knew what his next steps were. He stepped on and on, into that little bakery, and when he emerged, he was holding so much that it was silly. They had just finished their bread rolls, and the scent of all the warm wheat came just short of giving him wood for probably the first time in months.
While meat was a source of regret and fear, fresh baked goods were the opposite. They were innocent foods, people’s fillers that were meant to be consumed and had zero morbidity to them whatsoever.

Boxes were filled with muffins and tarts and donuts, bagels, a couple of chocolate filled croissants (his favourite treat since childhood) and loads of other goods that would be happily devoured by the young people in the Temple dorms and commons. He came out with so much actually that a person from the bakery actually helped him get it all out and situated it in his car before he made his way back home.

Pulling back in, he headed around the back of the building so he could leave the car running. He didn’t want to bring all the shit back in, so he had them prep a sampler in a single box, so all he had to do was bring that back inside with him. It was just after quarter-to-six, and he figured Trisha wasn’t going to want to get up just yet. He had time.

Getting back in the apartment, Eddy was up and rummaging through the fridge. She was more than half naked, and nearly jumped out of her flesh as Casey rounded the corner.
”God Dammit Casey!”
She had a hoodie on, but… Just the hood. She grabbed the cloth arms and quickly tied them around her chest to cover.
”You’re fucking out?”

He stood with the box of pastries, confused and slightly concerned. He looked past her toward the closed door. He didn’t need to use words to convey his feelings to Eddy, who knew pretty instantly that Casey was processing a whole bunch of thoughts.

”I-I-I-u-uh… Was… Gonna use Leon’s shower! H-hari said Clarissa-”
Casey put his free hand up to stop her.
”Spare yourself the trouble, Eddy. Just… Please disappear.”

She was gone like lightning, leaving the raw burning smell in her wake. Casey was compelled to open the door, to creep down the hall, to catch them. Just for the forbidden knowledge. But he shook it out of his head. He didn’t need to know about his little sister’s freakshow life. He’d had enough of a morning already, he just wanted to focus on that warm feeling he got when he thought about Trisha.

He pulled a croissant out of the box and tucked in immediately. It was hot and delicious, and the boxes all had this little foil lining that kept them insulated so they’d stay that way longer. He really understood why Trisha had mentioned the place. Their selection was fantastic, and the ingredients seemed premium. The front was covered in flour; he learned in France that you only wanted to go to a bakery that was covered in flour. If it wasn’t, chances are they weren’t working very hard.

The creamy chocolate filling blew his concerns away for the short term, and he set about getting hot water for tea and brewing a pot of coffee. It wasn’t long before good ol’ Hari quietly popped the door to the otherside open and slid in. Casey had the tin of coffee in his hands.
”Whaaaaat?” he groaned playfully.

Important to distinguish was the idea that Casey did love the girls. Mia, Eddy, Hari: But mostly, probably more than his own blood, he loved Hari. She had this aura, this ability to listen and receive and not misinterpret communication. She was patient, even tempered, willing to put up with all manner of frustration.
She was one of his Mother’s Angels. A Temple Crone. It was an important position, and came with a lot of perks.

It was important to Casey that Hari was willing to share these perks. She stepped close to him; very close. Her head was just about empty, conditioned to do so as she delivered a message to her honorary older brother.
”She’s expected.”

Casey nodded his head. Of course their Mother knew.
”Where’s the plant?”
Hari hugged her arms around Casey, squeezing tight. It was obvious they weren’t blood by the height gap, and Hari barely came up to his chest.
”Don’t… It’s not worth it.”

There was a long pause. Casey finished filling the coffee maker with water, started the machine, and then wrapped an arm around Hari. He rubbed her shoulder for a moment.
”It’s worth getting out, Casey…”
Casey took another deep breath.
”You three… Are using again.”

She didn’t respond besides slowly nodding her head. But she pulled away.
”It’s not-”
He put his hand up. He didn’t want to hear her explain.
”Then don’t lecture me about getting out.”
Hari frowned, but she couldn’t do much about it. There was too much to unpack.

”Where’s Ed?”
Casey’s head nodded toward the hall behind him.
”Hiding in Lee’s room like she thinks I’ll disappear.”
Hari sighed, walking around him and off toward Leon’s room.

No fucking peace around here.

He started shuffling through cabinets looking for that tray they used to use on Mother’s Day, finding it buried under a bunch of pans. It was still shiny, and had the etched image of two elk forming a heart with their antlers in the middle. He couldn’t help but smile gently at it. He prepared a bunch of little plates, napkins, cups, then started filling them one by one.

A donut, a cream puff, a few citrus jelly tarts, a beautiful bagel with the choice of spread from cream cheese to butter to jelly. Water with a couple different kinds of tea, coffee, apple juice, and an optional shot of vodka in case she wanted a morning screwball instead of just the juice.
He knew his Mom certainly did.
He asked them for some bacon as well, seeing they had breakfast sandwiches, and laid it on a plate with some of their brioche toast and a warm slice of swiss cheese on top of it.

Before he finished, the two girls passed by him again. At least this time Eddy was actually wearing the hoodie…
”There’s definitely gonna be a meeting.”
Casey nodded as they passed.
”Shit, do we get any love like that?”
Casey grimaced.
”Nope, this is for girlfriends only, and there’s no way I’m jumping in bed with you girls.”

They both just giggled, crossing back into the other side and closing the door. In that moment he swore if he saw a paw, he’d sever it. The cats immediately began beating at the wall and laughing maniacally to themselves. His hand almost reached for his pistol, but it’d be useless. He just looked down at the tray and felt a warm feeling.

Trisha.
But before he woke her up, he figured he’d go turn the laundry over. The units were especially nice, and their efficiency meant that cycles were quick and washing was thorough. Before he transferred, he inspected, making sure there were no lasting stains that needed to be worked out. Once everything was drying, he figured now was the time. Six-thirty in the morning.

A very clearly normal time to be awake considering the Girls were up. It didn’t matter that they’d fallen asleep around midnight to Casey: He was used to days without it in general. A few hours made no difference…

So up came the tray, perfectly balanced in one hand. With the other, he unlocked the door and slipped into the room, closing the door gently behind him. The plates rattled slightly as he placed the tray down on a solid surface. He was sure to unclip his gun and put it back in the drawer before he got close to her by climbing into the bed next to her.

Casey’s arms wrapped around Trisha and he snuggled her gently.
”It’s time to wake up, Your Highness… Breakfast is served in the Kingdom of Crazy People…” he whispered, slowly shaking her.

In her half asleep state, Trisha felt a weight against her back, and soft words buzzing in her ears. It felt… a bit heavier than bees, but it had to be the bees, who else would be there. She rolled onto her back, eyes still closed and mind heavy with sleep. A limp hand raised over her face and waved in front of it as if shooing something away.
“Mm, buzz off, entertain yourselves… it’s too early…” she mumbled, eyes slowly beginning to open. As they did, and she began to wake up, she remembered where she actually was.

This wasn’t her bed. Nor was it the sofa she’d fallen asleep on. That meant it wasn’t bees buzzing or landing on her… it was…
“Oh… Good morning,” Trisha smiled, warm and sleepy. Her eyes blinked open, sleep still a soft gauze over their pretty, hazel surface. She sluggishly rolled in Casey’s arms so she was facing him. She could already smell the food, waking up her appetite along with the rest of her body. It was earlier than she’d normally get up, probably, but she didn’t really mind. Trisha didn’t really have a specific sleep schedule - just when she wanted, tending to sleep long hours because she didn’t have much else to do. But early mornings and shorter hours of sleep were fine too. “I think I want to be woken up like this every morning… Well you don’t have to get breakfast every time. Just the hugging is much nicer than an alarm… definitely much nicer than a bee alarm.”

She yawned, reaching up a hand to rub her eyes, before slowly blinking and seeming to properly wake up. “How did I get in the bed? I definitely didn’t fall asleep here…”

Casey smiled at Trisha like the sun was coming out of his mouth. Pure unadulterated happiness washed over him like an ocean wave a hundred feet tall. He rubbed his hands against her back for a moment.
”The couch has legs, he brought you in.”

“Oh of course, I should’ve known,” Trisha laughed, rolling her eyes good naturedly and craning her neck to glance over Casey’s shoulder. “It managed to get through that door? Or did you patch up the hole it made while I was asleep?”

He scrunched his head into the crook of her neck and shoulder, laughing. He squeezed her tight, then finally pulled away and stood up.
”When I woke up, I managed to get you in there before you got too jostled. Now, sit up. Lemmie get your pillows, so you can be comfy while you eat. You want the TV?” he kissed the top of her head.

He reached for a second pillow on the other side of the bed, propping her up nicely before swinging the tray over and sliding it over her lap. It was quite the spread.
”I don’t know how you like your tea or coffee, but I’m on demand for any condiments. Milk, cream, sugar, just ask. Oh, let me get you a napkin too.”

He slipped out of the door, coming back with a cloth napkin that he daintily laid next to her, along with a spoon, fork and knife.

“Wow.” Trisha was honestly overwhelmed, but in a good way. He’d gotten a whole selection, and actually brought it to her on a tray in bed. She’d… never really had someone look after her like this. It was nice but disconcerting. She wasn’t even sure where to start. With a drink choice, probably. “Just some milk for the coffee? No need for TV- what’s even on at this time? The news? That’s never fun.”

The news was what her mom would watch every morning, ignoring all conversation from Trisha. It was a step up from the finance programs often on in the Vanburen household, where the oldest or biggest got to choose. She didn’t feel the need for that background noise, comfortable with how things were.

Before Casey went to get milk, and she started eating, she leaned over and stretched up to plant a soft kiss on his cheek.
“Thank you, this is actually… yeah… it’s really nice.” She picked up the knife and spread a thin layer of butter on one half of the bagel, before putting on a slightly thicker layer of jelly. She picked it up and took a bite, smile immediately widening. It was as good as normal… he’d really gone to the bakery she’d said about. Not that she’d expected him to try lie about it, just it was a bit out of the way. “You’re eating too, right? This is wayyy to much for just me in the morning.”

Casey came back with milk and sugar, and he snagged one of the tarts from the plate.
”Yeah, absolutely. A lot of things make me feel like shit, but bread and sugar aren’t in that category. I think breakfast was invented by someone who skipped dessert a lot.” he mused, settling down on the empty side of the bed and munching away. He had his own coffee in his hand, black with a lot of sugar.

“It definitely was… At least, breakfast like this, rather than boring toast and cereal,” Trisha smiled, pouring milk into her coffee and taking a sip. It was a bit hot so she put it back down to continue eating the bagel. She twisted her head to look at Casey as she did. “I used to skip breakfast a lot as a kid. Was up late every night so I didn’t have time before school… Don’t know how I did it, it’s the best meal of the day. Maybe I just think that cause I’ve gotten more of a sweet tooth since I got the bees.”

Casey laughed thinking about all the meals he’d missed in his life.
”Our Dad used to always make sure we were eating five meals a day. Small ones. He learned all he knew about fitness from this Guru who was friends with our Grandfather, and the guy was always talking about constantly feeding your gut and making sure it was well worked. You are what you eat, all of that.”
He scarfed down the tart, following it with another sip and nodding.
”So it was all snacks. Apples and tapas and charcuterie boards and these-”

Casey held both his hands up in a box that was about ten inches in height.
”-massive fuckin’ protein shakes. We called ‘em garbage cups, he’d throw everything in. Like, cooked chicken, banana, peanuts, kale. First time I had a chocolate bar, I thought I was going to explode.”

Trisha’s nose scrunched up, and grimaced.
“That sounds… horrible. All of that blended together? I think I would’ve thrown it up- just thinking about it, ew.” She shook her head, taking another smaller bite of the bagel and washing it down with some coffee. “I knew a couple of people who went on these protein shake diets, but it was this powder blend. Not that. What is blended chicken even like… actually, don’t tell me. I don’t think I can handle it.”

Not when she was eating. Or ever, actually. The ‘protein shakes’ sounded like they were something out of a horror movie. “My one or two meals a day seems quite good in comparison. I’m quite glad no one had the time to force a protein shake like that down me- well, it probably would’ve been caviar or something. Dad was always away and mom lives on the other side of the country. One of my older sisters tried to take that role, but it didn’t really work out. She’s-”

Trisha didn’t really know how to describe Tansy- the queen bitch of the Vanburen family. She’d rather not. Her munching got a bit more aggressive as she finished off the half of the bagel, reaching for the cream puff.
“Oh, I think she’d get on with your mom, actually. She did try and push certain ways of eating on us, but it was normally diets. I started skipping dinner for a while so I didn’t have to hear her go on and on about how we should all be eating salads, and oh, there was this special type of water that was better for you than normal water. But… she never tried to feed me blended chicken.” Trisha couldn’t help but laugh at that.

Casey watched Trisha polish off her bagel with fervour and took a mental note that it was the first thing she went for. Typically that was the first thing to go, but if she did so much to it he figured it had to be something she liked.
Maybe she was the type to go for her favourites first, or maybe she was just serious about breakfast just like she was saying.

”The only time I ever heard about special water was when this melonhead from the Reserve office tried to get me signed up for a fuckin’ pyramid scheme. What’d she have like a special filter or something bogus like that?”
The same Private, Casey remembered, was discharged a few weeks later for trying to sell an MP some dope. Moron.

"Hmm I think it had like, shit added into it?” Trisha mumbled out around eating the cream puff. Her eyes squinted slightly as she tried to remember. It had been a while ago and there was always someone in the Vanburen house trying to push some fad. "Like extra minerals and shit added in, electrolytes… it was probably a pyramid scheme that she was running. Supposedly it'd make your skin 'glow' and give you more energy. Honestly it-” Trisha paused, stifling laughter. “It definitely made something glow when I threw some of it in her face.”

She finished the cream puff and paused, just picking up her mug of coffee and sipping it. Honestly, she wanted to eat more but after all that chicken last night there was no way she could. Maybe if she waited a bit.
“So… what are the plans for today?” she smiled at Casey over her coffee. Based on their talk last night, she had an idea of where that might be… however the cat to mother communication went. Or some other way she had to find out, as controlling as she sounded. “Need to know how much coffee to drink to prepare, and if I need that shot.”

There was a warm laugh when he imagined her dumping water into some older lady’s face. He didn’t know why, those kinds of cruel acts usually didn’t sit well with him, but… He imagined her cute face scrunched up in anger, or the way she maybe bounced without realising that she even did it.
It was the same sort of reason you’d get a terrier; feisty but tiny. However, she did drop the question. The Question. She asked if she needed the shot.

”Well, in terms of what I had originally planned, I figured we’d hang around here until the afternoon, bask in one another’s company for a little while longer, then head out. I thought I’d bring you home, give you some personal time if you wanted it or at least let you get some day clothes. After that, sort of depended on what you were going to say. But…-”
Casey grimaced, eyes closing for a moment as he took another sip of his own coffee and bit down on a donut, then followed with a second sip.
”-Well, I had quite the morning while you were sleeping… Shouldn’t say quite, I feel like that’s too much credit. It was annoying. Leon showed up as I was leaving to get this stuff and tried to grill me because there was some trouble at the food tent after we left.”

Casey shrugged, looking down at his cup and then back up at Trisha. It was, he felt, going to be fine as long as she was there too. Like it wouldn’t be a problem if she believed it wouldn’t be.
”I talked him down, and he told me that he took the heat off me with our Mom. Which is great. But, I woke up with a ton of calls and texts from her and my sister. Nothing nasty, just informational shit and them basically repeatedly asking me to somehow answer the phone.
”It cuts off around three-thirty this morning, so I assume at that point she started snooping around the apartment with her magic and either the cats spilled the beans about you, or she knew I had a woman here last night, because after I got back, Hari told me that Lynette is… Expecting you.” he said with some discomfort.

“Oh,” was all Trisha said at first as she processed it all. If Casey had talked to Leon, did that mean Leon knew she was here? Had he tried to… discourage Casey from being with her? She knew he didn’t like her - most of the old coven didn’t. Even the ones she’d tried to be friendly with she’d been horrible to at the end, when the coven dissolved. Lashed out like always. But Casey was still here. He hadn’t just kicked her out so Leon probably hadn’t said anything…

The rest was a different matter entirely. So, Lynette could magically spy on them in some way. That didn’t sit well with her, a hint of discomfort springing in her chest. Had she shown herself in a bad way last night? She’d lost control of her bees. She wasn’t doing anything productive, like learning to- Wait. This wasn’t her own mother. Trisha forcefully cut off her thoughts.
”So you had a way better night than the rest of your family?” She started, before realising that was in poor taste if there was some kind of trouble. She took a big gulp of her coffee. The shot was definitely appealing, but one vodka shot and she’d be gone. “I guess we’re skipping all the minions and going straight for the boss fight then- sorry, one of my friends is big into gaming, rubbed off on me a bit. That’s fine. I guess it’s only fair if something happened last night… well not the snooping. But your family will be curious about what was so amazing you couldn’t look at your phone, right?”

She smiled warmly at him, putting down her cup and reaching out to take his hand. She gently squeezed it. Like it was nothing meeting his cult running, magically spying mother on day two.
“We’ll go there then… Well, let’s go to my place first. I want to change clothes and collect some bees.”

Casey felt the warmest wash of radiant emotion rake across his body like a storm of comets turning him into swiss cheese. Between the morbid joke and her unwavering desire to face fear and uncertainty, the word formed on the tip of Casey’s tongue like nuclear fusion. The power of the sun flung itself from his mouth.
”God, I fucking love-”
His voice hitched and he paused. It was brief, but long enough to notice.
”-how… I love how cool you are, Trisha Bee. Like you’re this badass chick, y’know? I show you a cake that heals you, you come play pool with me. I show you a pool cue that can play a perfect game by itself, you ask if you can come over my house. I show you two mind reading asshole cats, you sleep over. I tell you my Mom was probably watching us sleep together, you say let’s break the ice.”

Flabbergasted, Casey flung his hand about, letting it slap his thigh in punctuation.
”Just… So fucking cool. It’s great.” he finished, trying to play things cool and collected.

Trisha blushed slightly at all the compliments, the little anxious feeling in her chest completely replaced by a warm swell. It was something she could never get enough of, the reason she’d always swapped from partner to partner when the last one left her. The reassurance and the compliments that helped her feel just a little good about herself. This was different from normal, though, normally it was all about her appearance, how attractive she was. She’d never been called badass before. It was enough that she could… not think too much about the slight pause after the word love. Maybe he’d just not thought out what he was going to say. Yeah. Had to be that.

”Well, I did fight a world ending snake when I was fourteen. Of course I’m even cooler ten years later. I’ve also had my fair share of family drama… Somehow mom’s side of the family manages to be as insane as the side with dozens of half-siblings. One of my cousins punched one of my uncles once for stopping him fighting someone on the street, so then his kids started beating him up.” Not that she’d actually witnessed that, thanks to living in a different country, but she’d heard of it from one of the few cousins she had some kind of contact with. “So this is nowhere near enough to make me back down.”

She smiled brightly, finishing off her coffee. It had been good, the whole breakfast was good, and she wished she could eat more. But while her appetite was probably bigger than expected, she was still quite small.
”I don’t think I can eat anymore… Thanks for getting so much. Uh, nobody’s gotten me breakfast like this before. It was really nice. Definitely gives me plenty of energy to face the day- With this I can protect you from anything they throw at us.”

Casey grinned at her, listening about the cousin and not backing down. He was excited to see how she handled herself today, especially when his mother could lay things on so thick. It’s like she thought everyone wanted to be special to the point that they were royalty… Maybe Trisha would love it.

Regardless, he began to tuck into the things she left behind, slipping the knife through a donut and laying the bacon inside before chomping down on the absolute worst thing he could eat on the plate. His face was happy as he munched away until nothing was left.
”Do you want to hit the gym before we go? Or would you rather skip it for the day? I wouldn’t blame you, seems like we’ve got enough to do.”

He plucked up the tray, leaving the orange juice and slam dunking the shot with a throaty exhale.
”You’ve got a little bit regardless if you wanna just chill out. I’ve gotta finish the laundry and fix Leon’s stuff after I broke the fixture last night.”

“No way am I going to the gym and facing your mom for the first time in the same,” she shook her head. Honestly, going to gym that early wasn’t her idea of fun… Well, watching Casey work out was quite appealing, but not so much doing it herself. If she was going to have to do it, she’d take delaying the inevitable one more day.
“I don’t have any gym clothes either- I’d trip over doing it in these.” To punctuate her point, she kicked up on leg, showing off the too large sweatpants she still had on. “I’ll just relax here until we leave.”

Trisha flashed him a bright smile, before her eyes half closed again. She’d take this short period to try to let her mind rest before what was undoubtedly going to be a stressful day. But it’d be fine… so long as they managed to avoid her side of the family. Dealing with one would be enough.

---

Trisha’s (Sabrina’s) House

After laundry was done and fixtures were fixed, it didn’t take the two long to get to Trisha’s place. It wasn’t a long drive, and Trisha had Casey park along the street outside of the gated house. It was too much hassle to get another car in there… and they wouldn’t be there for long. She shoved around in her pockets for her keys, which were all held together by a cute little bee plush keychain.

“I’m on the ground floor, so we don’t have to go too far into the house,” Trisha explained as she led Casey through the front gate, unlocked with a key fob, and down a short path to the incredibly fancy, three-floor house she shared with her sisters. She shook her keys at the front door, pausing before she unlocked it. If Sabrina was in… she really didn’t want to have to stop and talk to her. This was just a quick in and out. Get changed, pack some clothes, check on the bees, and then leave.

She reached out for Casey’s hand, grasping it tightly. It wasn’t like she could forcefully drag him if she had to, but… hopefully she wouldn’t have to. Taking a deep breath, she unlocked the front door and stepped inside.

The massive living room was an absolute mess. There were bottles of alcohol and empty glasses strewn all across the table, pizza boxes beside them and on the couch, and evidence of at least on person sleeping on them. Trisha paused what had been a very purposeful walk in to just gape at it, squinting slightly. The bright white sofas and light themed decorations hurt her eyes slightly after growing adjusted to the gothic darkness of Leon’s apartment.

But, what the fuck had happened in there last night? Did Sabrina throw a party? Who had she had around to drink so much alcohol- sure, the four who lived here could go through that much in a night, but the other two were out of town… Trisha shook her head. She didn’t care, actually. At least there didn’t seem to be anyone around.

“Good thing we went to yours last night, and avoided all that,” Trisha commented offhandedly, while leading Casey further into the house. She took him down a hall directly opposite them, past a few closed doors and to one right at the end. There was a soft buzzing audible from about halfway down that got louder the closer they got to the room. Trisha once again shook her keys to find the right one, unlocking the door and pushing it open to let Casey in.

“Welcome to my home.”

The room was large, with the door they came in through in the middle of the wall. Directly to their right was a large, wooden bee hive. A constant buzzing came from inside of it, but there were only a few bees meandering in and out of it. The other wall it was against had a large window along most of its length. One of the topmost frames, a small square, was left open. Along from the hive and in front of the window was a large desk made out of light brown wood. It had two big computer screens on it, a desktop computer underneath it, and a notebook open over the keyboard with a bunch of scribbles.

Behind that, in the back right corner, was a queen-sized bed. It was high enough for there to be two drawers underneath it, covered in simple dark green sheets with a pile of about six pillows pushed towards one corner. The whole back wall was covered in tall shelving units. Some had books on them - a variety of mathematics textbooks, coding guides and mixed fiction - while others had storage boxes. Small plants decorated the shelves, interspersed with pictures. There was one of a much younger Trisha, with an Asian woman who looked similar enough to her to likely be her mom. The photograph had a clear coldness to it - Trisha’s smile was awkward, and the woman wasn’t smiling at all. But it had been placed in a prominent position, in the centre of a shelf. There were other pictures too - multiple of Trisha with a medium sized group of friends, Trisha with three other girls, one of the same group of friends in graduation gowns, and a solo picture of her graduating too. There was a distinct lack of family photos outside of the clearly displayed one with her mother.

In the left corner was a vanity table, with all sorts of makeup scattered across it. Along the left wall there were only a set of sliding doors, closed, and a slightly ajar door that showed a hint of a bathroom.

Upon entering, Trisha shut the door behind them, not bothering to relock it. Near immediately a couple of bees flew over to her, landing on her shoulders, from their right. She waved them away, consciously using her pheromones to stop them all from swarming her.

“Come over here, say hello.” Still holding Casey’s hand, she pulled him over to the hive. She carefully let her pheromones wash over it, soothing the bees and telling them that she was home. A group of about twenty came out, circling around her as if checking up on her, before landing on various places on her body. She turned to him with a warm smile.
“If you’re alright with it, I can get them to land on you… then they can get used to you so what happened yesterday is less likely to happen. I already let them know you’re not a threat. It’s pretty quiet just now because it’s winter, so they don’t have anything to do… Honestly, they all want to come out, but that’ll be annoying. It’ll just be a couple, but only if you want.”

Casey’s first impressions of the Vanburen house were good. It wasn’t like his Granparents’ house in New York, rather it was a dense little affair that didn’t spread across the landscape it inhabited. He found it comfy for how big it actually was, especially the three-floor height that loomed over the well manicured area. There were cars in the gated off driveway, so he understood why she didn’t want to bother having him find a parking space.

Nobody was going to break into his shitbox anyway, especially not in a neighborhood like this. Entering, he found the white and bright furniture reflecting the autumn morning’s light coming through the windows. It made the whole place feel like it was a big sphere of light, and while he found it easy to see, it wasn’t so welcoming. It felt too clean to sit on, or like it was made for display despite the food boxes stacked up on the table.

Her room was far more cozy, a single window behind the computer setup that he examined with careful interest. Casey’s eyes drew themselves to the books, and he grinned thinking about the fact that she wasn’t just cool in attitude, but cool in interest too. She had smart people books; the type of books he’d catch Junior reading, where there were formulas and math problems and the kind of technical jargon that made his ears ring.

But of course the show was the bees. The thousands and thousands of little girls he felt compelled to apologize to after his previous blunder. Casey had, before leaving, snuck a few fruits into his hoodie, as well as a small pill bottle filled with simple syrup.
He snapped one of the fruits in half with his bare hands, dumping some of the simple syrup on it and leaving it next to the hive before doing the same with the other half and repeating the process all over again for the other fruit.

”Think about this like it’s your first test of the day: Try and command as many as you’re comfortable doing, but keep an exact number in mind. We’ll see if you can control that many specifically. Don’t tell me.”

He dumped the rest of the simple syrup on his arms and held them out like he was going to hug the hive.
”Hi girls! I’m Casey… I hope we can get along, and I hope you know I’m real sorry about what happened last night! I can’t wait to see you guys moved to a place where you’ll be more comfortable. I’ll be sure to get a lot of flowers and stuff for you to rub your fuzzy little asses in… And bowls of fruit daily. You guys’ll love it, I promise.”

Trisha's eyes widened slightly, just staring at Casey for a moment in shock. He'd been stung by nearly a thousand bees yesterday… but today he was apologising to them and covering his arms with inviting syrup. She could sense the bees' interest, the ones on her moving closer to Casey until they were all gathered on one shoulder. At least the hive itself was stocked with honey for them to eat, stopping the whole swarm from coming out immediately to feast.

“They're going to like you better than me soon,” Trisha muttered, looking at the fruit. It wasn't that she was stingy with them, she just didn't make the effort. Getting fruit meant going to the kitchen or the shops, both of which came with interactions she couldn't be bothered with. Though the bees weren't actually bothered… it was endearing the effort he'd gone to, and the way he talked to them even though they couldn't understand.

“Alright, I'll try now.” She furrowed her brow and tried to quickly figure out how many she felt comfortable controlling. For a situation where she was having them attack something, thousands, close to the whole hive… but when it came to something like this, where she didn't want them to attack, probably… not that many. Not that many at all. Two-hundred. Anymore felt like a risk. “I'm going to try have half of them go on the fruit, half on your arms.”

She closed her eyes, taking a deep breath, before carefully adjusting her pheromones. The precise number was weaved into the scents, and a command to come out of the hive nicely and split between the fruit and Casey's arms. Near immediately the buzzing coming from it grew louder. A large group of bees flew out, a mass of black and dark yellow. It split in two, half descending on the syrup covered fruit and the other half on Casey's arms. There were enough to cover the lower half of both of his arms - definitely way more than two hundred in total. Unlike the day before, they clearly weren't in attack mode- instead they started to suck up the syrup. It would feel like hundreds of little tickles all across his arms.

“Uhhh…” Trisha looked across all of the bees, lips tugging up into a smile at the sight of it before tilting her head up at him. “Do you want the number now, because I can tell you right away that's way more than I asked for."

Casey couldn’t help but giggle as the little bee feet and tongues lapped up the syrup off his arms. It was like being tickled by a thousand little feathers or something, each one independently controlled. It was impressive how much warmer his arms were with a mass of bees on them.
”Way more? That’s pretty funny, actually. From the two experiences I have now, it seems like you overestimate? Or overcompensate, but either way there’s something funny going on.”

He beamed at Trisha, ecstatic about the fact that he was having such a meaningful interaction with the bees. He made sure he kept his muscles loose and his heart rate down, but he kept twitching with each tickle.

”It’s stuff like this that you could impress Blinds with. People love stuff having to do with cute animals. Anyway,-” he laughed, looking around Trisha’s room while the bees went about their business. ”-whatever you need to do, you go for it. I’ll be here. If you gotta change, I guess I’ll close my eyes, or you can try having the bees give me a blindfold, that’d be a neat test. No possible reason they’d try to sting my eyes out of my head, right?”

Trisha shook her head at him, unable to stop her soft smile back. It was pretty cute seeing all the bees on his arms, so happily drinking away. She was being bombarded with content pheromones, increasing the warm feeling blooming in her chest. The fact she overcompensated with them… well, she could see where that came from. She didn't really want to think about it right now. Just enjoy the moment for now.

“I'm not making you a bee blindfold, I don't want to risk your eyes, then how will you see me?” Trisha joked, though she really wasn't confident in doing that anyway. They didn't see a threat right now and she was very calm, but her bees were used to being commanded to fight and attack and not much else. Maybe that was part of the problem. She gestured to the two doors along the opposite wall.
“I'll change in the bathroom, so just make yourself at home. The bees are happy enough you can probably move around with them.”

And she could sense their pheromones from anywhere in the room. After another quick check to make sure they were all behaving, Trisha went over to the sliding doors next to the bathroom door. She pulled them open to reveal a moderate sized walk-in wardrobe. The first half was visible, with two layers of racks with an assortment of clothes hanging from them. The open space between the actual storage went round to the right, where Trisha disappeared. What could be seen from the outside seemed to be sorted by colour, with some random exceptions here and there.

The bit Trisha had gone down into was messier. She'd gotten lazy with putting stuff away and ended up dumping a pile of clothes on the little stool she used to reach things she'd put higher up. She crouched down and pulled out a small suitcase from the very back corner. Honestly, she had no idea where they would sleep tonight but it was better to be prepared when she could be. She packed this first with a selection of outfits - more comfortable cargo pants and tank top combinations, a few nice dresses, a skirt, a hoodie and sweatpants, and some sportswear for the gym. She was quite efficient in her packing, managing to squeeze quite a lot into the small space before she was satisfied.

Then there was the question of what to wear today. Normally Trisha dressed for her audience. She had so many clothes not because she was into fashion, or even particularly cared about clothes. It was because she dressed to give a specific impression towards the people she'd be around. To her, it was just another thing to use to get the attention she craved. If she was dressing for an audience the answer today was obvious - anything black. The gothic aesthetic wasn't one she'd ever delved into, nor did she plan to, but she had plenty of black clothes. She could pull it off if she wanted to.

But that wasn't what she was actually going for today. She didn't want to fit in with a cult. The person she wanted to impress was Casey, not his mom and all of her followers. With that in mind, she took a few moments to pick out an outfit before nipping round into the bathroom to get changed.

“Are they still behaving?” Trisha asked when she came out of the bathroom after not too long. It was a complete change from the cargo pants and crop top she'd been wearing before. A loose, white blouse was tucked into a light blue floral print circle skirt. It fell to just above her knees, incredibly flowy, and she'd worn shorts underneath just in case she had to… run away from cultists or something. Overall it was very cute and very ungothic. She made her way over to the vanity in the corner, sitting on the stool in front of it.

“I only need a little bit longer,” she said, beginning to brush her long hair. After getting out all of the kinks, she pulled it up into a high ponytail, leaving a few shorter strands at the front loose to frame her face. Makeup would be next - normally she didn't wear much, she just didn't feel entirely comfortable going out without it. But she paused, twisting around to look at Casey. “Oh, I packed at least a week's worth of clothes… I figured it'd be useful to have in your car at least, if that's alright? I can leave it behind if it isn't, uh, if you weren't wanting, y'know, to stay together again tonight.”

Casey had been absolutely vibing with a few hundred bees wandering about on him. It was clear to see they were behaving just fine, and Casey was just lost in his flower child phase as he danced about with them. From the outside, it looked like he was imitating something, or someone… A dance he’d seen, the arms were outstretched at the torso like a T, and he undulated from one side to the other by bending his knees and twisting his torso.
Truthfully, he’d seen a gaggle of kids doing it, and was channeling his own inner child as he revelled in the acceptance of the bees.

He was doing the Stickbug Dance. With any amount of time on the internet, the mundane and innocent meme could be recognized from just about any angle. When Trisha came out to speak, he looked up at her like a kid caught doing something wrong.
”That’s a great idea, Trishabee. We’ll keep it in the car, and I’ll give you the spare key in case you have to make a quick getaway. Or if you wanted to keep it in the house that’s fine, I’m just thinking logistically…”

He looked at her with a great deal of admiration; she was very cute. He thought she was just… Just like one of her bees. She radiated in his eyes, and he felt the warmth of the bees around him.
”They forgive me I guess. I’m happy. Thank you, Babe… You take all the time you need.” he smiled softly, sweetly.

Trisha had recognised the dance Casey had been doing, which the bees had been enjoying a little too much. They seemed to enjoy the movement as they finished off the syrup on his arms. Now that it was done, some of them flew off of him and onto the fruit, some returned to the hive, and some continued to meander above his arms and up onto his shoulders. She stifled laughter, deciding not to comment on it… It was ridiculous and goofy but she actually found it quite endearing.

“If I was making a quick getaway, where would I be going except here, where the rest of my clothes are?” She asked with a light laugh, returning his smile with a warm one of her own before turning towards the mirror in front of her and starting to go through her makeup. A light layer of foundation was put over her face before she kept talking.
“They definitely forgive you. In fact, I think they quite like you… most people don’t approach them covered in something they can eat. Keep giving them fruit and they’ll choose you over me. I’m a stingy mom.”

Though, she was fairly certain the bees had forgotten what happened yesterday. They certainly didn’t know he was the one who’d reduced their numbers. But she wasn’t going to burst his bubble. She kept getting ready, not taking long just like she’d said. Some concealer on worse spots, blush on her cheeks, simple dusky pink eyeshadow and soft pink lip gloss. It took her less than ten minutes in total. Once she was done she picked up all of the products she’d used, along with a couple of more, and went to get the suitcase she’d packed. Makeup was haphazardly thrown on top of neatly folded clothes. She also grabbed a soft, navy wool coat and shoved her phone in its pocket.

“Oh,” she straightened up, and went over to one of the storage boxes she had. She pulled out a simple, sealed jar filled with golden liquid and held it up. “Should we bring some honey? Maybe it can be a peace offering if your mom takes one look at me and decides I’m not good enough- or a weapon, to be thrown at someone. Very versatile.”

She played with the jar in her hands, looking away for a moment. She was a lot more nervous about the first scenario happening than she was the more likely one - his mother trying to lovebomb her and eventually control her. She’d be able to handle that a lot better.
“Honey decision aside, I’m ready.”

Casey shrugged his arms a bit and giggled.
”However we handle this, I’ll grab honey and we’ll go. There’s a bunch of pastries in the back? I guess I can open one of the donut boxes and they can chill out in there? Or do you keep them in your coat or something?”
He did his best to waddle over to her, slowly waving his arms to give the bees a gentle rocking motion.
”But as far as you bugging out? I’m gonna talk to someone about this shit, try and find someone from the Corps who can protect you if I fail for some reason.”

“Normally they hide in my coat or my hair or under my shirt. They prefer being near me.” Trisha laughed as he waddled over, deciding to give him a break and asking the bees to get off his arms. The ones that were on his arms flew over and onto Trisha, gathering on her as she pulled her coat. They moved into her sleeves and onto her back, most of them hidden. A few of them stayed on Casey, seeming reluctant to leave. She rolled her eyes at them, but let them be for just now.

“I- Thank you for thinking about that,” Trisha said softly. She closed the remaining gap between them, hugging him and pressing her face against him. The remaining bees on him crawled onto her shoulder and into her ponytail. “Hopefully it doesn't come to that… I'm sure just being with you is a father wolf deterrent. He seems to get people when they're alone- I wouldn't want him to get you either.”

She shook her head, letting go of him and stepping back. The thought of Father Wolf getting her, or getting Casey trying to defend her, wasn't a pleasant one. She'd been trying her best not to think about it, and everytime she did it made her nervous- well, beyond nervous.
“It's nice to have someone who cares that much- but I don't want to dwell on that danger, let's go face a slightly less murderous one- sorry, I shouldn't say that about your mother…”

Casey openly laughed.
”Oh, very dangerous. Once watched her beat Leon with a book of poems for like thirty minutes, and he never picked his hands up to her. Foot and a half taller, hundred fifty pounds heavier, and he just took the beating. That’s power; that’s danger.”
He shrugged, hugging her gently and making sure he wasn’t too tough on the bees. It was a bit of a nightmare, not wanting to scuff them up at all.

”You’re like a walking hive; it must be a nightmare if you accidentally fall over.”
When he let her go, he swung around the corner and looked at the stack of custom wooden boxes she had for keeping the honey. It was fantastic that she had this much, and he imagined her sitting around listening to music while she emptied out the grubless combs and getting the jars all sealed in a boiling pot of water.

He pulled the top crate off the stack and held it in his hand. A dozen jars, sixteen fluid ounces a piece, he figured he was carrying close to forty pounds between the honey, glass and wood of the box. No trouble, it was like a couple cans of ammunition. Just like a box of grenades, he slid it up onto his shoulder next to his head.
There was space for it in the back of the car on the seat opposite the pastries, and he pulled out a donut to eat while they continued their drive.

From Trisha’s house to the opposite was a twenty minute drive around the perimeter of the city, the highway forming a bubble around the outskirts consisting of four sets of off and on ramps serving as the gates in and out. They took the last one, and ended up in a forested suburban area where the homes became older and the spans between grew longer and wider until it felt like they were nowhere at all.

---

Temple Holy Ground

When it felt like reality was gone, and like there wasn’t anyone around for miles, there was a road. A road with a sign that was a little sun rising over a forest. Gold and orange and white colors, no words or lettering of any kind breaking it up.
It was like a summer camp. At least, until the gate. It was open, there wasn’t any sort of post or anything, but it was clearly a gate and a fence, and they weren’t just chain linked. Metal, with inverted slopes that were dotted by knife-like barbs packed tightly in clusters along the edge. Truly hostile architecture, designed to warn outsiders that it was not a place they were welcome.

”Dad built the walls in a day. The property is roughly six hundred acres; its close to a square mile of protected rural space interspersed by buildable zones. The back area has aura gates that can sort animal from man, so they don’t let people in through the property but the animals can still move freely.” he smiled as he thought about it, his hand leaving the wheel to point into the woods around the road.

”Out there, you see ‘em?”
There were deer out there. He slowed down enough to let her see them, and it became much more clear that they weren’t normal deer. Their antlers were dark, burnished metal that matched their eyes and noses and hoofs.
”Those are project deer… The agriculturalists are working on a project trying to figure out what sorts of extra-dimensional livestock we can replicate here in our world. Their bones are this crazy organic metal.”

“What the fuck? They made them?” Trisha gaped at the deer, leaning closer to the window to get a proper look at them. Outside of the Stygian Snake and all of its minions, she’d never actually seen anything from another dimension. And all the apparitions or similar she’d encountered were… quite frankly, horrible. “Their bones are made of metal? Does that make them super heavy?”

”Yeeeeeeah… They’re beautiful, but they’re not doing so well. Apparently where they come from, the gravity is real low. See how they’re so tall and lanky?”
He pointed at the bull of the group. They were far away, but they were essentially twelve feet tall without the antlers.
”I guess the metal is from their diet, but they developed it because the normal calcium bone structure is actually too weak to keep them together. They did some kind of fucked up experiments I guess, like tracking their evolution through some crazy Pink/White spells. Imagine seeing like, millions of years of evolution that you have to parse out? We have some serious eggheads behind these walls.”

He sped the car up again, finally taking them down the lane to the cul-de-sac that served as the gathering quad for the Temple’s various facilities. Half a dozen buildings of various aesthetic and size shared parking lots on both sides of the ring, and a big chapel style building sat at the back center. It was up on a small hill, looking down on the other buildings like a looming parent.

Casey looked at the radio clock. Close to ten in the morning. Most of their fellow twenty-somethings were either at their jobs already, or still sleeping, so the area was mostly empty. There were a few younger men tossing a football around in one of the grassy areas, and the first blatant display of magical usage as one of them snagged the ball away from another in a burst of light.
There was an ensuing argument as the car pulled into the spot. The manoeuvre had blown the ball apart, so the game was clearly over. But they saw Casey pull in, and they began to approach them. Casey smiled and waved, speaking casually to Trisha as he put the car in park.

”Ah, some slaaaaves.” he giggled, looking over at her then back. ”They’ll take care of the food and the honey, and I don’t even know their names. They know me though!”

And they did. As he got out of the car, they started babbling at him about one thing or another as if he remembered that they’d spoken previously. They probably had, so he played along until they finally got to the point and helped take the pastries into the great room.
By that time, figures had gathered up at the top of the hill at the door of the chapel. For the first time, Trisha Vanburen’s eyes would be able to meet the piercing blue eyes of the captivating widow known as Lynette Richoux.

Her long hair was tied in a single thick, braided tail that fell around her front. She was holding the end of it in her hands, playing with the split ends at the bottom of the braid. She was wearing some kind of robe with multiple scarfs, and some hanging gold baubles that danced about her hidden knees.
At her side, there was a young woman who looked like she was trying desperately to be Lynette’s twin. She had twin tails, loose closer to the head and tight at the ends in triple spools. Both were raven haired, and she had the same piercing blue eyes.

Casey gasped.
”She’s not wearing fuckin’ black! My Gods, is it all ending?”
”I can fucking hear you Casaeu L’del… You know we’re approaching the Solstice.”
”No, Mama, I think you just didn’t want to intimidate your new best friend.”

Casey reached for Trisha’s hand. It shook a bit, even though he tried to hide it by squeezing her hand harder. He may not have sounded like he had a problem talking with his Mother that way, but the physical sensation was completely different.
But he looked at Trisha and he smiled, dropping his head slightly with a laugh. He nodded up a bit at the impending.
”C’mon. Lets do this together.”

[FernStone]

Temple Holy Ground

Trisha stifled laughter at Casey’s comment with her free hand, squeezing his back. She could feel it shaking, so she didn’t comment when he squeezed hers hard enough that it was uncomfortable. She tilted her head up towards him with a reassuring smile.
“Do you have to walk up this hill every time you visit? And I thought all the stairs at dad’s manor were a pain… Alright, let’s do it.”

She squinted up at the two women at the top of it, taking a deep breath. While there was something intimidating in those eyes, she wasn’t going to let it get to her. The bees in her coat softly buzzed, catching onto the tension she felt, until she subtly let out soothing pheromones to calm them down. With them now quiet, and holding Casey’s hand, it was easy to walk up the hill with faux confidence. It wasn’t that she was especially nervous, it was just the normal nerves from meeting her boyfriend of a day’s cult leading mother.

“Hello,” Trisha said as they reached the top, still holding onto Casey’s hand. She wasn’t planning to let it go anytime soon, but she smiled pleasantly at Lynette. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Mrs Richoux. I’m Trisha Vanburen, Casey’s girlfriend.”

She jumped right into it, figuring that it was best to get an introduction out of the way. She wasn’t actually fond of emphasising her family name, generally preferring to be looked at for herself rather than her family, but here she needed it for some kind of equal footing. It was best to get it out of the way. She glanced at the younger woman next to Lynette, then back at Lynette herself. They were both wearing robes.
“Oh, is there some kind of uniform? I would’ve pulled out my old robes from the Sycamore days if I’d known they were required.”

Lynette’s cool face split open with a smile instantly. She was a tall woman, close to six feet herself, and she leaned in a little bit to look at Trisha. A laugh escaped from her lungs.
”Oh, would you? Y’know, Leon’s is inside!”
Her eyes turned up to her son, a hand lashing out and stroking his angular chin.
”Casey, you little bastard… What does go on in that mind of yours?”

She squeezed his cheek, and he made the look a cat does when it gets displeased. His eyes squeezed shut and he pulled his head back. He made a gagging noise as he did so.
”Back, beast woman.” he croaked, letting go of Trisha’s hand and bending to hug her properly. She did so back, then opened her arms to Trisha.
”We hug, sweetheart. Come here.”

The other girl was silent, coldly staring out into the distance as she waited for something. Anything.

Trisha didn’t want to hug Lynette. To her, familial hugs were strange. Really, any outside of a partner. It had taken a long war between her and one especially huggy friend before she got comfortable with it with any friends. Up until that point they’d all teased her about how incredibly tactile she was with partners, while being physically cold with everyone else. Unfortunately she didn’t really have a choice here. Just about managing to school her expression, Trisha stepped into Lynette’s arms and very loosely hugged her.

She escaped as soon as she could, right back to Casey’s side. She then looked at the other woman again, tilting her head. Was she just there for attempted intimidation? Silent, sullen, attempted intimidation?
“And who are you?” she asked, very bluntly.

Casey and Lynette both gave the same skeptical and cynical chortle. It was a typical moment between them, their wretched and half baked sense of humor a shared trait. The woman didn’t respond at first, and Lynette’s head slowly spun like a stone statue rotating on a plinth.
”Don’t be cunty about it, there’s other options.”
The girl gave a huff of air, sticking out her hand to shake.
”Alena Zöller. Crone Maven of the Temple of-”
”Yes yes, she fucking knows already Lena, now go and get the teeeeeea!”

Lena gagged, not even sticking around for the handshake. Lynette waved it off, grinning at Trisha somewhat wickedly.
”We’ll spare you the foreplay, Trisha. Our favorite little rat will probably spill all of our beans to you in due time, so I see no reason to not give you the chance to be comfortable. How’s that for an introduction?” she asked Trisha very directly.

From when Lynette told the girl, Lena, that there were other options, Trisha knew who she was. The temple minion that was obsessed with Casey. She grew slightly more guarded at that, stepping closer to him so that she was practically slotted in against his side. She didn’t move away even when Lena was sent off.

“It was fine,” Trisha shrugged, though she didn’t entirely get what Lynette meant. Sending Lena away? Stopping her from going on and on about things Trisha didn’t care about? She looked up at Casey, then back over at Lynette.
“To help me feel comfortable, then, and before we… have tea, I guess, I do have something to say. I’m not going to join the Temple just because I’m dating your son. I’m also not going to break up with him if someone tells me to because I didn’t join. That won’t be a problem, will it?”

Lynette laughed, but the feeling of Casey being close was made closer when his hand squeezed hers again. He had to make sure she knew he was there with her.
”I think that you’re a very strong girl. I get that about you. Of course you are, you fought the Stygian Snake. It’s why you’re already a member, and you’re free to do as you wish, since you never asked for the membership. Come on, you two. I have some yelling and shouting to do.”

Casey’s nostrils flared.
”Not at me, and certainly not in front of company.”
”But you know I’m upset? You’ve been told?”
He scoffed as she turned her back, and they walked into the pew-lined chapel with the banners of orange and white and gold hanging. There were strange hanging plants that seemed to grow from blast marks in the walls and ceilings.
”Yes Ma, and I know what happened. Leon already filled me in.”
”Did you fucking thank him? That he, once again, has taken the blame for your shortcomings? Do you feel no shame about this pattern in your life?”

Casey grunted like he took mental damage directly. His eyes closed and he slumped his head slightly forward.
”Oh my God Ma, what? What? How the fuck could I have known that something was happening or was going to happen? We didn’t preemptively strike everything in the military, we’re not a bunch of robots.”

Lynette’s hand came up over her shoulder as she walked, waving it off.
”Trisha, Trisha… So, Casey? He is a cutie, he looks the most like his Dad.” she pivoted hard, swapping into a different topic as they hooked a left and headed down the stairs into the long hall of false walls. ”But he’s damaged goods! A nice Vanburen heiress like you can’t find someone else?”

There was a soft buzzing in the air. Trisha couldn’t hold back her agitation, polite smile dropping from her lips as they pressed together. It was just like with her own mom. Blame, harsh words, accusations of being a failure. Always the one in the wrong, no matter which house she was in. It must have been you, Patricia, you’re always causing problems. Don’t try to blame your brother. She gritted her teeth, grip on Casey’s hand tightening.

“Oh, I didn’t know that perfection was required in a partner,” Trisha said, tone flat. One bee had crawled out from her jacket to her neck, the ones in her hair moving to its surface. “Don’t you know how many of us there are? I’m at least tenth in line. I’ll probably get nothing when my brother dies. I’m not looking for someone else. Casey’s nice, and funny, and he treats me well. Don’t make it sound like I’m lowering myself or some other shit.”

A nice Vanburen heiress, sure. She was certainly one of those things. But she wasn’t exactly undamaged herself. It wasn’t something she was willing to lay out in Casey’s defence, but she’d seen and been through enough. She may not have been in a war, but she’d fought the Stygian Snake at only fourteen.
“I don’t care if he’s ‘damaged goods’, whatever that means. I still like him.”

As they made their way down the hall, a wall was already open and they were able to step through the square gap that was the width of two doors. Inside was a dark room with some of the bright white and gold banners strung up across the wall where it meets the ceiling. There was a tea pot and a few cups set up for them, and some of the pastries were already at the table along with a jar of the honey.

Lynette was quiet at first, and she took her seat in one of the warm leather chairs. The little orbiting spheres clanked against the metal of the chair’s bottom, falling silent as they came to resting positions. She opened one of the boxes and immediately went for a chocolate filled croissant… Casey was almost too frustrated to watch her eat his favorite treat on him.

”That was real sweet of you, Babe… Thank you for your words.”
Lynette nodded as she chewed away at the croissant. Lena was already filling little asian style teacups up with amber liquid. Casey purposefully pulled his Channeler out and slipped the glove onto his free hand. There was a pen on the table, and he took it in the gloved hand before he dipped it into the tea that had been given to them. As he did, Lynette smiled.

”You’re sweet, Casey. Checking the tea for poisons… We raised you right, didn’t we?”
He stared daggers back at Lynette, whose smug sarcastic grin ate her face.
”You’re a good one, Trisha. That’s nice. I’m glad you’re not a shallow little rich girl like I assumed. You and my little late bloomer… So, one night? It was cute, I expected to open my eyes in that corner and see him sleeping, but not with you there. Certainly not clothed either. Taking things slow huh?”

Casey grimaced, pulling the Lux infused pen out of the tea and reading the clear signal. He slid the cup to Trisha, confident in its safety before taking his own.
”You’re so rotten sometimes. Leon says you want to make up for things, but you always treat us like this.”
Lynette frowned mockingly.
”I asked Trisha a question, Bubba… Let her answer it, please.”

“I wasn’t in a rush to answer.” Trisha looked at Lynette over the top of her cup, taking a sip. She grimaced, reaching for the jar of honey and putting about three spoonfuls in her tea. Honestly, she didn’t really like tea. At the smell of honey, a couple of bees flew from her hair onto the edge of the cup.
“If not sleeping together on the first night is taking it slow then yes, we are. Especially if someone could be watching us at any time.”

She tried to stay and act calm, even though Lynette’s question did rile her up a bit. For Trisha it was unusual, because her normal order was all messed up. She did normally sleep with someone on the first night, and it was the only thing she felt she had to keep any partners. But here she was… She should be confident about it. Ignore the worries. Ignore the obsessive girl still in the room who also liked her boyfriend. But she couldn’t keep down her irritation, tone turning slightly harsher.
“It shouldn’t matter to anyone but us. I’m not in a rush, there’s more to dating than that- why do you care, anyway? Worried it might last longer than one night?”

”How could I be worried? My little Autumn Flower deserves the best, and that best is sitting in front of us right now!”
Lynettes hand gestured to Trisha, sweeping and taking her teacup to her lips. She didn’t blink; her eyes barely shifted at all, and they were so blue. Like staring up at the sky after the clouds part ways, they were intense and encompassing and devoid of expression. This woman had the ultimate kind of poker face, her entire facial structure a relaxed and unknowable blank canvas that one could apply any kind of projection to.

”I really think you both have the wrong impression here. Of me, and us, and how we function! But, I know my son… Don’t I, Casey?”
”Yep, pretty easy to do when the therapist you send him to has mindreading powers and sees his relationship with you as something far more important than any kind of confidentiality clause that his medical degree made him swear to uphold.”
Casey’s own face was flat. The expression screamed “Stop fucking with me” in a very loud and vocal way, his brow slightly wrinkled and lips pursed together in a wide, flat expression.

Lynette laughed aloud, her smile opening again.
”That’s not what I meant, Casey.”
”Really? How the fuck else can you mean a statement like that, because it sure as shit doesn’t mean you were some kind of doting and attentive mother. You hold the sugar cube out to people and then blast them with the taser you keep hidden in your other hand if they eat it in a way you don’t like.”

The woman scoffed, leaning back hard in her chair and letting her arms dangle like a teenager being admonished for doing something they didn’t think was bad.
”See? That! Its your attitude, Ma! You think your shit doesn’t stink, like you’re fucking right about everything!”
Lynette looked very blase, sighing in a mocking fashion.
”Trisha… Listen. Since Casey’s feelings are so tumultuous, I’m gonna need your help in a really big way. We don’t know one another at all, so I can’t expect you to be on my side about this, but… Can I ask a favor of you?”

She finally fixed her posture in the seat, leaning forward with both her hands clasped together.
”Being the outsider you are… Can you find it in your heart to trust me? To give me, a woman who has done a great deal of things the wrong way and is willing to admit to it, a chance to prove that things can be better?” she asked in an incredibly sincere tone.
It was such a different tone, jam packed with baseline sincerity and lacking in any kind of persona or bravado that would otherwise be present. She wasn’t a new person, but it certainly seemed like either something had possessed her until now, or that now she was being possessed.

There was a bit of a tell, however. Lena, still standing just behind her Mistress, scrunched her face into a confused scowl.

Trisha took another, long drink of tea to cover up a laugh. Trust. Right. Who did Trisha truly, entirely trust? Herself, her bees. To a small extent members of her family and now Casey. But certainly not someone when they just asked for it. When they changed their attitude and tone just like that. She'd experienced it herself - the difference in someone when in public, and behind closed doors. Normally they didn't switch like this.

Her eyes, appearing dark brown with little light to reflect, moved from Lynette to Casey. His expression was easy to read, a direct contrast to how he'd been when it was just the two of them. She ignored the hint of joy she felt at that. Then, she glanced at Lena. Clearly the second tone was the outside one… the attempt to win Trisha over. Perhaps. Not that Trisha trusted any of it. Harsh words were much easier to trust than kind ones, though.
“I don't know why you're asking me," Trisha tilted her head towards Casey, shuffling along slightly so one of her legs tapped against his. “Asking for trust isn't really a favour. But sure, I'll give you a chance… If Casey would like me to. I'm not the one that needs proof 'that things can be better', really."

She turned her head to fully look at Casey, smiling warmly at him, before returning to a more neutral - perhaps somewhat sullen - expression towards Lynette.
“I'm not the kind of girl that wants a relationship with my partner's mom outside of him. So you should fix that first without my help."

Lynette’s expression turned downward into a frown, and she took a deep breath as her eyes slowly rotated to Casey.
”I… Am well aware of my shortcomings. Can you explain?” she gave a real and actual frown to Casey. He knew that expression.

Clearing his throat, Casey spoke up.
”You breach that kind of trust with every interaction, Ma. I never would’ve joined the Reserve if that whole shit hadn’t happened when I got home, and you know that.”
”And I apologized up and down…”
”But the point is that you couldn’t be sorry. Because every time I come home you do it again. You try to be subtle, you try and hold back, but you make these little comments and expressions on your face. You do it because you’re manipulative, and you know that I’ll read into them. Nowadays, you just have the balls to not be subtle about it, as if I’m supposed to trust you like that.”

Lynette’s hand came up to her face and formed a lip over her eyes like she was trying to block out the sun. Deflection of scrutiny.
”And y’know it wouldn’t be so bad if you didn’t treat me like I was stupid. Like I’m some sort of freak for not wanting Doctor Rhodes to give me a brain massage so that I can forget the last decade of my life…”

The lid lifted from Lynette’s face. Little tears were forming.
”I don’t think it’s wrong to want you comfortable.”
”Its wrong because you’re his boss. Not Doctor Adlebranch, not the Board of Health for the State… You. You say jump he jumps. You say manipulate my son’s brain so he’s more compliant? He asks how much.”

That’s when he turned to Trisha, a frown on his face as well.
”She asked you because she knows there’s no chance in Hell I’ll ever trust her without someone special vouching for her. Because there’s too much history, too many precedents, too much baggage for me to fully buy anything she has to say. She knows I won’t give her the time of day.”

The tears in Lynette’s eyes were falling in a stream now, her frame hanging in the chair with her legs pulled tight to her chest beneath the billowing robes.
”How can I expect my Baby to believe me when I’ve hurt him? Let him be hurt? And the fucking Military turned him from a sweet little boy into a robot. He wouldn’t even hug me after he came home from his first tour.”

Casey leaned back in his chair.
”Can you not embarrass us in front of Trisha? Believe it or not, we did come here with something like an olive branch.”
Lynette’s teary face looked at Trisha, then back to Casey.
”W-what do you mean?”

“It's more of a honey branch," Trisha side-eyed Casey, completely unbothered by Lynette's crying. She had a sister that could do that - the hysterical crocodile tears when things didn't go her way. At a push, Trisha could cry on command too. She definitely didn't use it like this, though. Everything his mother said was a deflection - the military had turned him into a robot? Trisha hadn't known him before that, but he was the complete opposite with her now. You tended to not want to hug people that hurt you…

“Here," Trisha stretched out, hand curling around the jar of honey on the table and pushing it towards Lynette. With it being a simple, completely unlabelled jar it was obvious it hadn't come from any kind of shop.
“It's a peace offering. I made it myself- well, my bees made it, I extracted it. Magical bee honey that you won't find anywhere else."

She glanced at Casey, corner of her lips twitching up into a smile as if to say, 'see, I'm up selling it with magic like you suggested.' One of her bees meandered out of her sleeve, coming to rest on one of her outstretched fingers, seeming to be watching Lynette.
“We even brought a whole box of it. So, we really didn't come here for a fight." Though, they'd certainly been expecting it to turn into something like this, it was an easy lie to tell. “Try some, it's not poisoned."

While her tears didn’t end, she did unfurl herself from her weak fetal position in order to rejoin the conversation.
”This… Is where I have problems. What am I supposed to say? Am I supposed to pretend like Kane and Abel didn’t tell me about the bees? Or about how I know you can’t control them, but you want to ask for help feeding them? Am I supposed to just let the two of you go on about a plan that I already like and want to help with?”

Casey nodded his head.
”Yeah, Ma. You don’t tell other members of the congregation that you’re spying on them.”
”But isn’t that dishonest to you? And to her?”
”There’s a really easy solution, Mama…”

Casey’s hand reached out across the table. Lynette’s hand instinctively took it without thinking. Their eyes locked.
”Stop. Fucking. Spying. On. Me.”
The woman looked dejected. Entirely deflated, like she lost everything.
”How can I… Make sure you’re okay?”
Casey grinned, turning his head to Trisha, then back to Lynette.
”You asked Trisha to trust you earlier, right? Well, why can’t you trust me to stay safe?”
”You signed up to fight in a World War. You told me you felt safer in a crater than you did at home.”

Casey nodded. His thumb instinctively rubbed Lynette’s hand, the son in him still wanting to comfort his mother despite all the trepidation in his body tell him not to comfort her because she didn’t deserve it.
But she was his Mom, and he loved her in the terrible way one loves their blood. The way where he was desperate to give her the trust she craved. But how could he ever think it wasn’t a trick?
”I did. And I told you I’d kill myself before I ever called you my Mother again, but here we are, right? I still call you Mama, just like I did as a kid. I still come around, even though I shake and quake with anxiety whenever I do because I know that inevitably we’ll be here again. Here in this situation, where I’m reassuring you again that I don’t hate you. So, maybe you can do me a favor and give us some trust. Some trust, and some space? You and Dad raised us in this faith: I haven’t ever strayed from that, and I know you understand why that’s been difficult for me to deal with.”

There was an incredibly strange aspect to this whole relationship that, until now, hadn’t reared its head. Religion. It was easy to forget, with all the hedonism and lack of any clear religious structure, that there was some sort of faith to be had here.
Never mind what the faith was centered around…

Lynette forcefully wiped the tears from her eyes and jumped to her feet, rounding the table and pulling Casey into an embrace. It must’ve been sincere somehow, since she didn’t take the free time to glare or anything. She held him tightly, rubbing his shoulder.
”Of course my children would be my most loyal… And most worthy of my trust. Why else would you come to me?”
One of Casey’s hands reached back, looking for Trisha and finding purchase on her leg. He patted her gently, letting his hand rest there as he dealt with the situation at hand.

”Y-you… You bless me with your understanding, Voice of Grace. Now, maybe we can talk about real things?”

She pulled away, clearing her throat. Her gaze immediately went up to Trisha with a certain amount of concern.
”Of… Of course, absolutely.”
”And we’ll take it from the top? Like you don’t know what’s going on?”
Lynette nodded her head and took a deep breath before making her way back to her seat. However, she went around the opposite way, stepping behind Trisha’s seat and hugging her for a moment from behind.
”First impressions are hard, aren’t they?” she asked with an absentminded tone, sitting back down and taking the jar of honey.

She rolled it in her hands, a weak smile coming over her face. As she unscrewed it and took a scoop out with her finger, she let her eyes trail up to Trisha.
”We do love our magic products around here… And this solves a bit of- Fuck… I’m sorry. I- We-...”
Lynette paused for a moment, trying to consider what to say that didn’t have to do with what she already knew. Or, at least how to word it without wording it. The phrase “fuck it” flashed across her mind, and she simply tucked the knob of honey into her mouth.

Trisha silently watched and listened, putting a hand over Casey's when it came to rest on her leg. Her shadowed eyes didn't give away much, but there was a tight frown on her lips that she couldn't get rid of. The religious stuff… she didn't understand it at all. While her mom was technically Catholic, she hadn't spent enough time with her to be raised that way. It made her uncomfortable. The spying made her uncomfortable. But it was all something she'd known going into this, she could get past it, just…

She was jealous. Fuck, she hated that she was. But the ugly feeling began when Lynette asked about making sure Casey was okay with her spying, and continued when she hugged him. Trisha didn't trust her- certainly not any of the niceties thrown her way- but it was clear that Lynette cared for Casey. Trisha was smart enough to recognise it. She'd seen it in some of her siblings mothers, a controlling sort of love. Her cousins' too. Hers hadn't had any of the care in it. Just constant check ups to make sure she was studying, that she was getting the best grades, and trying to prevent her from being the big fuck up she'd ended up being. When had her mom last checked up on her? One… no, maybe two years ago? Trisha could be dead, and she wouldn't care. When had she last hugged her? She couldn't remember. Maybe never. Her mother probably didn't think she deserved it.

Trisha flinched slightly when Lynette hugged her from behind, fingers digging into Casey's, though she tried to play it off with a half smile and hum of agreement to her question. It was obvious something was off with her - at least, she appeared more closed off than she had before.
“I don't think it actually has any magical properties," Trisha intoned, pausing. Ah, fuck, that wasn't what she was supposed to say. Well, she'd said it now. “The bees are magical but they produce honey through normal means… just more of it, since they don't need to breed to replenish lost numbers. Firstly, I want to know if it actually tastes nice. I like it more than normal honey, but I'm biased. And yeah, along with offering the honey I'm hoping for some help with the bees."

She reached up with her free hand to lightly stroke one that had appeared on her cheek, rubbing its fuzzy little body against her. “Which I can control, I just have difficulties with larger numbers. I need to work on that before getting more bees, and more honey, if it's worth it. At least, it'd be nice to talk to some other adjoined."

Lynette mulled the honey about in her mouth, a pleasant emotion washing over her sullen face. She turned it in her hands a bit more, clearing her throat.
”Lena, a light please?”
She waved her hand, and the quiet sullen woman turned to a cabinet against the wall and pulled a small hand flashlight out, handing it to her mistress. Lynette held the light under the jar, and the overhead light switched off as she stared into the glowing golden liquid.

For a long while, she stared at it. Calculating eyes rotated with the jar, narrowing and opening in the dull golden light. It was her face and the jar, like two hovering lights in the midst of oblivion.
”Your own pheromones affect the composition. However you were feeling during this particular batch gave it a hint of astringency that isn’t found in a normal honey.”

She flicked the flashlight off and the overhead came back on. She opened it up again and took another glob, then held it up to Lena who reluctantly took a fingertip full. A warm surprise came over her face, and Lynette looked up at her with an eyebrow wag.
Casey gripped at Trisha’s hands, looking over excitedly at her. The Priestess’ head clicked back like she was a clockwork doll.
”Trisha, I can recognize a fellow spirit of Natural Order. You, and the spirit you steward, find yourselves in empathetic company despite the dysfunction you may find yourself thrust into. We’re not animals, and I’m certainly no wolf. My son asks me to trust him, I ask you to trust me, we all roll around in the middle and make a great big puddle of mud like silly pigs. Again, we’re not animals. What was my point…?”

She slid the jar’s lid back on and sucked it into one of her big robed sleeves.
”I… I love the honey. I think we can make a relationship work for everyone here. In a very long term fashion, which I’m sure would appeal to you greatly.”

There was a long pause. Lynette sucked air through her teeth with a grimace on her face, and then cleared her throat.

”Sorry, sorry… The visions. Sometimes they just wash me. Gods, yes! Yes, a place for the bees, a place you two can call your own so we don’t need to deal with my Leon’s quirks or the particularities of his current living situation… Which reminds me!”
She spun in her chair and pointed at Casey. At once he felt tense, and his hand let go of Trisha’s as he straightened up.
”Casey and I need to talk about what happened last night privately. Trisha, can I ask you to go upstairs with Lena while we sort things out? I believe Andrade is somewhere up there, you can give all of the honey you brought to him. We’ll be up once everything is taken care of.”

“Oh," Trisha looked up at Casey, fingers curling into her palm and forming a fist. She didn't realise that her pheromones would affect the honey while she was making it. How had she been feeling to make it taste slightly astringent? It had been a couple of months ago with this batch… Lonely, probably. She didn’t really understand half of what followed, about animals and Natural Order and visions. But the honey was enjoyed, and there was a possibility of something there, at least. A start. She certainly did like the idea of long-term… though how Lynette knew that, she wasn’t sure. Magic. But it was all rapid and constantly changing topics that had her head half spinning. Was Lynette seeing some kind of future for them, or was she offering them a home? She had no idea… Discomfort bubbled in her chest, which she tried to ignore.

She really didn’t want to be left alone with Lena. She’d actually rather anything but that. But Casey had already let go of her hand, a clear indication that he planned to go with his mother to probably be shouted into submission… She bit her lip. Perhaps this would be a good opportunity to make sure Lena didn’t get any ideas? If she was as obsessed with Casey as he said, she wouldn’t just back off.
“Sure, I won’t intrude where I don’t belong," Trisha said, pushing back her seat and standing up. She reached out to gently squeeze Casey’s shoulder, before her hand dropped to her side and was stuffed in her coat pockets. She turned to Lena, not even bothering to force a smile. “Lead the way, I have no idea where I’m going."

She did turn her head over her shoulder to give Casey another smile, and a half wave. “I’ll see you up there. Don’t make me wait too long."
”I don’t plan on it… Miss you already.”

And then the four corners of the false wall closed down on themselves, leaving a black space full of nothing behind. Nothing but Lena’s scowl.
”I think probably the way you came from would be a good idea for starters, but if you need a reminder,-” her long, black polish tipped finger pointed down the hall. ”-i’ss over there. So, walk walk, stronger witches will make sure the monsters stay off your back.”
She waggled her fingers, directing Trisha in the direction like one would gesture to some kind of pet.

“Are you telling me to leave?" Trisha folded her arms, narrowing her eyes at Lena. The slight smile she’d had was completely gone, replaced with a scowl as nasty as Lena’s. She turned her head to look down the hall, then back at Lena. The bees buzzed agitatedly, but she told them to quiet down and stay still. She could handle this just fine without magic. She was already feeling uncomfortable, and the way Lena was immediately treating her just pissed her off.
“I’m not stupid, that," Trisha pointed down the hall, “isn’t upstairs. I’m also not part of your little church, so I’m not just going to nod and do what you say. So take me to wherever your leader- my boyfriend’s mother- told us to go."

”If you’re so qualified, why don’t you buzz about where you like? Plenty of dick around that isn’t His Righteousness’. My jaw gapes at the utter ridiculousness of hearing someone whose nickname is ‘Promiscuous Patty’ thinking that she’s anywhere near good enough for the seed of Our King Beyond. You, you Sycamore, disgust me. Now, if you know the way upstairs I suggest that you head that way, you half-witch…”

She gripped her fist tight, and there was a shimmer that bubbled out from the nothingness behind her. Two eyes opened, big golden spheres staring.
”And no, Patrica, this isn’t me trying to intimidate you.”
One of the eyes split off, hovering over Trisha’s shoulder as it slid across the air.
”This is me showing you the way, since someone like me actually has responsibilities to attend to. I can’t be bothered being some unemployed skank’s seeing eye dog. Now, fuck you and have a nice life.”

She spun on her heel and walked in the opposite direction. The golden eyeball hung there, looking at Trisha before hovering just ahead of her in the direction of the stairs.

“You fucking-" Trisha clenched her fists at her side, looking at Lena’s shoulder with cold rage. She wanted to go after her and give her a piece of her mind- but how could she? She knew nothing about her, whereas Lena had far too much information about her. Every word had been like a knife in her chest. Was it Leon? Fuck, who else would share that nickname… Then it would get back to Casey. Did Casey already know? What this just one big fucking joke? No, it couldn’t be. Fuck. Be the bigger person, so Casey didn’t drop her on day two. She turned towards the stairs, then paused.

Fuck, when was she ever the bigger person.

She stopped the pheromones she was using to suppress the bees, stopping them from acting on her anger. It wasn’t a controlled attack, she didn’t tell them to do anything, just about fifty bees flying out from under jacket and buzzing after Lena, attempting to catch up and sting her.
“Oops, sorry, I can’t control it, because I’m just a half-witch. They just go after bitches without me asking them to- should’ve kept you’re fucking mouth shut."

There was no reaction. The bees got caught up on some kind of wall or something, smacking their fuzzy little bodies against nothing. The barricade seemed to roll as Lena continued on down the hall, the bees getting a little further with each step but never getting any closer to her. The golden eye opened, splitting itself in the middle to form a wide mouth with nine perfectly spaced dome shaped teeth that slid together into an awkward smile.
”Bitchrisha, please refrain from acts of violence on Temple grounds.”

”Oh, can it you black haired Nazi cunt. How about not being rude to guests?”
A familiar voice broke the otherwise silent hall. Footsteps descended from the stairs revealed Mia standing on the landing. The gold eye vanished in a huff of smoke at the same time the bees lost track of what they were following.
”Hey, Girl, heyyy… You met Lena and Mom I take it? Who left you all alone with her like that?” she questioned, taking a standing spot next to Trisha.

“Your mom wanted to shout at Casey alone about last night," Trisha said, still glaring down the hall. Her bees came back to her, feeling incredibly confused. It was difficult to calm them down when she was feeling so agitated. She wanted to just leave. She also wanted to punch a wall. She wanted to be alone, but was also pretty relieved that Mia had turned up. What Lena had said got to her far more than she wanted it to. Fuck, she shouldn’t pay any attention to what she’d said. But she couldn’t stop it when it was all true. She hated the nickname, but she couldn’t deny it. She never cheated, but… she did have a lot of relationships. Casey said it was fine, but was it? He must’ve known Lena would say something, had been fine for them to be alone. Was she just saying what he’d been thinking? No, that was ridiculous… but it could be. No.

“She told me to wait upstairs, but that bitch took issue with showing me there, and just-" Trisha threw her hands up in the air, bees sitting on them scattering at the sudden moving and hiding in her hair. She finally stopped looking down the corridor and looked up at Mia, unable to change her sullen expression to anything else.
“It’s fine. Let’s go upstairs- well, if you were heading down, I can find my own way… So long as there isn’t anyone else like her up there. Wonderful first meeting, between her and your mom."

”Y’know, that muff lover will come around. We all think she’s gay, and that she just wants to be up Mom’s ass, but being with Casey was the only thing that was gonna get her close. Hence the attitude, the whole thing. She talks all the time about how she’s wasting time and shit isn’t going her way. God, I’d… I’d squash her little Nazi head like a brick if I could. Fuck she gets me steaming…”

Mia’s long arm reached around and patted Trisha’s shoulder in a very friendly manner.
”Either way, don’t let her intimidate you. She probably just has a crush. C’mon, let’s go back upstairs. I was just looking for Mom, but if she’s busy with Casey I won’t interrupt.”
She turned, nodding back from where she came.
”Did you guys have a nice night?”

“Oh yeah, it was really nice," Trisha nodded, turning around and starting up the stairs. “Haven’t had a night that relaxing in a long time- I mean, we fell asleep on the couch. I don’t normally do that."

She shrugged, forcing a half smile. Pretending really badly that she was perfectly fine and not affected by Lena’s words. She wasn’t letting her intimidate her. It had just pissed her off. That was all.
“But if that bitch is gay, I’d like to hand my queer card in- I think I’d rather she was just going after my boyfriend. Wait," Trisha paused midstep, twisting her head round to look at Mia. “How would Casey get her closest? Don’t you have an older sister? Or Leon, he’s single, right? Just want to know my enemy a little better."

Mia’s face twisted into an expression of true humor like the mask of comedy.
”Ohhhh, shit! The first time I get to do this!? Fucking… So, Elise is still technically married to this guy; they’re not together anymore but he is in charge of one of our branches like the… South West, or something. Arizona? But they’re having a hard time divorcing since he knows that once the ring is gone he’s basically gonna lose everything.”
She paused before the top of the stairs where people were, getting close to Trisha.
”And Leon is betrothed to his Apparition. Lelou. It’s a… Religious thing.” she shrugged her shoulders.

“What?" Trisha completely stopped, spinning around to stare up at Mia. The news was almost enough to shock her out of her morose state, eyes widening. Leon was betrothed to his Apparition? How did that even work- she didn’t want to know. She’d only found out he was adjoined yesterday, now she finds out the apparition is also his… fiance.

“I didn’t think things could get weirder… Well Leon’s lucky I’m not in Sycamore anymore to spread his secret," Trisha half joked, making it up the last steps and out of the stairwell. She looked around the place.
“Any idea where Andrade is up here? Your mom suggested I give him the rest of the honey I brought- not that I have it on me either."

She grinned and nodded her head.
”Oh it was yours? The uh, bees, right? Leon kind of mentioned it; oh, I’m sorry, I did ask about you… And he said he’s hopeful, because Casey kind of, I guess like defended you this morning or something, I guess Leon said something mean and Casey shut him right down. So, hey, brownie points, right?”
Mia pointed her fingers back and forth, almost giving Trisha finger guns like they had some sort of quiet agreement.

She didn’t leave Trisha any time to answer, however.
”Uncle Dre!? Hey!”
Standing at one of the pews with a jar of honey, the long haired and handsome Andrade Salamente was standing next to a few other members of the Temple. One was spinning a small vortex of air, making snow cones and letting the chef layer them slowly with honey.
”It’s the Honey Mama herself. Casey’s new girlfriend! Trisha, this is Andrade! Uncle Dre, Trisha!”

Andrade gave her a sly and handsome smile, holding his free hand out to Trisha.
”Honey Mama? What?”
He laughed kind of awkwardly, looking between them.

Trisha shot a half hearted glare at Mia, before smiling awkwardly at Andrade. She stepped forward and shook his hand, dropping hers pretty quickly.
“It’s just Trisha. The honey’s from me, so I guess that’s where that comes from- Well my bees made it." She held up her hands and a few bees crawled out from her sleeves, crouching on her fingers and fluttering their little wings. They were a bit calmer now, as was she. Hearing that Casey had shut down Leon was… nice. A tiny drop of positivity in the torrent of negativity Lena had hit her with.

“I guess you already got the honey, so I don’t exactly need to give it to you…" she half mumbled, looking over at the weird snow cone production. “What are you making with it?"

Andrade gave Trisha’s bees a warm and friendly reception in Spanish, dipping his finger into the honey and letting them come toward it as they pleased.
”Trisha… You remind me of someone…” his eyes narrowed for a moment, but he shook his head.
”We are making… Snow cones!”
He finished packing the one he was holding with a final drizzle of honey and handed it to her.
”I spent a little time in Canada, and I saw how they would take the fresh maple syrup and drizzle it over the freshly fallen snow. Perfect practice for an aspiring Red Adept.”

Mia nodded and smiled.
”That is super fucking cool Liam. No pun intended.”
The group around, including Andrade, laughed at the pun.

Trisha laughed awkwardly because she felt she had to, taking the snow cone handed to her. A couple of her bees had betrayed her, going to Andrade’s honey coated finger and happily drinking it up with absolutely no care for the fact he was basically a stranger. More swarmed to the snow cone before she even had a chance to get a taste. She rolled her eyes at them.
“Well, it’s popular with the bees," she waved them away so there was at least a gap she could take a lick from. Huh. It was a pretty nice combination, the sweet honey and the cold snow. “It’s nice. I never thought about doing that with my honey- honestly I just have it on bread and the like."

She shrugged, taking another lick before letting her bees snack. They most went for the honey layers and ignored the snow cone section. It was quite funny to watch as the white frost got all over their little legs, like snow pollen.
“And I’m not sure how I’d remind you of him, but you probably met my dad… or one of my half-siblings. There’s some resemblance." She gestured to her face with her free hand. “Who didn’t meet dad, he practically ran this town…"

With a frown, she mentally shooed the bees off the snowcone so she could actually eat it. They reluctantly moved back onto her, some landing on the top of her head and getting specks of white ice all over her hair. She decided to quickly move past that, and just ask more questions.
“What do you think of the honey? Is it much different from normal?"

Andrade nodded happily, a smile coming over his face.
”Yes, yes! It’s got quite the flavor; have you noticed? Ever compare this to regular honey?”
He dipped another finger in, stuffing it into his mouth and smacking his lips to circulate the air around his taste buds. Taking a deep breath, he opened his nasal passage to let the air vent, all the while he let the honey coat his tongue until it was completely dissolved.
”It has an almost coffee-like rear note that really makes me want to make some sort of… Some kind of cake? With rum and the honey… Are you always in season? They’re able to withstand these temperatures and continue producing the honey?” he asked her with wide eyes.

”I’m always looking for natural sweeteners. And it can be used in our Fine Courses as well, so there’d be a heavy premium for it. Do you have more?”

“I’ve never compared it to normal honey, seemed a waste of money," Trisha said, as if she had any money concerns in her life. Well, it wasn’t like she had loads sitting around, she was quite dependent on what her older brother was willing to give her. But it was nice for the honey to get appreciated, and to hear someone thinking about actual uses with it. While in a way it was just a by-product of owning the bees, she harvested it all by herself. It was a labour of love, for her bees, and she’d grown to enjoy it. At least there was one thing she was good at. Maybe something she could build a future on. Maybe. It was a little hard to believe.
“Technically, they can produce honey anytime of the year. But there aren’t so many flowers around for them to collect pollen from and they tend to eat most of what they produce during winter. It means they’re self-sustaining, but not productive."

She turned over her free hand so her palm was flat. A couple of the bees crawled out onto it. She curled her fingers in and tickled them. They were clearly active, unlike most bees during this time of the year that would be in a hive conserving heat to keep their queen alive. Her still quite sullen expression softened slightly as she looked at them.
“They’re not really affected by the weather or old age. But they collect pollen and make it into honey like normal bees, just a bit more efficiently. I do have more, maybe… six or seven more boxes. Some of it is years old, but it’s still good. Would it really be worth that much?"

”Last year, for Our Grace’s birthday, I prepared a spread of sixteen deserts. The most popular among her closest guests was a portion of Lemon and Vanilla Panna Cotta, drizzled with a honey based sauce whose contents come from the mountains of Turkey… The two jars, eight ounces a piece, cost our logistics just over three thousand American dollars to obtain. I would say this honey is as unique in its flavor profile, and equally as uncommon in its production.”
Andrade grabbed another cup and started scooping up the freshly prepared snow. He laughed to himself as he layered the first bit of honey.

”Putting it that way, this whole thing feels a little wasteful, but Goddamn it’s good. The honey doesn’t freeze, but it gets nice and close, and it becomes this honey jelly shit… I’m extremely happy to work with you on this…”
He put the honey down and held his free hand out to shake it again.

“What's wasteful is all the free jars I gave my very rich half-sisters…" Trisha murmured, narrowing her eyes for a moment as she mentally calculated how much she could have gotten out of it. A decent amount, and less digs about depending on Ezra's money. Well, she'd given him at least a jar too… surely that made it even. But it was an unexpected amount of money. She'd expected it to be about the same as normal honey, perhaps slightly better… not near three thousand dollars worth.

But that wasn't particularly important right now. She forced her lips up into a half smile, reaching out with the hand not covered in bees to shake Andrade's.
“Me too - well, it's me and Casey you'd be working with… kind of a joint venture. I wouldn't have even thought about it if he didn't suggest it." She glanced at the jar of honey. To think she'd been sitting on something like that for so long. “How much would you expect to use? I don't cook at all, so I really don't know what honey goes into… I'm realising I maybe should. Uh, more specifically, how long would one jar last?"

Andrade nodded with an impressed look on his face.
”Oh, you should still plan for a business without our boy, Bonita. Whether he’s around or not, making sure you’re taken care of on your own should be a young business woman’s primary concern. I’ve seen too many young women go into business with spouses and significant others as partners, things fall apart and all of a sudden the other half is holding the bag.”
He tapped at his head, close to the temple, as if he was some sort of genius for putting her forward.

”But, I would say out of the five of those kids, Casey’s got the best head on his shoulders. So, good luck with it. As far as your other question; We can go through a few jars in a dinner service. But, there’s six restaurants to think about; and of course menus rotate, but I think you have an audience in boxed product. We’ll talk to Casey about it, but I think we can call my facilities ‘Jumping Off’ points for you. Rich people will hear about your honey, we’ll advertise it in our newsletter, we can circulate it through our underground contacts as magic honey… It’ll be good. We’ll make you rich.” he smiled, patting Trisha’s shoulder.
”Oh, speak of the Devil!”

Casey was ascending the stairs, and Lynette wasn’t far behind him with her robes and their clacking spheres that hit the steps. His eyes quickly found Trisha, and like a puppy gone from its master for too long, he was at her side in a flash, arm clutched tight around her waist. Lynette came around Mia’s side, leaning on her daughter like a support beam. She smiled at Trisha and Andrade.
”So, a verdict?”

Andrade smiled back at her, handing over the snowcone he was making to her. Lynette and Mia clinked their paper cups together, and a horrifying sight blossomed forth in front of Trisha without anyone else seeming to notice or care.

”It’s fantastic, Your Grace. I’ll bet that it has a few beneficial properties.”

Lynette took the whole snow cone, let her mouth wrap around the top, and sucked the entire thing down in what looked like one big lump of ice. She crumpled the cup and deposited it in her gaping sleeves as if she had a million pockets in them.
She nodded as she ate, chewing the half frozen honey.
”So we’re on then?”

Andrade nodded happily.
”We were just talking about what the next steps were as you guys were coming up.”
Casey was beaming ear to ear, and he looked at Trisha with bright and happy eyes.
”Mom and I were talking about what the first steps are. I think we can make it work if you want to do this, Trisha. Actually, I know we can make it work. And, I think everyone here will be a big help if everything stays good… So… Maybe we’ll talk it out over a walk?” he offered her.

Trisha didn't respond immediately. She was staring at Lynette, trying to process what she'd just seen. Who ate a snow cone like that? Or anything? It reminded her of how some of the apparitions they fought against ate… unlucky blinds who they caught, or smaller apparitions. She shuddered slightly, leaning into Casey's side. Really, she should be happy about all of this. Her honey was good, there was a possible future with it, even if it meant working with a near cult like religion to begin with (or forever). Finally a success in her unsuccessful life. But she saw Casey smiling, she saw Lynette eat a snowcone like it was a shot, and she felt a distance. Did she really have a part here? Was it something she could do if things fell apart with Casey, which they undoubtedly would?

What Lena had said about her not being good enough was probably enough, and while she'd put those words to the back of her mind while talking to Andrade they hadn't been forgotten. She was all too good at remembering the bad. Casey and Lynette reappearing had just reminded her. After all, their talk was the reason she'd been left alone in Lena's company- had to hear all of that in the first place.
“I wouldn't be here if I didn't want to do it… I'm sure we can make it work too," Trisha said in a tone that didn't particularly sound like someone who thought it would work. It was the tone of someone who'd gotten stuck inside of her own head again, latching onto a hint of negativity that hadn't even come from the current company and running with it. Flat, cold.

It was fine. Go on a walk, talk things through. Pretend it was fine. But she was awful at pretending she was fine, and she was awful at not immediately closing herself off at the smallest of things. She looked up at Casey with a forced smile that didn't reach her eyes.
“Yeah, a walk sounds good. Can we go outside? I'd rather talk about it outside. Nicer for a walk too."

”You read my mind. We can let the bees roam around for a while too. C’mon, we’ll see what flowers are still awake.”
Lynette tugged on Mia gently, moving them both out of the way for Casey and Trisha to head out.
”We’ll see you again, right?” she asked while looking at Trisha. Casey answered for her.
”That’s definitely the cult question to ask, Ma.”
Mia didn’t speak, but she did gently nod her head in agreement. Lynette’s look turned a bit sour, but it was clear that it had nothing to do with her specifically as her eyes turned to her children. She sighed, clearing her throat.

”I hope to see you again soon, Trisha. But, of course, you’re fully able to make your own decision about it which I wo-”
”Alright Mama, great job. We’ll let you know what’s going on later.”
Casey kept ahold of Trisha, but as they started to walk, he wrapped one arm around his sister and mother, squeezing them both tight before ushering Trisha out the front door.

”Bueno con dias, Lovebirds! Casey, you got my back next time, right?”
”Yes Sir, Uncle Dre!”

But Casey didn’t turn. Trisha would be able to feel his pace picking up as he walked back down the hill with her.
”Jesus fucking Christ… It’s like pulling teeth every time, I swear. I’m sorry about that, Babe, seriously, all the fucking crying and shit… We’re cryers, I guess, but that was the last thing I wanted you to have to deal with. And I knew it was gonna happen, and I should’ve fucking warned you, but I was just… Really fucking hoping it wouldn’t be that way.”

“It's fine. The crying didn't bother me," Trisha said honestly, with a shrug. It really hadn't. She wasn't the kind of person that got affected by a couple of tears. It had just been uncomfortable. Very uncomfortable. The words that had come before the tears had bothered her a lot more, but admitting that would mean admitting that it reminded her of her mother, and that would be admitting to her own failure. So she pursed her lips, face scrunching up in displeasure for a moment before settling on a more passive grumpy expression.
“You did warn me, anyway, last night. Your mom thought I was going to be a pushover, didn't she? Like I'd just agree to sway you to her side…"

But Trisha didn't really care so much about what Lynette had thought right now. Her hands clasped in front of her, fingers tangling together. It wasn't something she wanted to ask, or think about, because it could lead to other questions, but she also really needed to fucking know where Lena's information had come from.
“That Lena. Can she read minds or… something like that?"

Casey’s face immediately dropped.
”No, she can’t. She’s Abberant like you are; except she’s fully Adjoined… Why? What’d she say to you out there?”
He knew she couldn’t, but he knew that she heard nearly as much as his Mother did, either through direct monitoring or trickle down directly from his Mother’s mouth. He wasn’t happy now, not at all. Not thinking about what Trisha said about her being a pushover, he was instantly defensive about matters concerning Lena.
”I swear, I’ll… Fucking… Do something, I don’t know. What happened?”

“Nothing," Trisha snapped, closing her eyes for a moment and abruptly stopping walking. Her hands clenched in each other, nails digging into her skin. She knew it wasn't Casey's fault. But the irritation had built up and there was no one else to lash out at. Lena couldn't read her mind, so she'd found out through Leon. Had Casey already heard everything that she'd said? Was that what Leon told him this morning? He'd shut him down then, but what if he really thought about it. She knew she was being unfair, but it couldn't be stopped now, resentful words spilling from her lips.
“She just said some shit. It's fine. You left me alone with her, anyway, when she's clearly pissed about us- what did you expect?"

Casey knew instantly what’d happened. He had hoped that it wasn’t going to be like that, but of course it had to be. And of course he wasn’t going to stand for it.
”You’re right. You’re absolutely right, and I didn’t think she was going to make it a problem, but she did. So let me fix it.”
The ex soldier spun on his heel, turning to look back up at the church. His legs began to carry him back up to the precipice with fury building in his core.

“Wait," Trisha turned around and tried to chase after him - which was difficult with her much shorter legs. She would love to see him fix it, but then what Lena said would come out, and he'd hear it, and anyone else there would hear it, and then everyone would agree with it.
“I said it was fine, it's not a big deal, it's fucking fine!"

Casey halted, spun, and threw up his hand with his index finger extended as long as possible. He didn’t point at her, but he certainly would’ve if he hadn’t had a bit more presence of mind.
”One thing you should learn right now is that I’m a problem solver. I’m not a fucking child, we didn’t do shit that way in the Corps, and whenever I get some jumped up little fucking Staff Sergeant who comes and kicks at my office door with passive aggressive bullshit, I rip them in half. Do you get me? Because as long as we’re together, I’m not going to let us get to that point…”

Pushing forward slightly, he bent his knees to get a bit closer to eye level with her. Despite his words, his body motions and posture were calm and measured with laser-like precision. His arms rushed toward her arms to grab them, only to gently wrap around them without any kind of pressure whatsoever. Only gentle, tender and careful caressing.
”Now… Is there a problem that you’d like me to take care of? No questions asked, I will politely ask my Mother to admonish her follower as is her position, and the status quo will be maintained henceforth. Or we can ignore it for now, until you feel like you can talk about it properly. But, if she thinks she’s going to just get away with doing something to you, I can promise you that she’s very fucking mistaken. Very.”

Hands clenching and unclenching at her sides, Trisha didn't push Casey away but she also didn't react to his touch. Her whole body posture was tense, trembling slightly, and her expression incredibly sour. She wasn't scared or intimidated, but she felt stuck. Most people snapped back or just got frustrated and walked away. She didn't get his reaction. Was he angry at her, at Lena, was he not angry at all? She bit her lip hard, glowering eyes shifting to the side and away from him.
“I don't want to talk about it- I don't want you to hear what she said. You've probably already fucking heard it, cause Leon's probably been spreading it fucking everywhere… I don't. Fuck. I don't know."

She let out an irritated hiss, in sync with the buzzing of bees responding to her agitation. But they were still hidden in her jacket. As if they knew what was rational and irrational anger on her part.
“She just said what everyone else was thinking. That I'm-" Not good enough. Promiscuous. Just in it for another warm body, which wasn't far from the truth- but it was the company she wanted. If Lena knew and Leon had told her, or she'd heard him talk about it, Lynette probably knew too. Everyone probably knew. She gritted her teeth. Her head dropped slightly, and she leaned in towards Casey. “I don't want to repeat it, I don't want it repeated. It's not fair, I was fourteen. They don't even know me. I just- don't talk to your mother about it. It's fine."

A new expression formed on Casey’s face. One, at least, that Trisha had never seen before. It wasn’t happy, it wasn’t friendly, it wasn’t good. It was cold. It was like someone had turned all the lights on the sun out, and left the angry red hatred of its core to produce nothing but a dark heat. His hands gripped at her arms, forever delicate despite the new wriggling feeling. It was like he was fighting every little bit of himself to not clamp down.

Words quietly fell from his mouth.
”That fucking bastard…”

And he turned his back to her. It was like all the air rushed away, all of the sound being taken with it.

”LEON!?”

Casey’s voice boomed across the parking lot, echoing up into the steeple and out across the grounds to the dorms.

People immediately rushed out from the Church at the top, brandishing every kind of magic available, only to see Casey storming his way back up toward them. There was a slight deflation in tension, only for him to raise it again.
”Where the fuck is Leon!?”
Lynette pushed out from behind the group of Adepts.
”Casey!? What!? What’s the matter, what’s going on?!”

He took long strides up the hill, getting right into his mother’s face.
”Where is your cocksucking Herald son? He and I need to have a refresher conversation about respect and decency, and I’m not fucking playing. Get him now.”

Trisha had been left staring at Casey's back for a moment, plummeting towards more and more doubts as her chest started heaving up and down. Anxiety gripped her, fear that this was it, he was turning away from her- but he wasn't, was he? This was the opposite, he was angry on her behalf… fuck. Trisha scurried up the hill as quickly as she could, practically hiding behind Casey in the hope that no one would look at her. She raised a slightly shaking hand, grasping at the back of his hoodie lightly.
“I said it was fine," the words came out as barely more than a whisper, near immediately lost in the clamour.

Lynette held her hands up, placing them on Casey’s chest and giving him a stern look.
”Where…”
”Use other words, Caseau…”
”Leon said something to me this morning.-”
”And what?”
”He has preconceived notions about someone who I intend to be special in my life…”

Lynette’s eyes got wide, and she bit her lip in a grimace of concern. Her lips moved, but noise didn’t come out… But they didn’t need to. What was said was clear, and Casey put his hand up like an axe, a chopping motion coming across Lynette’s body without ever actually touching her.
”Yes, that, and I told him-”
”After he’d been here… After he’d said it to… To Lena and myself. And I’m sorry for that. What happened?”

Casey looked back at Trisha, seeing how embarrassing the situation may be for her, and he shook his head.
”Outside of Gatherings, I don’t want to see her. She’s not allowed near Trisha.”
”Of course, Bubba Cher.-” Lynette cooed, doing her best to catch a glimpse of Trisha herself. ”-We… We don’t worry about those sorts o-”
Casey shot his hand up in front of his mother’s face.
”She’s already said she doesn’t want to talk about it. If you really care, you’ll just do what I ask and forget this happened. We’ll get back to you about everything else later.”
Lynette nodded her head, letting go of her son and stepping back slightly.
”Just, please don’t scare us like that… Not after last night.”

Casey looked back, and people had gathered at the dorm windows and out front as well. He shook his head.
”O-of course… I’m sorry for that, you’re right.”
He spun, arms wrapping back around Trisha.
”Do you still wanna walk? Let’s go, come on, there’s plenty of woodlands around here…”

“Yeah." Trisha briefly leaned in, pressing her head against him and taking a deep breath. The resentment she’d felt slowly slipped away, buried back down with all the unexplored issues. It was slightly lessened, and any she’d felt towards Casey was gone now. She felt embarrassed and still felt upset, but having someone actually… defend her? Get angry on her behalf? It was nice.

And he said she was someone he intended to be special in his life. Those weren’t just words you’d say for the sake of it, to your own mother, right? Right.
“A walk sounds nice now, relaxing. Especially in the woodlands- I’m sure the bees reach those when they go around, but I rarely do." She turned around as well, starting to make her way back down the hill. Softly, she added, “thank you. For doing that, and, uh, not getting mad at me too."

As they started to walk away, out of the lot and across the quad grass, further and further out toward the rolling green and brown expanse of trees, Casey held Trisha tightly. At first he was still shaking, but once they got far enough away, he seemed to ease up.
”I can’t think of a reason I’d be mad at you. But, you’re welcome. There’s just no way I can let shit like that slide, not when he goes and says things like that to people like my Mother, or worse to people like Lena. I don’t know what the fuck he could’ve been thinking besides something malicious…”

He shook his head again, rubbing her shoulder.
”But honestly, fuck it. Fuck it, fuck him, I won’t make puns out of your name anymore; I don’t even want to come close to that, it’s… Not fucking right.”

“That’s not the same," Trisha looked up at him, expression beginning to relax from the sullen frown she’d worn since talking to Lena. She didn’t want to think about it anymore. He’d heard it, he knew the nickname, but he didn’t seem to mind it. Not that she could see. Her lips curved up slightly.
“It’s just the bad ones - the ones with my full name, or the nickname I hate. The first person who called me Patty-" she grimaced. “Was one of my half-sisters. We didn’t- don’t- get on. Then all the people who didn’t like me in the coven, like Leon. I don’t mind when it’s with Trisha, and I haven’t been bothered by anything you called me."

She leaned in against his side for a moment, looking at the trees they were approaching. As she calmed down, so did her bees, crawling out from under her jacket and clinging to the outside. A couple of them crawled up onto Casey, just sitting on his arm.
“Hey, look, they’ve already gotten attached. They know you’re the reason I calmed down so quickly," she laughed softly. “I think I prefer it like this. Just us and the bees."

”Heyyy, my girls!”
Casey put his face toward them, his nose pressing against one and nuzzling it. Looking around the forest, Casey could see the different paths between ritual sites and other more habitual hangouts for the teens trying to get some privacy. He had his own path in his head, and he was taking them out there regardless of how bleak it may be.
”That’s pretty great. They’re like… I don’t know, it's like a third person. The good kind of third wheel, like a pet or a kid. One that slots in, you don’t have to force an opening. It’s nice.”

He still leaned into Trisha, just holding her as they walked.
”So… Besides all that, Mom and I, I think, have come to an agreement on how we can get things started. Do you want to hear about it?”

Trisha giggled at Casey interacting with the bees. It was cute, and it was nice. She could sense their relaxed pheromones, which in turn continued to calm her. A few stayed on Casey, a few stayed on her, and the rest started to buzz around them, exploring the nearby area of the forest.

“Yeah, let’s hear it," Trisha said. She did want to know what the agreement was, and how it fit with what Andrade had talked to her about. She smiled and her tone turned more joking. “So long as I don’t have to see your mom eat another snow cone ever again."

”Hey, that looked pretty good honestly…-”
He thought about it for a second, then furrowed his brow.
”-Oh, the… Yeah. Yep, never really asked any questions about that one. She eats all her food like that for some reason, but she’d always yell at us if we copied her…”

Casey’s thoughts trailed off for a moment as he thought about a million family dinners where his mother simply slid the bowl or plate to her mouth and swallowed the contents whole. He didn’t want to think about it now.
”Anyway, I think it sounds doable. It may ask you being a bit understanding as to my situation overall, since I’d… Well… I agreed to a position in the Temple. An actual seat; my title would be something like Righteous Left Hand, Whose Power Guards All Flocks... Translating, I’d be taking over security from our Uncle Furio, whose been asking for a change of title himself recently. It works out, since the position comes with a… Specific location that would be suited to our needs at the time.”

He looked at her expectantly, like he was ready for her to be upset with him about the arrangement.

Trisha bit her lip, face scrunching up and shoulders shaking slightly. This went on for a little while, her expression growing more and more twisted before she couldn’t hold it in. Trisha burst out in laughter, pausing walking to bend over. She couldn’t even process what the job entailed because she was too hung up on the ridiculousness of the title.
“I’m sorry- I just- Righteous Left Hand, haha, it’s so pretentious. Will people have to call you that? I don’t have to, do I? That’ll be incredibly romantic- haha."

She waved a hand, finally stopping laughing and thinking about more about the… rest of it. The actually important stuff. Her lips pursed slightly. She didn’t like the Temple. First impressions weren’t much different from what she’d expected. But she’d started dating him knowing he was with the Temple. As long as she didn’t have to convert or whatever, it was fine.
“What exactly does the job entail? Like sitting in an office watching Temple wide security cams, or breaking the knees of people who go against them?" She asked. She didn’t seem upset, though she also didn’t seem enamoured about the idea. “And what do you mean about the location? Like, you get a field with the job?"

Casey laughed along with her when she mentioned the title. It absolutely was pretentious, but in his mind it was only pretentious because of the age they lived in.
”A thousand years ago, that title would’ve been cool shit. Imagine someone called that showing up to your village and slaying the local dragon? Badass.” he giggled, kicking a rock out of his way as they walked.

”As far as what I’d be doing, well… Yeah. Yeah, there’s a monitoring station, and I’d essentially be in charge of dispatching and coordinating different security protocols. Daily life, events, whatever needs to be watched from a physical standpoint. And, ultimately, I’d need to respond myself if necessary. It’s a hierarchy kind of thing…” he said a little bit more seriously.

In truth, he didn’t want the job. He wanted to get far away, but… It would help Trisha. He could stick it out long enough to help Trisha.
”And where do we live? Well, technically the same place Leon lives. On the roof, there’s an extra living space. It’s the monitoring station, but… Well, Furio and his family live up there right now, but they’ve been sort of ready to move out as long as I can remember. So, we wouldn’t be displacing them or anything. But, more to the point, there’s a greenhouse up there as well. They grow things, and moreso there’s plenty of extra room for boxes and more flowers in the spring and summer.”

Moving in together. On day two. There was a hint of panic in Trisha’s chest at that. Moving in together meant if- when- they broke up she had nowhere to live. It was a commitment based on them staying together. It was- but wait, no. It was in the same city, ten minutes away from where she currently lived. It wasn’t like she needed to fully move out of Sabrina’s. Sabrina didn’t exactly need the space. She could keep that. Thinking of it that way, Trisha was able to completely get rid of the anxiety she felt over the idea.
“The job sounds pretty hard, but if it’s what you want, who am I to disagree? I don’t want to control your life… I mean, you didn’t even need to tell me about it."

Though she did appreciate it, because it meant he would be busier. Not that that would be a problem. She had plenty to do herself… Well, she would, if everything started to work out with the bees.
“That sounds nice. If a whole family lives there, it can’t be too small, right? I’m not going to be able to sleep in a room filled with screens that are constantly on. I’m used to loud buzzing in complete darkness." She grinned, raising a hand to stroke one of the bees still on her. “If there’s a greenhouse, I could grow flowers for the bees during winter too, right? Or maybe it doesn’t work like that… But having more room for them, and a proper place to put flowers for them, would be great. That sounds really nice. Then I wouldn’t have to worry about expanding the hive either. I could get them the biggest box possible and just keep expanding it- heh, it’s technically a penthouse, right?"

Casey nodded, seeing the clearing up ahead. His smile had managed to come back fully, and his expression turned to face her.
”I… Think so? Also, almost certainly built illegally; it breaks the district’s building ordinances, but I think we’re getting away with it because it’s no taller than the water tower on the roof. Oh, that’ll be a good thing; just like downstairs where the water comes up from public lines, the cistern at the top houses water for the upper building floors, and it’s got its own heater, so we get awesome fuckin’ water pressure. No weak showers for us, Babe.” he grinned.

As they continued, they came into a clearing deep in the middle of the woods. There was a stone smack dab in the center, probably the size of a small car. There were carvings all over it, and a lot of dead flowers that had perished in the last couple of frosts.
”Hey Champ! Stopping by to introduce you to someone…”
Casey immediately turned to Trisha.
”Don’t worry, nobody’s actually here. I’m sure Mom has something to listen in or visit the place herself, but… Well, if we live thinking about that forever, we’ll both go insane. Trisha, this is uh, my Dad’s stone. He disappeared a long time ago, and we still… We don’t really know where he is, so… So we come here to talk to him, in case he can hear us somewhere.”

Casey waved his hand across the clearing.
”In the summer, this place is like bee central. So many different flowers growing from here, and from like… Different Universes, I guess. Whatever will grow here, they usually plant it. But, now its too late. Hopefully next summer we’ll be able to see it together. But, Dad… This is Trisha. Trisha, my Dad Max.”
He waved his hand at the stone again, letting it drop to his side with a quiet slap.

“Uh, hi," Trisha said with an awkward wave to the stone. What did she say to a stone memorial for a missing, possibly dead, person? She hardly ever visited her own dad's grave… though they hadn't had much of a relationship to talk about. The whole talking to the dead thing wasn't something she really got. But Casey had brought her here, and it clearly meant a lot to him. She could make the effort.
“I'm Trisha, Casey's girlfriend. Nice to meet you. I'll try and take good care of him."

She smiled softly, shuffling much closer to Casey so that she was right up against him. She wrapped her arms around him and continued to talk in a quieter, softer tone.
“I'd like to see it in the summer. I'll bring all my bees then they can mix with the local ones, maybe they'll make friends. They can all pollinate the fancy other world flowers… I wonder what honey made with that would be like…" she trailed off. “I've met both your parents now, I guess I'll have to introduce you to mine. Dad's easy, since he’s buried in town, but mum's quite busy. She lives on the other side of the country too, so… it might be a while. I'll see what I can do. I'm glad you were comfortable enough to bring me here to see your Dad's stone."

Casey looked vaguely disappointed. He was; wishing that the flowers were still around and that the space was more than just a barren memorial to his maybe-dead father.
”Ah, there’s no rush. There’s a more personal shrine to him inside the Temple, this one is kind of… Just a spot he liked to be at, so we carved into the rock. I… I really just wanted to show you the flowers, but something feels rude about not introducing you properly.”

He made his way to the rock, fingers starting to dig at the soil where he figured one of the weirder plants would be.
”Oh, here! Come, look… This one’s from somewhere else.” he exclaimed, making enough space for her to look at the ground.
Casey’s finger dug around in a small circle, pulling more and more away until there was a small circular bulb in the ground.

”These are cool, they’re like Venus traps. Watch.”
He bumped his finger against the bulb, and it unfurled with grippy little tendrils that all wrapped around Casey’s hand and tried desperately to drag him in.
”I was told they think that if it gets big enough, it could probably get out of the ground and actively hunt. So we cull them when they get about pumpkin sized.”

“Like… A Triffid," Trisha said, crouching down beside him to look at the bulb. She sent out pheromones at the same time to keep her bees away - it couldn't get Casey with those little tendrils, but it could definitely get the bees. At the same time, out of curiosity, she reached forward and tapped one of the tendrils trying to drag Casey in. Her eyebrows raised as some of them wrapped around her fingers. It was pretty fucking strong.
“Oh, that's from an older movie one of my friends made me watch - they're like moving plants that start killing everyone. It's kinda stupid, but I'm glad you're stopping that from becoming a reality."

She laughed slightly at it, because it was still a funny image, of a bulb climbing out of the ground and starting to hunt like it was some kind of predator.
“That is pretty cool… how many other worldly flowers do you have? Does the temple just have a dimension travelling team of seed gatherers?"

”It’s a bit of a hobby for a few Adepts. Well, not really a hobby. A good way of getting people trained and up to speed. We have a couple of Purples who can cross the lines, and one who's particularly good at retracing steps… So we have these curated places that we take people to practice and study.”
Casey poked at the little plant again, nudging it and watching the little thing react with an alien intelligence. He thought about what its life would be like if they just let it grow and roam around, but considering what it became, it was probably too dangerous.

It was brightly colored, blues and greens and oranges striping its bulbous flesh. They said some grew actual eyeballs, but he’d never seen it.
”This one is from one of the common places; its how we know so much about it. Big specimens are sitting there one minute, then disappear the next, they don’t seem to attack Humans at that size, but I honestly think they’re like… Just full of something? Like if they’re big predators, what do they hunt? Definitely not big insects…”

He shrugged his shoulders, giggling as the little thing tried its damn hardest to drag the fully grown man into the dirt. He stuffed the finger against it, pushing down until it let him go, then he buried the poor thing back in the warmer soil.

With a dust of his hands, Casey stood up.
”You know you don’t have to move in with me… I’m happy to give you a place where the bees are comfortable without trapping you and locking you down in something. I promise it’s not a problem…”

Trisha straightened up from her squatting position, still looking at the spot where the little, living bulb had been reburied. Moving in with someone was scary, because what happened when he learned more about her and didn’t like what he saw? But if she moved in with him, he’d always be there. It would be harder to abandon her. She wouldn’t be as lonely… And it would be nice. She’d get to wake up like this morning, with him cuddling her awake. She’d have someone to eat with.

“I want to move in with you." She finally looked up at him again, stepping closer and reaching out to take his hands in hers. “It’s not exactly trapping me. I bet even if I move out Sabrina- she owns the house I live in- will leave my room untouched. It's kind of like my space, and she has a whole floor to herself. My other two sisters have plenty of space too… no one’s fighting for my room. I have a lot of stuff so I’ll probably leave some there anyway…. And I can always go back, but I don’t think it’ll be a problem! So I want to move in. I think it’ll be really nice."

She then grinned, squeezing his hands.
“There’s a few things you should know before I move in with you. First, I’m really clingy in bed. I sleep best when I’m hugging something or being hugged. So you better be prepared to have no space when sleeping. Second, I can be quite grumpy when I wake up. You were lucky this morning… Lastly, I can’t cook. The one time I tried I managed to burn pasta and almost set the apartment I shared with my friends down… they banned me from cooking after that. So knowing all that, do you still want to live with me?"

Casey frowned a bit listening to her qualifiers. It wasn’t that he had a problem with any of it; there were no real problems there. He didn’t expect dinner on the table when he got home, and he was used to catching whatever sleep he could find in the worst possible places. Cramped, hot, musty, didn’t matter. Grumpy either; he’d been trained during the height of the War, there were no “kind and gentle” drill sergeants.

No, Casey simply wasn’t worried about any of that. It was simply what her perception of things was that worried him.
He took a deep breath, eyes trailing downward with a huff.
”It’s… Real sweet you’re worried. But you’re the last thing I’m worried about in this situation… I feel like I need to ask a lot more of you than you need to ask of me.”
His expression was totally apprehensive, and he looked like he was a bit strained thinking about the situation.

”If we’re being honest like that, then… Well, you already kind of saw. You’ve gotten a good sample of what makes my life hard. I… Well, the nightmares to start. I slept sound with you, and maybe that was a fluke, but usually I’m not sleeping. My eyes are closed, I lay there, but when sleep comes so do the bombs and the screams… Sometimes I wake up and I’m screaming, or I’m weeping, so I just… Don’t.”
He shrugged his shoulders, a thousand voices saying “Why don’t you just get it taken care of?”. It was, somehow, shameful despite the nobility he imagined was in it.

Casey felt someone had to carry the pain that others couldn’t, to remind them that War should never be the first option. To teach and to help others understand that there was a reason humans should avoid open warfare. If nothing else, the people involved were testament, and his memories were key to remembering their faces. Their suffering. From the bodies of the young to the grizzled and hateful faces of the old, it was a cycle of hate and pain.
He had to remember it.

”And then there’s… This. This place, this work thing, this thing of my Faith. It’s complex, and not just because it's something I believe in. This… Security position. I think she’s going to make a bigger deal out of it than is necessary: To break my balls. Mother never gives with both hands, as it were; there’s always one hand ready to give, and the other ready to take. I… I don’t necessarily want to put up with it, but… Suffice to say, if God didn’t think all these struggles were necessary, it’s my belief that it wouldn’t have given it’s voice to Lynette Richoux.”

He looked up from his shameful expression, meeting Trisha’s eyes.
”There’s a chance I’ll be gone often. That you’ll be left to your own devices for who knows how long exactly. Like someone travelling for business, except I’d… Well, most likely I wouldn’t be far. Can’t imagine getting further North than Seattle. South? Maybe, but… If we’re going to California, I’d like to take you. Spend time at the beach, maybe get you out on a boat to do some fishing? Go flower shopping?”

Casey got a bit closer to Trisha, arms wrapping around her waist and pulling her tight.
”If you think you can deal with all that, then… I’d be honored to live with you.”

“What’s the difference between being alone in a place that's ours or a place that's mine? At least you'd eventually come back to our place," Trisha said softly. She wriggled her arms under his to hug him back, hands resting on his back. She knew that wasn't the whole point. It wasn't even the most important bit. There was the sleeping - she didn't know how to deal with someone who woke up screaming, but she could probably handle the crying. It wasn't like she had a job that required her up and early after an interrupted night. And the faith…

She didn't really get it. She'd never had it, so she couldn't understand some higher power making people suffer for some convoluted reason. Why put up with so much shit for practically nothing? But she kept those thoughts to herself, because it wasn't her place… yet. He'd followed it his whole life, and she'd only known him for a day.
“I can deal with all of it. I don't really understand Faith and what comes with it, but it's fine. And for the sleeping… if you don't sleep at all then you're just getting to cuddle me while I'm sleeping, which is a great privilege, you know. If you do and you wake up crying I'll just hug you till you stop, if you're screaming… I don't know, I'll figure something out. I'm tougher than I look, you know," she smiled warmly at him, after quickly weighing up her options. Maybe this was where she should cut and run - because these were issues she normally wouldn't even bother tolerating. But in such a short period Casey had already tolerated her. It had just been the smaller things, but that was enough to make most people she dated drop her just like that. She didn't want to let that go. “Especially if you take me to California. I've never been fishing, but I bet I'd be alright at it- and I love beaches. Not that I visited many, but there's just something relaxing about them."

She tilted her head up, stretching her neck to lightly kiss the bottom of his chin before smiling again.
“Let’s move in and handle all the challenges together. And if all the shit with your job gets too much? We can go kick down my brother's door and get him to provide our next apartment, since it'd only be fair. Try out what my side of the family would be like to deal with… Probably a bit easier, I've figured out exactly how to get what I want out of Ezra… When his security doesn't stop me."

Casey couldn’t help but let a small tear leak from his eye, which he quickly covered up by bending and pressing himself close, burying his head in the crook of her neck and resting there with slow, gentle breathing.
”Then it’s settled. We’ll… Well, actually, maybe you-”
Isn’t this fast? What did you say last night? That you weren’t just going to jump int-
”-should take care of moving whatever you want. Or, us. You and I. I was going to say that the Temple would be able to provide some movers, but if you had furniture, it’d be a dangerous game letting one of them get anywhere they could hide something… But, then, it’s still her building.”

Casey pulled back from the hug, a half-annoyed and half-glazed look in his eyes. His trauma was struggling with his enthusiasm, the two ethereal titans clashing against one another for dominance as he desperately tried to pull himself out of the fire. A huff of air left his nostrils like the ghost of a laugh haunting the moment.
”This is hard. Because I’m supposed to try and trust her. And I don’t know how to, and exposing you to that makes my skin crawl. Because you’re never going to think what I think, or believe what I believe entirely, you’re always going to have a disconnect when it comes to understanding why… Why I can’t really do anything about this.”
He shrugged his shoulders, shaking his head.

”But you’re not backing down. I have to give you that. It’s why I think you’re so fucking cool, Trisha Bee. So, if you really want to go on this ride with me, I’m seriously honored to have you to share the sights with. Because I think I could love you for a long time. Forever, maybe.”

“I do," Trisha managed to say, brain grinding to a halt for a moment as Casey's words played on repeat in her mind. Could love you for a long time… Did that mean he already- no, he said could. He could see himself loving her eventually and it lasting a long time. Even if he did- it should be scary, but it just made her feel happy. He wasn't going to just leave her. It wasn’t enough to make her feel safe, to satiate all her anxieties, but it was a start. What he said had such permanence, warming up her entire body and darkening her cheeks as sparks crackled in her chest. It took a moment, but eventually it stopped playing over and over again in her head, and the warmth in her cheeks receded slightly.
“I really do want to. I really like you, Casey, so I’m willing to deal with it all."

She reached up to cup his face with her hands, thumbs lightly rubbing his cheeks, her smile soft and gentle.
“I’m not going to tell you that you should trust your mother or anything, and I probably won’t understand… But yeah, I won’t back down, and I’ll have your back. I’m really good at getting what I want, just so you know, and since what I want is you, I won’t let anything else get in the way."

It wasn’t quite true - she was good at getting what she wanted materially, but never emotionally. It was easy to demand money from a half-brother she didn’t care for, and who would rather shove cash in her bank than ever talk to her. She got gifts from her mom when they were together because it was easier than actually talking. But this time would be different… hopefully.

“I don’t really have furniture I’m attached to outside of the hive- will the place already be furnished at all, or do we need to bring all that? Only some of the stuff in my room is mine, anyway, and I don’t think Sabrina would be happy if I stole the bed… If we don’t need furniture it’ll be easy. You have a car, I have a car, we can just load them both up with my stuff, it’ll take one or two trips, I bet." She tilted her head, thinking about it. She had a lot of clothes and just stuff in general, and had no idea what kind of space they’d have.
“I’d probably need to see the place before I even thought about packing… I have a lot. I’ll probably leave some of it at Sabrina’s for storage…"

She trailed off, laughing.
“I’ll figure it out, but I don’t think it’ll be hard. I could move in today if I really wanted to."

Casey’s expression grew thoughtful as he considered what sort of work would need to be done to move in.
”I… I think the furniture up there is pretty crappy? Besides their daughter’s room, I hear Furio complaining all the time about the bed and stuff. I could probably dip into my portion of our Dad’s money for some furniture, since I’d need it whether I was moving there or in some different state. I’ll just have to ask my Big Sister to, uh… Authorize it, I guess. I’m not sure how it all works.”
He cleared his throat and shrugged his shoulders. His head turned to the stone with so many different carvings in it. Little pictures, or quotes. Nuggets of inspiration his Father had given the writers throughout the years.

He saw his own carving.
See you soon.

Not soon enough that the government wasn’t willing to consider him dead. So dead that his estate could be broken up among the names in the will: His wife, and a certain portion to each child. All he knew was that his should’ve been untouched. He wasn’t sure whether to thank the old man or to apologize for pillaging.
He spun, holding Trisha’s hand tightly.

”Not to rile you up… But if Leon said the same thing to my Mom and to Lena that he said to me: I really don’t care about shit like that. I can’t stress that enough. You’re you to me, and that’s all, no matter who was around first or what you’ve done with them. So, the next time someone like HitLena the Fuhrer gives you shit and tries to use it against you? I want you to think of my face, and I want you to smile back at them; because you shouldn’t be able to see them past me. I’m what matters, just like you’re what matters to me.”

So Casey already knew. Well… that was fine. For now. He seemed to be fine with it, he said he was fine with it, it was just difficult to believe. Though it wasn't like she'd ever cheated, and it was rarely the reason people broke up with her… it was just one of the many things her mom used against her.
“I’m not sure I could think of your face if it's her," Trisha half laughed, glancing away before looking back with what she hoped passed as a joking smile. “She’s just too ugly! There's no way… it's like trying to imagine a really nice meal while eating dog food."

And if only it was as easy as them being what mattered to each other. How nice it would be to not care about other people's opinions, to be able to just grin and bear it. She couldn't do that. She definitely didn't want to give false promises that she could, because that would just lead to more disappointment when she broke them.
“I’ll try not to let them get to me next time." Next time she'd just punch Lena in the face and be done with it.

“You're not going to rile me up by bringing this stuff up afterwards, it's just in the moment…" she continued. While that wasn't strictly true, when it was brought up like this it was fine. He wasn't repeating what Lena had said, or bringing back any old arguments… She smiled slightly, squeezing his hand.
“It’s fine now, anyway…" time to change the topic back to something easier. “If we're going to replace the furniture, does that mean we can go furniture shopping? I've never actually gone to a shop for something like that… I've hardly chosen my own furniture and it's always online. I'd like to go together and pick everything out- it'll be fun. And we can split some of the costs. I have money from my dad too, and the last job I did. Then I won't feel so guilty when I start demanding a specific type of wood."
She was joking about the last bit, but she did want to help pay for it.

Casey was half tempted to just blurt out something to his mother, assuming there was a listening post nearby enough that she’d be interested: But he was supposed to trust her. The phrase kept echoing in his head for a long while as they started their walk back toward the Temple grounds proper.
”Being honest with you, I'm not terribly attached to one style or another. I guess I’d… Probably want a bigger tank for Traitor. Maybe think about getting some other kinds of friends for him, some kind of big suction fish to help filter things. And, being up there, I can make it… Well, pretty magical? I think I can work some spells out for extra space around the place, since it’s a bit smaller.”
He waved his hand.
”Anyway, my point was asking what sort of like… Look, you had in mind? If you want, I can give Clarissa a call and she can come shopping with us, since she knows the place best and can give us an idea on dimensions. She’s real laid back, definitely the kind of person you want to meet. We call her Auntie Happy.” he smiled.

Trisha had no idea what look she had in mind. She didn’t have a look in mind at all. She’d never actually thought about something like that. She’d decorated her room and gotten more shelving, made it something like a home - but it was just a bedroom, and a lot of the furniture was already there. A whole apartment was more than that. What did she want…
“I’d like it to be cosy," Trisha eventually said. “It’s not really specific, but I want it to feel like… a warm home. Greens and blues and wood colours, maybe? Or reds… Colour doesn’t really matter. Just not like where I grew up, which looked fancy but had no feeling. But I don’t actually have a specific look."

Just being able to choose it herself, with him, would be nice. She’d never had that opportunity, beyond the bedroom in her current place.
“And if Clarissa really lives up to the Aunt Happy name, let’s invite her along. My idea of space is definitely way off, I grew up in a mansion and my mom’s place was pretty big too. Without some guidance I’ll probably choose a bunch of stuff that can barely fit, and then we’ll be squeezed in there with all our furniture. We’d have to do everything standing… it’d be like an indoor assault course."

She laughed at the thought of that.
”Oh, I’ll need somewhere to work too… It can just be a corner of a room, anywhere I can fit my computer. I don’t always have work, so it can be used for other things too- it’s a really good desktop, if you want to use it."

At first he thought she was talking about a place to work with the bees, and he was going to ask a dumb question. But, she started talking about computers, and Casey smiled.
”You work on your computer? Designing stuff? Or like, the codes? Programs and stuff?”
He cleared his throat, thinking about all the times they’d tried their hardest to get him to use a computer in the Reserve. He was used to hitting the Comm to beam something across half a mile on a secure magical channel. Computers were the real magic, and frankly he was intimidated by their complexity. Even looking things up online was generally foreign, his only real experience being with his phone that he had to ask Mia’s help with all the time.

Sometimes the calluses on his fingers made it so the screen couldn’t detect him touching it. He’d learned to almost exclusively use the ring finger, since it’d been “underutilized” during his service.
He thought about the equipment that he’d requested from his Mother to make her special requests a reality. He was security, but he was also arms and armory. The tenth floor was being converted into a smithy, the six different apartments hosting different extremely secure spaces for storing and distributing magically enchanted equipment. Low budget artifacts, whose component costs would be covered by the sale of the easily manufactured and highly effective magical ammunition he’d been in charge of producing for his men.

Casey’s entire effective career in the Army had been based around the application of magic to empower available equipment. He had a list of spells the length of his arm, and had been the man in charge of a team producing thousands of rounds of magical ammunition an hour for several different groups.
He wasn’t educated. He was specialized.
”One of the apartments downstairs… The actual security apartment, the one with the cameras and computers. Not every room is full of stuff, so we can still work closely without being forced into the same room. And I mean, there’s a kitchen and everything. If the machines get too loud you can close the apartment door and your office room door.”

Casey had a thoughtful look still lingering on his face as he shuffled for his phone in his pocket.
”This uh… The… Psych doctor they had me seeing in the Reserve said that it’s not good to have one’s work and life occupy the same space. So, you get a little separation with it too, the whole flight of stairs you need to walk down into the offices. And you can leave your window open for the bees, we can do whatever you want to it. And and,-”

Turning round the path to avoid a hill, the two came face to face with themselves. Casey stopped dead in his tracks, staring at the mirror-like surface.
”-uhhhh?”
It was a teardrop surface standing erect like a tree stump in the middle of the forest… Like some ornamental mirror glass had been hung from the spot. Casey pulled Trisha a little closer.
”This… Isn’t something I’ve heard about.”

”What the fuck," Trisha hissed at suddenly being faced with herself. She’d been trying to figure out how to explain her contracting job in a way that made it not sound lame, though since he called it ‘the codes’ that shouldn’t be too hard, and wasn’t prepared for the sudden stop. Or that. If it was something Casey hadn’t heard about, they didn’t know what they were dealing with, which immediately put her on edge.

She closed her eyes, just in case seeing her own reflection somehow did something. It- well, the Stygian Snake had been good at mind tricks. She didn’t want to risk it.
”I’ll check it," she whispered, not really meaning herself. Her body tensed slightly as she sent just one bee closer to the reflective surface. Maybe it wasn’t dangerous, maybe it was, but it was easier to put one small thing at risk. The bee flew close enough that the beating off its wings could be felt.

Feeling somewhat threatened by its fellow flying insect, the massive butterfly’s wings unfurled in two stages. Tremendous carapace joints snapped into place as it showered a solid ten foot diameter with so much pearlescent dust that it coated them both in a mirror-like bismuthine finish.
The actual beating noises as it began to take off were like truck mud flaps smacking against rocks or something else being thrown up by the moving tires. A stupendous amount of effort seemed to go into getting enough momentum for the gargant to pull itself from the perch of a tree it’d sat on.

If it was in fear, it clearly had no chance in acting on that fear with any reasonable response. After a few flaps spread the silvery rainbow shimmering dust in a wider area, it must’ve been satisfied by the threat response; the creature settled down with newly ruffled pearl white fuzz devoid of the built up film.

It was everywhere else. One big mirror glitter bomb. Casey looked down at his body, then at Trisha, and then he couldn’t do anything but start laughing hysterically.

Trisha was shocked, while being bombarded by panicked bee pheromones that led to more panicked bees all clinging to her. They reacted before she did, beginning to try to shake the shimmering dust off of their little bodies. Trisha was still staring at the massive butterfly like creature. Then, finally, she looked at Casey. Then herself.

”What-" Trisha started, before stopping. She wasn’t laughing like Casey, though she wasn’t exactly annoyed about it either. The whole thing was just strange. How was she meant to react?! ”Was that meant to scare us off? It didn’t- achoo!"

Trisha sneezed loudly as some of the dust got up her nose, wrinkling it uncomfortably. With a light huff, she reached up to take her hair out of its ponytail. Silver specks fell off it as it tumbled onto her shoulders and she then leaned forward, properly shaking it out. Once it seemed mostly free of dust, she tied it back up into a bun so it wouldn’t pick up anymore. Hopefully. Then she straightened back up and shook out all of her limbs. A little bit less covered, she turned to Casey again… and finally started laughing over it.
”You look like a massive disco ball- if you stood right in the sun I bet you could blind someone."

Casey took a bit of a fanciful approach toward ridding himself of the powder, disco dancing his way around until most of it was shaken loose.
”Y’know, I’ve got a feeling I’m gonna get an annoyed text message later about how we use this stuff for something… It just feels too familiar to not have a bad feeling. C’mon, let’s get the hell out of here.” he kept laughing, patches of the dust still clumped in his hair as they made their way out toward the realm of the living again.

[FernStone]

Casey’s Car > Barker Brothers

They were in the car, driving back towards the city… Casey had called Clarissa, but since she didn’t answer it made sense just to head back. Trisha sat in the passenger seat with her knees drawn up against her chest, absentmindedly looking out the window.

With Casey driving, Trisha took the opportunity and lull in conversation to pull out her phone and checked it properly for the first time since… before meeting Casey. When she was alone she’d often be glued to her phone or computer - not so much out of a want to use it, rather than a hope of getting contacted. It meant when she wasn’t alone she didn’t really look at it much.

She frowned slightly as she opened up her messenger. Hundreds of messages in the group chat with her eight college friends… Expected. A couple in the girls only group, also normal. But… There were also about a hundred messages in a new chat named ‘Ruining Trisha’s Weekend.

Trisha's Messages

Trisha rolled her eyes at her phone, and considered straight up turning it off so she didn’t have to deal with that at all. But they would actually find her… and she did kind of miss them. It would be nice to see them. It was just the suddenness of it, and introducing Casey to them. She wasn’t fucking prepared for it. But that’d be fine. They’d met most of her exes… Right, it would be fine.

”Soooo…" Trisha broke the silence, locking her phone and putting it back in her jacket pocket. She did want Casey to meet her friends - the only friends who she had regular contact with - but it worried her. What if they judged him or scared him away? Or he didn’t like them… Well, it wasn’t like they could visit often, aside from Reyna. Yeah, if it all went wrong, she’d just make sure they never met again.

”Are you free this weekend?" She tilted her head to look over at him, arms wrapping around her legs. ”The college friends I mentioned are visiting… I just found out, because why would they tell me in advance? Ugh- anyway, they’d like to meet you. I’d like you to meet them, but if you’re going to be busy with the new security job that’s fine. Or if you just don’t want to, because they can be a lot. They’re nice but intense. It’s totally up to you."

Casey had mostly been focused on the road, half lost in a memory of France. She said her friends were intense, but all he thought about was the quid pro quo of the whole situation. Of course he’d put in whatever sort of effort he had to match her bravery. She was moving in with him!
”Well, I’ll kind of have a grace period. Furio’s still going to be coming around pretty frequently for the next couple of weeks while I learn everything… I think we have a place they can stay if they’ll be staying the night. Not glamorous by any means, but f-”

What was he saying? They were friends of a Vanburen; it was all gravy. What’d they care about forking over for a downtown hotel suite.
”They probably don’t need it, but feel free to let them know it’s a free place to crash. Private, they can stay as long as they want, and it’d be right downstairs from us. There’s so many empty apartments in that building, half of them are storage. It’s… Kind of meant to be a… Stronghold… For… When, y’know…”
He clammed up, clearing his throat as he thought about how to present the idea that he’d always thought was perfectly normal until he made it into the military.

You mean your parents aren’t building magical forts to dominate the coming new world?
Casey shook his head, vaguely shrugging his shoulders and trying not to make himself look crazier than he already probably had. Between the Temple and here, he probably looked psychopathic to her. So brave to stick around…

”I think they’re staying a couple nights… Unless they’re going back to Portland after just a night. They probably have somewhere, but I’ll ask." Trisha wasn’t sure she wanted them to be the floor below her, because then they’d know she’d moved in with Casey and she knew they’d have some thoughts and harsh words on that. She didn’t want to deal with it. Plus, Cass was intrusive as fuck and Reyna was nosey. Thankfully Reyna was also organised and would’ve definitely booked a place.

She paused for a moment, what he’d said about the apartments being some kind of stronghold registering. That was… pretty smart. Was it like orange lux reinforced? Or just a more secure place? A lot of buildings were destroyed when the Stygian Snake was in the city, so it made sense.
”So if something like the Stygian Snake appears again, we’ll be pretty safe?" Trisha asked, seeming to not find it strange at all. After all, the city was beset with magical dangers… and the Stygian Snake had been a big one. Absentmindedly, her hand rested on her upper abdomen, where a scar she’d never gotten magically fixed lay. Ignoring the feelings that came with that, she grinned and joked, ”good to know that I can sit out the next world ending threat- I did my part! I’ll just hunker down in our apartment."

With a light laugh she pulled back out her phone, and shot off a message to the group chat - getting an immediate response back. A few messages and she had her answer, along with enough annoying messages she wanted to turn this thing off again.
”They’ve rented an apartment, but they want to stay there next time… whenever that might be." She shrugged. ”In case you’re worried my friends will be stuck up or anything, they’re not rich like I am. I went to a public college, surprisingly… Anyway, I think they’re quite normal in that regard? Oh- but I should warn you, one of them- Reyna- is an adept. White and… whatever deals with emotional stuff. She can be a bit annoying about just reading auras. She’ll definitely do it to you to make sure you-"

Should’ve stopped at explaining what she did, well done, Trisha, good luck not sounding like a dick.
”That you’re not an asshole."

”Oh, you went to school with someone magical? Did you know one another before?”
He didn’t exactly love Pink Lux users. Learning from Hari, he found out that most of them were… Problematic. It was the power of using your knowledge to manipulate people. His mother often went on about how the world had been spared “Lynette of the Fuschia Crown”.
”Pink Lux. White and Pink. Apparently it’s kind of a common pair, and it works really well in tandem. Shrinks and fast talkers, conpeople. Hari’s a Pinkie too. She taught me about how it works when we were kids. Mom used to have her settle our arguments as practice; we’d all gather around as a family and let Hari dump our brains into a union.”

Yeah… Too much information. Thankfully Casey’s cellphone started ringing. He pulled it out without his eyes leaving the road.
”Warrant Richoux.---. Yep, in the car. Driving down now. —. What? What do you me-”
There was a noise like metal being ripped in half by some sort of destructive force. It was loud, it filled the car, and worst of all it send Casey into a panic. His phone left his hand at mach speed as both hands gripped the wheel and he stuffed the accelerator of the car into the floor.

In the back seat, there was a blinding purple rip in reality that expanded until it was about the size of a door, its shape literally clipping through the solid environment of the vehicle. Carefully, a great big blonde afro stuck its way through, staring forward at the two of them. Clarissa saw Casey’s immediate panic.
”Casey, Casey! Easy, Boo-bear! Easy!”
Casey’s head spun rapidly.
”Clarissa, what the fuck!?”

Carefully, Clarissa let one leg step through the portal into the back seat of the car, followed by the other leg before she made a kind of hopping motion. The portal slammed shut instantly, and Clarissa fell onto the seat.
He was slowing down now that he knew the “convoy” wasn’t under attack, but Casey was still shaking and taking great gulps of air.
”Jesus! Do you know how many times I’ve heard noises like that?! I can tell you, a tank shell peeling an armored transport’s roof off sounds just like that.”

Clarissa was dressed very casually, frilly cuffs on her blouse and a little vest covering the front. Flared bottom pants. A pick was still stuffed in her hair.

”Awwww Sweetheart, I’m so sorry Boo… I wish I could change the sound of it myself, but… It’s pretty intimidating. Scared the shit out of you, didn’t it?” she cackled, adjusting herself in the back seat.
”And loooook at you! I do remember that sour little face… You’re Trisha? My name is Clarissa Natale, Baby… It’s nice to not be watching y’all from afar.”
She held her hand out to Trisha, a wide toothy grin on her face.

Trisha was still trying to convince herself that she wasn’t about to die. One hand had shot out and grabbed Casey’s wrist, squeezing tightly, while the other gripped her seat brace herself for the suddenly stop. Twenty bees had flown out from her jacket, with about half of them hitting the window and ending up rolling about the dashboard in a state of disorientation. The others were also confused, buzzing all around the car in an attempt to find the threat.

”... Hello," Trisha managed to get out, taking a deep breath. She let go of the seat and Casey’s wrist, gently patting his arm before she twisted around to look at Clarissa. With a slightly shaky smile, totally passing as calm and collected, she reached out and shook her head. At least there wasn’t a hug this time.
”I’d say it’s nice to meet you, but my ears are still ringing- one minute."

Trisha realised her bees were still bouncing from wall to wall in the car like fluffy, panicked ping pong balls. At least they hadn’t tried to sting Clarissa yet - because they didn’t realise she was the ‘threat.’ Pursing her lips, Trisha took another deep breath, calming down her alarm pheromones and turning them back to soothing ones. Slowly the bees stopped. They didn’t come back to her, but instead landed in various spots in the car, on high alert. It was easier to talk now.
”Yeah, I’m Trisha… do you know me from before? My face has been pretty cheerful lately-" That wasn’t really the point, but apart from the stuff with Lena a little while ago, she had been in a generally good mood since meeting Casey. A lot of smiling! ”Alright, it’s nice to meet you, and not be watched from afar… can you just teleport into any car? That was fucking- something."

Clarissa gave a big belly laugh.
”No, I can’t! This was one of our fleet cars a few years back, so I had fixed points in all of them in case of shenanigans!”
She cleared her throat.
”One of my jobs a long time ago was making sure Leon stayed safe, which meant a lot of watching you Sycamore Kids doin’ the damn thang. You always looked a little… Annoyed? I thought it was cute, my Daughter’s the exact same now. That lil’ pouty look.”

Her smile was so bright and so wide open it was hard not to get lost in it. And her voice was warm, unironic, and motherly with a gentle authority in its body.
”But now you’re here with our favorite Soldier! God’s chosen Warrior!” Clarissa said with a great deal of conviction. Her hand reached around the seat and tightly clasped Casey’s shoulder.

He reached his own up and held hers’ tenderly.
”Oh, don’t start with that Auntie.”
”Listen, Boy, you made it through the hottest war this planet’s seen in thousands of years! If God don’t shine out the Richoux Family’s ass, I don’t know what does… ANYWAY! Lil’ Miss Trisha… You’re moving in? Already? My Furi… We were talking about kids a few days after we met, I’ll be honest… It took us years to actually get it done, but that’s just because we were so busy!” she chattered away in the back seat, her hands moving around. She was also fairly touchy, fingers tapping Trisha’s shoulders punctually on occasion.

”It’s not like I’m stuck if I move in," Trisha laughed, playing it off as a joke - even though it was true. The perks of being rich and having a sister with a large house with far too many rooms. But… She would quite happily be stuck if it meant that Casey was also stuck with her. It was only a problem if- when- he wanted out.
”I already know I want to spend all- well, most- of my time with Casey, that’s easier if we live together. I would’ve basically moved in anyway… But we’re not. It’s just the moving in. We’re taking everything else slow, right?" She looked at Casey for confirmation. There were some things she didn’t mind speeding up - things she could back out of, if needed, that wouldn’t leave her more hurt at the end. Others, not so much. If he started talking about kids in a few days, she wasn’t sure how she’d handle it.

Casey’s head turned slightly to answer Trisha, but it seemed to be destiny that the strong women in his life would speak before his own thoughtful personality allowed him to.
”Oooh girl, he’s a tortoise! You want slow?-” she playfully tugged at a tuft of Casey’s long hair, causing him to strain and laugh at the same time.
”-This is your man for slow. You know he ain’t stop breastfeeding until he was six years old! Too scared to use silverware, he would panic if you got anywhere near him with a fork or a knife.”

Casey’s expression got sour. How could he explain that the cats used to lob forks and knives at him from the dark of his closet?

”It was so cute, and he had that little stone-face otherwise, like he was all tough. But you couldn’t go anywhere near water with him or he’d fuss and scream until he was like eight. Remember your Daddy tossed you into the river and made Leon swim out to get you?”
”Yeah, just… More trauma, Auntie! Yaaaaaay…”

He patted his head gently.
”That’s why it’s important that you’re a big, strong man now. You can protect the people you love, and do things you never would’ve done before. You ain’t that little scaredy baby.”
Clarissa’s expression grinned at Trisha.
”He’ll do well by you, is what I mean. Even if you’re eager to stand by him, he’s gonna walk at your pace. The Soldier’s Drum.”

She held her other hand on Trisha’s shoulder, her thumbs rubbing the both of them comfortingly.
”Honestly? I’m just happy we’re getting out of that place. It’s been awesome living up there, it’s private and the view is amazing, but fuck me if we ain’t outgrown the bitch. It’ll be great for the two of you though, just perfect. Trisha, Honey, what’s your style like? What’re you thinkin’? Casey’s gonna bring us on down to the Barker Brothers, and we’re gonna look at some beautiful stuff, like how we got our actual house furnished. Elise approved you up, Case?”

Casey nodded.
”Yeah, the transfer has already gone through I’m pretty sure.”

The image of young Casey too scared to use cutlery made Trisha’s lips twitch up into a bit of a smile, because how did knives and forks scare anyone? The water wasn’t nearly as funny. If someone had thrown Trisha in a river when she was young she still wouldn’t want to be near it. Not that she even knew how to swim now.

”I know he will," Trisha said softly, mostly to herself, about Casey doing well by her. Perhaps it was to convince herself and that irrational anxiety that said otherwise. But so far he had. He’d already done so much for her.

But there wasn’t the time to dwell on that anyway. There was furniture shopping to think about! Something she had absolutely no experience in because, unlike some of her siblings who got their bedrooms redone regularly, she’d always moved into furnished places. The most she’d bought was some more shelving. She hadn’t even heard of Barker Brothers. But she was going to fake knowing exactly what she wanted.

”My style is… cozy, I’d say. Warm colours, or more natural colours- I like green. I like the space being used without being too cluttered. My mom’s place was minimally decorated and didn’t feel lived in, so it always felt cold. I don’t want a home like that. I want a place that really feels like… home. Probably simpler things, too." She laughed, rubbing the back of her neck. There was a discomfort there, with how intense and familiar Clarissa was acting, but the hand on her shoulder didn't bother her anywhere near as much as the hugs from Lynette had.
”Probably surprising, considering I’m a Vanburen, but I didn’t really like the style of where I grew up. Dad's wasn't as bad as mum's, it was very lived in, but it was so fancy it was intimidating."

Clarissa patted Casey’s shoulder excitedly.
”Dude! She loves green!”
Casey was laughing immediately, shaking his head and turning an embarrassed shade of red on his otherwise pale cheeks.
”Yeah, yeah… I heard that…”

The woman was hopping up and down with enthusiasm, her hand smacking his shoulder again and again until he had to shoo it away.
”This. Boy. Loves. Green! He had this little dinosaur jacket that he used to wear when he was a baby, and when you tried to get him a different color sweater or something he would just ball. It was so fuckin’ cute.”
She laughed aloud, her mind tracing back to those good old days of being their Godmother. All the trouble those kids got into…

”You gotta understand, Trisha: Lynette? She’s somethin’ else. Kids? Never should’ve had ‘em. But the Lord requires things of us, so like her duty, here they are. And honestly? I love every single one of these kids just like they’re my own. They’re the sole reason Furio and I waited so long to have our daughter… I was almost Forty by the time our baby girl was born, but I’ll be damned if I wasn’t ready for everything motherhood could throw at me. It’s been perfect. Just perfect.”

Her gaze trailed to Trisha, eyes tired and accented by the crow’s rake marks of time. She was still glowing. Maybe it was the hair, but the smile was just so Goddamn friendly, how could one not feel a little warmth? The passion, the enthusiasm.

It couldn’t be… Real?

”So, one thing I was told is that there’s a general rule of thumb when it comes to stuff like colors. You want mostly neutral things, anything big you’re gonna go for. Couch, rugs, shit like that? Mostly neutral. Whites, beige, light browns; there’s a ton of windows in the place. You’ll definitely want something that goes well with the natural lighting. Not like that fucking dungeon downstairs, God in Heaven…”

“I really don't want it to be like that," Trisha laughed, shaking her head and smiling at Clarissa. It was difficult not to feel comfortable in her presence. And she was right, the basement apartment practically sucked in all the light. Trisha wasn't that fussy when it came to colours - when it came to her wardrobe, she had just about the whole spectrum. She had her preferences. But a living place that was completely black? No way. What she was getting from this, though, was that painting your apartment completely black pointed to not being mother material. Though from just one meeting she knew there were plenty of other reasons Lynette wasn't made for it… not that her own mom was much better. That hadn't even been out of ‘duty.’
“My sister's place- where I live just now- is the complete opposite. Bright white, kind of cold. I think I'd like light browns. Then it'll go with any green bits, since we both like it."

She turned her head to grin at Casey.
“Maybe we can pick you up a new dinosaur jacket too? Ooo, that can be the theme- bees and dinosaurs! How cute would that be?" She giggled, covering her mouth as she did. Her eyes creased into cute half moons as she pictured it. It was cute that it was something they shared - the like of green that was. The way he'd blushed over it was cute too. “Light browns, some greens, some yellows… that sounds nice. Comfortable furniture too. What else? I guess it'll be easier to figure out the specifics when we get there…"

She twisted in her seat again to look back at Clarissa.
“How big is it? The apartment… what kind of furniture can we fit in there?"

Clarissa held back as best she could, but her lips peeled into a precocious grin. A hot laugh bubbled up from her chest, and her afro began to bounce around.
”Oh, no!” Clarissa croaked, her composure cracking until she was finally sprawled across the back seat laughing hysterically.
”No you didn’t! Nooooo!”

Casey’s brow raised up, and he checked the back seat in the mirror.
”Alright, Giggles; what’d I miss?”
It only prompted Clarissa to laugh harder, until after a long few moments she finally came to her senses and sat back up.
”Oh my God… If you don’t see what’s funny in that, you’re both on the same page. And that’s just adorable.”
She cleared her throat, wiping the tears away before leaning back.

”I love where y’all got your heads at. We have a theme, and I think that’s great. But, let’s expand on it a bit; because if you’re just smashin’ bodily fluid colors together, it ain’t gonna go down great. Good news is, we can separate the spaces. And the last catalogue I got, they were havin’ this retro theme… Old cloth prints are chique again! Like back in my parents’ day, when you had a corduroy couch with the wooden arms on it…”
Clarissa’s head tilted back as she sniffed at the air.

”I can still smell every bit of the old cigarette smoke in those couches… Awful awful shit.”
She shook her head.
”But not you two… Pot stink is fine, it comes out easier than nicotine soak. As far as the space, baby, I’d say you’re lookin’ at like eight-hundred or so square feet. Most of it is the main room, it’s got a high ceiling, and the bedroom overlooks the room, shares the windows with it so it gets all that nice light. It’s so pretty on a cool winter morning. Up there, you’d probably fit a king bed if you didn’t plan on having any other furniture up there, but it’s also not technically the big bedroom. Before she was born, I had a little office up there, but once she got too many toys and things, we decided to move our bed up there. So, I’d say we should keep it conservative, but it’s all neutral for color. Nice hard wood floors and glass walls with some places that are insulated walls. Mostly interior walls.”

Trisha didn’t understand why Clarissa was laughing at first. She pursed her lips, clamping down on her initial reaction. Had she said something stupid? No, no… What was it that Cass always said? We’re laughing with you, not at you. It must be that. But what Clarissa was laughing at, she really didn’t get. Bodily fluid colours? What does that- oh. Her nose scrunched up as she realised what was so funny. Vomit colours. Right. You’re so amazing, couldn’t even pick furniture colours correctly.

Her fingers dug into her thighs as she forced herself to relax again, and smile like it was nothing. Just think about the furniture. Eight-hundred square feet. She tried to picture it. That was about… 28 feet wall length. Probably not much bigger than her room. Well, that was fine. She didn’t need a lot of living space.
”We don’t really need anything but a bed in the bedroom, do we?" Trisha said, lips pressing together as she thought about it. Right now, everything was in her bedroom, but that wasn’t necessary. Just have it for sleeping, the main room for living… and then an office in another flat. ”Corduroy is nice… I have a couple of corduroy pants… And conservative is fine, if you think that’d be best. I don’t want something flashy, anyway. I want to feel comfortable rather than showing off."

Though she also did like showing off herself, material belongings were never a way she’d wanted to do it. It wasn’t like she’d earned the money herself and her family just came with bigger problems. She’d rather show off a nice, warm and well lived in home.
”So we can have a big bed up there, since it sounds nice. Then all the storage can go in the other bedroom, I suppose… And everything else in the main room. Couch, a small dining table- only need it to sit two, after all. Space for Traitor. Maybe an indoor hive as well for winter. How much space would that all take up…" She zoned out for a moment, trying to figure through the maths without having the proper sizes for anything. While she’d started failing at the advanced mathematical concepts once she hit college, mental arithmetic was still something she excelled in. ”We could probably fit in a three seater couch with a couple of armchairs. I guess we don’t have to worry about a TV since you already have one, right, Casey? And the rest…"

She paused, smiling. Nobody wanted to hear her go on like this.
”You know what, I don’t want to make any proper decisions before we get there. Maybe there’ll be something we really like. This is my first time properly furnishing a place- when you’re rich, you tend to hire people to do it for you. So I might- I might-" Get a lot wrong. She couldn’t bring herself to say that. ”Get a bit too excited over it."

Clarissa laughed again, snorting and tossing her head back as she clapped her hands.
”When ya rich! Girl, I fuckin’ love you already. That’s badass.”
Casey smiled, rubbing Trisha’s leg tenderly with his hand.
”I said that to her! You’ve got the perfect attitude, Trisha, seriously. You probably would’ve made a good soldier if you joined, you’ve got that kind of confidence you need when you’re handling firearms and explosives.”
Clarissa nodded along, the big golden afro bobbing up and down like a child television show’s background sun.

Having pulled her phone out at some point, Clarissa swung it around the front seat to show Trisha. She was on the website for the store: Apparently it was one of those ancient boutiques that survived the restructuring of the Country’s infrastructure in the Internet Age’s childhood. The storefront looked prehistoric compared to the surroundings, which seemed to be what Temple members liked…
The Pre-First War hotel-turned-apartments, the old hilltop church in the middle of nowhere, everything just seemed a little more bespoke than the modern sanitized luxuries found in the Financial Downtown.

But Clarissa scrolled away from the banner image at the top of the webpage, opening up the home furnishing selection for couches and living room sets.
”Here we go! Disco Never Died collection: Honestly, I think you’ll love it. Go ahead, scroll away.” she finished, waggling her phone for Trisha to take.

”Of course I’d make a good soldier, I was already fighting for my life at fourteen. Why wouldn’t I be confident?" Trisha said dryly, with a smile. The compliments were nice, enough to bring a light blush to her cheeks and a warmth in her chest.

Of course, she didn’t actually believe she would. Being in the army required a lot of obedience - a strict hierarchy that needed to be followed. Someone told her what to do and she generally got really pissy about it. If someone tried to use violence or yelling to enforce it, she’d sting them with a thousand bees.

She took Clarissa’s phone, knees pulled back against her chest so her arms could rest on them as she scrolled. She was right, Trisha did like it. Couches of varying designs - patterned, plain coloured ones with soft velour surfaces, ones made from corduroy or tartan, some even large enough to be a bed. It was all simple on the surface, but nicely designed. Tables and shelving made out of natural wood. Some of the designs were weird, but overall it was a style she’d like.

”Yeah, I like it," she held up the phone, showing a green, booth style velour couch. ”This one would be really nice if it would fit. I probably wouldn’t bother going to bed though… Is it strange that I really want to feel it? Just seeing the texture on the screen."

She held Clarissa’s phone back out to her. ”It’s a bit scary how easily you got what I’d like. Will they have this stuff in the store?"

Clarissa nodded.
”Even if they don’t have it, you can order it. If you’re out a few things for a week or two, it ain’t a problem.”

---

The drive into the city brought them by the apartments again. Clarissa mentioned stopping off and letting Trisha see the space, but both of them insisted that her measurements and knowledge of the space would be plenty. Casey also included the fact that he’d been up there and seen it, and would be happy to input when necessary.

As such, they rolled on to the absolutely parking space devoid boulevard that once served as the City’s main downtown stretch. The frontage of the store was just like the website: Abstract art deco reverse arches held the overhanging facade in the air, creating a six foot lip off the side of the building that climbed almost four floors upward and stretched on for a couple of football fields into the block.
As it turned out, the store was two buildings actually melded together; a strange effect from the days of the Stygian Snake, simply never recognized or reconciled. The public gestalt said this store had always been like this; but head to the town library and look up the plans for it, you’ll never find them.

For members of the Temple, it was a little pilgrimage to visit the Amalgamate. But the Blinds would never know. They wouldn’t be able to see the seams between the structures sewn together at their ass ends with unreality.
After finally getting some parking a quarter-mile down the road and walking back to get to the storefront, they were met in a lobby by a few entry attendants who gave each of them a warm paper cup full of coffee. They asked if the group would need any sort of representative, but Clarissa was quick to decline and they were allowed to roam about the massive superstore without trouble. While the main causeway seemed sleepy and empty, there were dozens of mock rooms and display sets lining the sides of the store.

Dozens and dozens of dioramas had different sales people and their prospective customers chattering about. Some stood, some sat on the sets they were looking to purchase in hopes they’d find the one.
But none of the ones on this floor had anything to do with what they were looking for. Not that they weren’t nice, but Clarissa had heard what Trisha said about the furniture in her current situation.

It was all the most expensive stuff; the kind that would be in a wealthy person’s home. Austere, cold leathers and muted colors. Neutral and boring. Clarissa let out a muffled “Blech-”, turning her head to Trisha and sticking her tongue out.
”Gross and cold. Like someone said ‘make office furniture.’”

There were several escalators, as any good department store had, and they led upward to the second floor which was full of more open displays. Rather, the whole floor to the storage area in the back was full of open displays that seemed to hold different collections. One side was beds, mattresses, drawer sets, general bedroom things.
The other side was living room furniture, and among a flurry of wild colors near the back end, the edge of a fat, forest green friend was hidden cleverly behind some warmly colored wood cabinet.

Clarissa didn’t seem to notice it, and Casey hadn’t actually seen the picture of the couch, but it was there. Ready to be slept on.
She did, however, see the sign that was printed in amazing vintage lettering: “Disco Never Died”.
”Here it is! Oh, man, so when this was the big line, they had downstairs done all in that disco style. Even the clerks, and the sales people, everyone was in a period uniform. I don’t know how they pay for it all.”

Trisha had been looking around the store with barely concealed wonder, like a kid that had stepped foot inside a candy store for the first time. She really hadn’t been in a store like this before - any furniture changes in the Vanburen manor were handled by designers who came in personally, selecting what was best and overseeing its fitting. Her mom, when deciding to change something, just ordered online. She was all about cold efficiency. So there was something exciting about seeing all the furniture on display, arranged in little room sets as if ready to just be selected and inserted into a house.
”That’s some dedication… Surely it can’t have worked out financially- well, I don’t know much about that! But the furniture is nice. Much better than downstairs."

She grinned, very quickly finishing the coffee she’d been handed and crumpling up the paper cup. There was a lot to look at. She wasn’t quite sure where to start. Her eyes darted around, quickly passing around the bolder colours- that wasn’t what she wanted. A few pieces in a brighter blue, green or yellow perhaps, but not the vivid pinks and reds that kept catching her eyes purely because they were so eye-catchingly bright. She was drawn to the living room side first - she was more bothered about how it would look, assuming they'd be spending most of their time there.

Trisha stepped in amongst the furniture and quickly started weaving through it, seeking out the kind of things she actually liked. Tables made of warm looking wood… There was a nice, simple coffee table made to look like it was a cut of a tree trunk which she quite liked. Maybe impractical to fit, but nice to look at. Then, some cabinets- oh!

With a bright smile, she scurried back to the other two. Without thinking much about it, and how childish she might look being so excited over something like this, she grabbed Casey’s hand.
”Come over here, I found the couch I was looking at- you’ll love it." Hopefully. Maybe she didn’t have a good read on his taste yet, beyond her… Pushing away any doubts, Trisha practically dragged (as much as that was possible) Casey over towards the back end of the room. Moving past the cabinet, and it was visible in its full glory - the large, forest screen booth style couch. Trisha gestured to it. ”See! I bet we wouldn’t even need a bed if we got this… I’d definitely fall asleep on it."

With her free hand, other still holding onto Casey’s, she reached out and felt the arm of it. The fabric was soft to touch, but not too textured. Nice. She made to get on it, but paused, looking back. ”Are we allowed to sit on stuff to try it out?"

Clarissa was already diving across the two of them, leaping onto the massive sectional couch and bouncing slightly as she hit the springy cushion with a cackle. Casey was in awe himself, eyes wide and transfixed on the behemoth the moment he saw it.
”Holy shit Trisha! You’re basically fuckin’ right, but honestly… I… God, y’know…”

Clarissa’s hands shot up, grabbing Casey and Trisha by their respective sleeves and tugging them down onto the massive couch.
”Hear me out. I think you should put this in Ivetta’s room. With a new TV. A bigger one, with a nice sound system for yourselves… Trisha, you could even hook up a computer to it-”

She coughed, cleared her throat, and turned her head to Trisha with a bit of a grimace.
”-You… I mean… We know you’re plenty smart. Can’t not know all we can, we do our best to keep up with you kids. Knowing where you are, what you’re up to. I don’t know much about computers myself, but hey ain’t this couch just comfy as hell?”
Casey sighed gently, taking a deep breath.
”It really is. Is this what you wanted, Trisha? I think she’s right about putting it in the other bedroom. Making it like a den, leaving the open space part of the house as more like… Work or entertainment?”

Trisha’s heart jolted in her chest, suddenly speeding up. She had been enjoying the feeling of the couch, falling back on it and stretching out. But there was an instant shift in her demeanour when Clarissa used the words we know. She rolled onto her side, propping herself up on one arm and pulling her legs into her chest. A smaller, more curled up and defensive position. Her other hand landed in front of her, fingers digging into the fabric.

What did they know? That she was plenty smart? No, that was a lie. She wasn’t. If they knew she worked in software development- then they must know almost everything. Or was she just overthinking things? No, with how Lynette had already spied on them. She’d told Casey that it wouldn’t bother her. But this meant they probably knew her grades. All the exams she failed. Her pitiful degree grade. Did they know she wasn’t in contact with her own mom? No, they probably didn’t care. But they knew how much of a failure she was. How she wasn’t good enough. Calling her smart was a lie. Why lie? She didn’t know, but far too many people had said the opposite. Her own mother thought the opposite. She bit down on her lip.

The look she gave Clarissa could only be described as cold. It was like all the emotions Trisha felt - the excitement, the joy - was locked behind icy walls. She withdrew. Any openness, the slight peek in that Clarissa had been given, was gone.
”If you really knew me, you’d know I’m not smart at all," Trisha intoned in a low voice. ”Making some money coding doesn’t make me ‘plenty smart.’"

She turned her head slightly more towards Casey, but didn’t quite look at him. Her eyes softened slightly, but there was still a distance there.
”Yeah, I want this one. We can put it in the other bedroom. I don’t mind what we use the open space for, whatever you’d like."

With those noncommittal answers, she unfurled her legs and suddenly stood up.
”I’m going to look at the beds." Without waiting, she shot over to the other side of the room. Absent-mindedly she started looking at the beds- except, she wasn’t really looking. She didn’t really see them. So fucking stupid. So sensitive. You couldn’t have just brushed it off? You told Casey you could handle it, but one small comment sets you off? It wasn’t like Casey had ever noticed. Her hand clenched around a duvet, scrunching it up between her fingers. It was a sore spot. Being decent at coding, and bad at everything else. Can’t let anything go… Should’ve just enjoyed yourself. Trisha frowned, staring at the duvet balled up in her fist.

There was a period of time where Trisha was left alone in the quiet with her own thoughts. There weren’t raised voices, nobody started a shouting match. Casey didn’t lose his temper… But it was an endeavour. How could he ever expect the people around him to not act like they weren’t a magical cult of stalkers?
He hadn’t realized what’d happened at first, too far gone in the bliss of the big green couch to think about what had been said. Clarissa had to come clean for him to know; but he was at least happy she had; and what was more, she admitted her wrongdoing. Casey couldn’t hate that, or her, and she expressed that once she spoke up, she knew she’d messed up.

But now it was Casey’s job to deal with it. Clarissa wasn’t so empathetic.
”She’s a computer person. It ain’t that complex. You wanna date her, you smooth things over. That’s what you ask for, you don’t think Furio ain’t deal with my bullshit?”
He figured if anyone had, it was that man. He took more shit than anyone.
So there he was, quietly walking up behind Trisha with his hands in his pockets.
”Tee? I’m… I’m sorry! Again… For the fifth time today, I think? This… It’s gonna keep happening, Trisha. I’ll do my best to put out a PSA or something. To not talk to you like you’re in on it... It’s my fault.” he said with a sad, longing voice.

”It’s not that," Trisha muttered, not moving. It wasn’t. She didn’t care about them talking about shit they’d overheard. Sure, it was invasive, and she’d rather she wasn’t spied on in the first place - but it was better that they came out with it. It was digging into certain bits of her past. Things she didn’t like anyone knowing. Embarrassing things. Was it hypocritical to get so upset over that specific thing? Probably.

”It’s not your fault, anyway. You’re not the one looking." She did believe that. After all, there were other people to blame. Clarissa, and the woman above her. If she was to blame Casey, then she was blaming him for who he was related to. She wasn’t angry enough to go that far… yet.
”Being watched is creepy, but I can deal with it. I’m used to what I’m doing being questioned." Though for her, it was her mom questioning why she wasn’t studying enough, why she left her room, why was the location sharing showing her being in a park? Not really the same scale. ”Of course they saw everything when fighting the Stygian Snake. Leon was there. Bet they even know about-"

She stopped, choking on her words and clamping her mouth shut. A person that had died because of her and a memory she’d forcefully forgotten. Not going to poisonous feelings welling up in her chest.
”Whatever. I don’t care. But none of the inbetween. They can know about the Snake, and now, but nothing else. I want my life to come from my own mouth."

Trisha finally let go of the duvet, letting it slip from her taut fingers. She turned around, at first glaring past Casey at Clarissa, before looking down at the ground. With a step she closed the gap between them, leaning her head against his chest and letting her arms hang limp at her side.
”I want to tell you about myself.” And keep what she didn’t want shared secret. ”And I don’t like people acting like they know me because of some fucking facts on paper.”

Casey couldn’t do anything but hold her. Poor girl, he thought, having it slowly taken from her. He agreed with the sentiment, that she deserved to tell him from her own lips, so that he could trust her to be accurate. He wasn’t looking for Rome to be built in a day, after all.
”They’re so much better around Blinds, you know… They can’t act like they know things, people are usually paying attention. But, when you’re magic, they just expect you to be ready for it.”

Shaking his head, he held her tightly in his arms, hands rubbing up and down her back slowly to comfort. He never thought it’d be so exhausting trying to show his family someone he was interested in, and wondered if Elise had so many problems back in the day. Probably not…

”Clarissa already said if you want her gone, she’s gone. No sense in fausting anything on you… But I’m sure she’d be willing to apologize and put it behind her.”
The woman in question wasn’t staring back or watching; she had her hands in between her legs, sitting at the edge of the couch with her head looking down. In wait of a verdict, she was ready for whatever came next.
”Or we can take a break. Just walk around the store, I’m sure she’d wait for us if you just wanted time to process things.”

Trisha closed her eyes for a moment, pressing her face in the fabric of his hoodie and taking a deep breath. Was she willing to accept Clarissa’s apology and put it behind her? On a surface level, perhaps. She was good at pretending when she wanted to. But the door to the true Trisha that began to open up at Clarissa’s disarming friendliness was slammed closed and locked to her now, for who knew how long. She was willing to at least try a little bit for Casey, which was more than she’d normally bother with. But it was difficult to change who she was - someone who held grudges over the smallest things, and took a while to get over it.

”I want to walk around a bit first," she said softly, finally pulling back a bit to look up at him. Her expression wasn’t so cold, but it wasn’t particularly warm yet either.
”Just a moment so I don’t-" Snap and say things that will make her look worse. ”Say something I don’t mean. I was just upset thinking about what they might know. It wasn’t like she said anything bad… Yeah, working as a developer is a bit embarrassing, but it’s fine.“

It was just what other things she- and by extension, other temple members- might know.
”We can actually look at the beds. That’s the kind of thing only we should be picking, right? Let’s find one we like, test it out to make sure it's comfy enough, then we can go back over. I’m sure I’ll have cheered up by then. I just want to spend a bit of time with you first."

Casey was trying to figure out how she could be embarrassed working with technology. Even if he was a meat-head who didn't get it, he knew how important digital infrastructure was to the burgeoning New World. There was no reason for…
”You think working with Computers is lame. Like, what, it's not girly enough?”

His arms scooped her up rapidly, and suddenly Trisha was cradled in Casey's arms fully. He could feel the buzzing vibrations beneath her coat, and remembering the bees stopped him from wholesale tossing her onto the bed.
”Newsflash: There's only one computer person on this planet who I don't like. And, hopefully you don't like him either. Because otherwise, I'm afraid I'd lose you to him. Silly, huh?” he grimaced as his knees pushed up onto the bed.

Feeling the softness, he already knew this wasn't the mattress for him, but he let Trisha wriggle away so she could get a feeling for it herself.
”I'm a firm kind of guy… We have the cash; I'd like to look at those electric beds with all the crazy independent side shit. Have you ever used one? They looked like two separate beds in the advertisement, so that makes me leery. I want to sleep with you, not next to you.”

”Working with computers is lame," Trisha mumbled. There were all sorts of stereotypes, and guys always seemed to get the wrong idea about what she was like because of it. Sure, she knew it was stupid. Reyna, her ex and a software developer, said there were all sorts of people in it. She had horror stories, of course, mainly of men thinking they were better purely because of their gender. Reyna said to ignore it all, but she really couldn’t.

She leaned out of his arms to feel the mattress - at first with just a hand, then wriggling out properly to kneel on it. It sunk beneath her weight. Probably the kind of bed she’d never be able to get out of. Comfortable enough… but if Casey wanted firmer, she was fine with that. She’d never really thought that hard about what kind of mattress she liked. She just knew she preferred sharing it with someone else.
”Of course you want to sleep with me in a firmer bed," Trisha teased, finally smiling again. It was easy, for now, to shove away all of her annoyances when the source wasn’t currently around. She leaned from knee to knee just to test just how soft this one was. ”I’m fine with anything. Never tried an electric bed like that… I’ve never lived with anyone like that, so why would I? If it’s two mattresses or something it sounds a bit pointless… We’d either end up uncomfortably sleeping in the middle, or bundle on one side. No way am I sleeping on separate sides only holding hands or some shit like it's the 1900s. But we may as well try it out."

With a light laugh, Trisha spun on her knees to face him and wrapped her arms around his neck. She leaned in and rested her head against his shoulder, face close to his.
”And that computer person you don’t like? I’m sure I won’t like him too. You definitely won’t lose me to him. I like you, not some smart computer guy who’s probably an asshole if you don’t like him."

”Well… Junior’s pretty charming around people who don’t know him… Little fucking sociopath…”
Casey thought about his menace of a younger brother. There was no respect between them; frankly Junior didn’t respect anyone. He figured that may actually be a bonus here, seeing as how if she didn’t really buy into it, he’d probably just make himself look like an asshole.

Looking back for a moment, Clarissa had moved off the couch and was walking around in a further part of the store on her cellphone. He felt a little bad, having invited her only for her to say something dumb… He had to put her on time-out, right? Even if she was an adult, there had to be some kind of reflection on the action.
He’d been listening to the Base’s Shrink too much.
”C’mon. This ain’t it.”

Getting up, he began to saunter around between other beds. One hand slipped into his pocket, grabbing ahold of his glove before he stopped. He knew he could solve the issue right away with a simple trick… But did he want to? Was it worth cutting out the time he was spending with the person he-
Liked… A lot… Liked enough to move in with her pretty well instantly.
His fingers released the glove, and he simply slipped onto the next bed. It was nearly the same, which actually pissed him off a bit until his head scanned and looked up at the wall.
”Oh, shit! Look!”

Casey pointed up at the wall. There were these blue and white signs informing the customer of the firmness and texture of the mattresses that were there. He looked left, looked right, and finally realized.
[color=577d06]”I guess we’re in the soft section!”
He sat up, looked around again, and saw nobody in the immediate area to stop him from reverting to childhood.
”Think you can bounce across more beds than I can?” he looked at Trisha with a wicked grin.

Trisha looked at Casey, then the signs, then at the beds.
”Like… bounce from bed to bed?" She pointed to the mattress he was currently on, then her finger moved to the next one in an arc. They were pretty close together. It wasn’t something she’d ever done… since she hadn’t exactly gone bed shopping ever. Was it a normal thing? It did sound fun. Could you even bounce between beds like that? She was thinking too much about this, wasn’t she.

”You’ve got, like, an extra foot on me, doesn’t that give you an advantage? You could probably just bounce-shuffle between them." She snorted, laughing at the image of that. She leaned over the mattress he was sitting on, hitting it with one hand to test the springiness of it. Maybe she was thinking about it wrong… she was smaller and lighter, which meant she could probably bounce more easily.
”I don’t think I can, I know I can. I bet I’ll be an expert from the first bounce."

She stepped back, folding her arms and tilting her head back a bit as if she was a judge at an olympic trampolining contest.
”I’ll let you go first. Obviously we can’t go at the same time, or you’ll launch me across half the store."

”Bee careful. I don’t want anyone getting squished, maybe you should take your coat off.”
Ever the worrywort, Casey was still thinking about safety and security despite the growing feeling of enthusiasm building up. He rolled back on the bed, pulling his shoes off and standing up into a squat. At first his long legs pushed into the mattress, bouncing him up and down until he was hopping around like a long frog.

Laughter. It filled him, and he couldn’t help but find his inner child again as he slowly hopped toward her.
”RIBBIT!”
And then his legs and arms all pressed down at once, shooting him across the beds. He cleared one fully, landing across the way on the bed beyond. Due to his overall size, the entire ordeal proceeded to skid across the tiled floor, making a loud scratching noise.

Clarissa looked over, reaching into her purse with her free hand until she saw what’d happened. Casey was already laughing hysterically, and she started up half way across the store.
Now it was on Trisha to follow suit.

Trisha slapped a hand over her mouth as she burst out in laughter. What the fuck? She hadn’t expected him to jump between the mattresses like a frog. It was stupid, it was funny, and it was far more endearing than it should be.

But there was no way could she jump across a whole bed like that! She wasn’t even sure if she’d make it between the first two! She shook her head, carefully pulling off her coat and lying it across a bedside table. The bees clung to her sleeves silently until she commanded them to go back over to her coat and inside it.
”Alright… now watch a master at work."

She pulled off her shoes and climbed onto the first bed. She shuffled right onto the middle of the bed before standing up. She bent her legs and straightened them a few times before actually bouncing on the mattress. She couldn’t do what he did, with the hands and legs- it was just too embarrassing. She was really glad she’d worn shorts underneath her skirt as she began to bounce up and down, loose skirt swooshing up and down with her movements. With each hop closer to the other leg she bent down further and jumped up higher, going from a proper squat into a straightened jumping position.

Then with one final crouch, she jumped across the two beds. She landed on the next one over, two feet together and bending like she was doing a proper gymnastics landing… only to wobble and fall back on her ass. She let herself properly flop back, legs kicking in the air and landing on the bed. After lying there for a moment, she rolled onto her side and started laughing.
”Alright… you won this one… it’s harder than it looks!"

Casey was laughing like it was the Scottish Comedy Festival. However, that wasn’t enough to prevent him from getting back into position and leaping vertically, so that he crashed down into the bed next to Trisha. It caused her to bounce upward in turn, and he took the chance to swing his arms up and suck her into his full embrace.

And now they were cuddling in the middle of this unmade bed in a very public place. Thankfully there just weren’t many people on this floor. Not that Casey would’ve cared, if someone had something to say about public displays of affection he figured he’d give them a public display of aggression.
But it was bliss. Frenetic peace, energy and calm all at the same time. His face buried into Trisha’s hair and he squeezed her as tight as he could without it being painful.
”You make everything way more comfortable… Everything.”

”Everything?" Trisha grinned, practically melting in his arms. Her heightened heart rate from being bounced up into the air started to slow down again. A giddy laugh escaped her lips. She pressed herself closer to him, curling inwards and closing her eyes for a moment. She could just stay here forever. It didn’t matter that it was a furniture store and there were other people aound. In his arms, held so tightly, she could just forget about everything.

”So even if you were lying on hot coals, or nails?" she asked, not quite sure why. Maybe because she wanted to see how far he’d go. No, that was silly. She didn’t really want that, not like- like what? She didn’t remember. It wasn’t important. She tilted her head up to kiss his chin, then again, before smiling with a radiant joy that lit up her entire face.
”I’m comfortable too. More comfortable than I’ve been in a long time- maybe ever. I wouldn’t just cuddle anyone in the middle of a store, you know."

She didn’t want to move on to looking at more beds yet - even though this one was barely firmer than the last, and clearly still not right. They had time. Plenty of time.
”I can’t wait to move in with you and do this every night and morning. The cuddling, obviously, not furniture shopping. I hope you don’t need much space, because I’ll be in yours all the time. Except when you’re working. I’ll be like a little koala, constantly hanging off you. I really can’t wait. I don’t think I’ve looked forward to something like this in… a while." She didn’t really want to think too hard about that. ”I’m really glad we’re doing this."

Casey nuzzled tightly into Trisha, baring in mind that besides his sisters and Mother, he'd never actually been this close to a woman. Not in a relationship where he could bring them close and cuddle them. He could think of one time in the Reserve where this Eltee was having problems and she asked for a hug, but…

He only really knew what this looked like from television. From whatever media he'd seen. And now he didn't want anything to take it away from him ever…
”We'll get you stronger too… So you can come to work with me if I ever have to leave. I'll wear you like a backpack, you can be my dangerous insect dispenser.” he giggled, thinking of the mental ramifications of being drone-striked by a few thousand bees.

But there was a vague sadness to it. The idea that at some point she would have lonely nights. She’d deal with the ramifications of his devilish deal, and he wondered then what would happen if she never found the spirit of it.
Furio and Clarissa worked because they were both conditioned to it. They were both used to ridiculous requests and unbelievable working hours supervised under tremendous scrutiny. There was going to be a time where she was going to make him choose… How could he trust Her? How couldn’t he?

She was God’s Voice. What else could she be? He couldn’t just turn…

”That… Makes me nervous. Thinking about that. The things Furio and Clarissa do for my Mom aren’t normal. And now I’m taking his place, but you’re not taking hers. Part of me knows that’s why she picked Lena: Because she’d fill the role expectedly. But you won’t… You won’t hurt people for her. You won’t break into a State Representative’s house for her, you won’t hurt someone because she asks you to.”
Casey’s eyes slowly blinked.

”But she will ask me. I’ll do it for her. And maybe you’ll suffer because of my actions… It’s a lot to think about with you talking like that… Like I’m… Not who you should be with, I guess.”

For a moment, Trisha felt cold. Even in his arms, she felt a chill. It wasn’t because of the thought of whatever ‘role’ there was that Clarissa had filled, and Lena would have filled. The mention of Lena again was part of it- she’d do it, she was better suited. It was that her talking about wanting to be with him made him nervous, made him think they shouldn’t be together. A rejection? Not a rejection… No, it is. It’s fine. It’s fine.
"Who should be with me, then? Someone with no-one else," like her, "who somehow likes me and can put up with me. The perfect person doesn’t fucking exist. I’m not that fragile. I won’t hurt anyone for her, but that doesn’t mean I wouldn’t for you."

She forced herself to take a deep breath, curling inwards so her head pressed into Casey. Don’t spiral again. You can’t blow up twice- no, three times, in a day. He’s just concerned. It’s alright. Calm down. Once she looked past the perceived rejection, she could understand. It was a lot she was getting into. Moving in with him, risking the control of a cult and watching him do things for them. But what was it that she had in her life otherwise? The bees. What else?
"I don’t care. I want to be with you- me, not Lena. I won’t fill that role, but if I have to direct my bees to kill someone trying to hurt you? I’ll do it. Maybe, one day, I will help. Or maybe we’ll have moved away somewhere else. We won’t know until we try."

Her hands came up to grasp Casey’s hoodie, crumpling the fabric in between her fingers. It was difficult to see her face, hiding against him as she was, but her suddenly quieter voice held a hint of vulnerability to it. Closer to the true Trisha, perhaps?
"I don’t think I’ve ever felt that it’ll work out like I do with you… I… don’t give up before we even start, please?"

He had a tear in his eye, and he pulled Trisha close. There was nothing else but them. One hand pulled her waist close, the other wrapping around the back of her head and gently rubbing it. He didn’t want her to see him cry after that. With her so close to his chest, she couldn’t look up and see him struggling trying to keep from weeping like a child whose parent tried to take his favorite stuffy away for a wash.
His breath was hitching, little movements causing panicked vibrations between deeper breaths as he tried to contain himself at least a little bit. He’d spent entire years not crying, or doing so quietly in places nobody could see.

Sometimes the panic overwhelmed him. Like being stuffed into a trash can that someone starts hitting with baseball bats. The noise, the violent jostling… And then the sledgehammer usually hit, leaving him crippled in that quiet place for a long time until someone or something came to force him onward in the march.

The Endless March.

“E-excuse me? Sir?”
Interrupted by a strange voice, Casey nearly jumped out of his skin. He probably would’ve if the bed hadn’t gotten the brunt. There was a fighter’s speed and precision present as hands holding Trisha deftly swapped to flat, planted positions from which his arms could power his body feet into the air.
When he landed, one leg was hanging off the bed and both hands were pressed behind him, reaching over Trisha as if to block her and keep her safe. His wrists even pressed into her, almost pinning her down like he was protecting the President from an active shooter.

It was a woman in some nice clothes: She had a nametag and a clipboard, and some glasses on. Casey’s heart was still beating like a bomb had gone off.
“While we do want you buying the right bed for you, we do discourage customers from using our facility like an Inn…”
Still wide-eyed, face covered in tears and hair, Casey wiped his nose on his sleeve and cleared his throat.

”J-jesus, I’m so sorry…”
He slipped from the bed fully.
”C’mon, Babe.”

They were both fully shoeless, and the beds were all slid about from where they’d jumped about. The woman smiled.
“It’s alright, don’t rush too much… Was this what you were looking for?”
”We were… Discussing that, something else came up. It’s nice, but I’ve got some lumbar issues from the War?”

Her eyes widened. Her name tag said “Kathy”.
“Oh. My. God. Thank you for your service, Sir, I’m… Of course! Something firmer. Can you both come with me? We’ll take you upstairs to the tester, we can get some exact metrics for you…”

Having let Trisha up, Casey waggled his eyebrows at her.
”Pays to get shot at I guess.”
His hand did reach for her hand, squeezing knowingly… As if the conversation wasn’t done.

---

The two of them spent around twenty five minutes with Kathy the saleswoman, a welcome reprieve for Casey who was going to look pretty stupid if he started blubbering about how he always felt so lonely.
No place lonelier than a bomb-hole next to the corpse that was once your friend… Except maybe a bed where your other half once slept. He knew he didn’t want to do that to her, and knew for certain it wouldn’t happen to him. Not her.

Coming back down the escalator, Casey turned back toward where they’d left Clarissa; by the big green couch that he only had a moment to get used to before things went sour. The loyal woman was still sat on it, blabbering away on her phone. She didn’t stop as they approached, but did let her free hand snap out a bit of sign language.
A man of many skills, Casey read and understood, nodding at her and signing his own. He and Trisha had, after getting a recommendation and testing one of the beds, found a suitable fit that had some modern adjustable features built in.

They were satisfied, and let the woman take the sale on the bed and the rest of the furniture they intended to buy. The store had a funny beeper system, with them having a buzzer that allowed them to summon Kathy from wherever they were. She’d also given Trisha a funny clipboard with a pen and a sheet of paper. It was a purchase form, and had a bunch of small sections for putting different information found on the furniture’s tags.
Once they filled it out, all they had to do was approve the sale. Since no loans were coming out, they didn’t need to talk to the financing office or anything.

Then was the matter of finishing what had been started, which meant coming back. Back to Clarissa. Casey hoped that Trisha felt a little better, and equally hoped that they’d be able to simply explain to Clarissa what the problem had been without any other issues.
But for now, she was busy on the phone. She slid to the end, patting the big cushions with her empty hand.

”-know that! You think I ain’t done everything in my power to get that shit runnin’ smoothly, then you can take it up with the Boss. She knows my style, she knows that when things click they click. Now, I think I deserve a bit more respect than that.”

Casey leaned into Trisha as they walked.
”She’s doing the Boss Bitch thing. It’s kinda cool, she does a lot of like… Engineering? Stuff having to do with machines, I don’t know. Above my paygrade type things, but they’re magic and they do things that require math. Just ignore her.”
He flopped back down on the big green couch.
”Ohhhh God… Yeah, this’ll be something to come home to. Veg out on it in front of a big ass television. Nothing on it, just a video of a nice fire. Read a book, watch the rain fall down the glass windows.”

By the time they got back, Trisha felt a bit more prepared to see Clarissa again. There was still that cold resentment in the back of her mind, covered up by nagging anxieties brought forth by the unfinished conversation with Casey. But the warmth she felt from just being with him, how comfortable it was as they chose furniture for their home, meant she did feel better. Better enough to listen to Clarissa's apology without telling her to fuck off, and to probably accept it. For her that was a big deal - not that people often apologised when they wronged her, which just further fueled her resentment. She was willing to hear her out.

The mention of engineering - magical engineering - caused her to pause. Like her mom. No, not the same. It wasn't like her mom actually worked with machines (or knew about magic). She just wrote papers filled with complicated mathematics and did other things Trisha could never understand, being well liked among the people she taught while simultaneously managing to make Trisha feel like she was the stupidest person in the world.
Not the same.
“That is kind of cool. I know a bit about math, but not that kind of stuff."

She perched on the couch, just looking at Casey enjoying it with a smile for a moment. Then she put down the clipboard and got more comfortable, legs pulling up so that they were crossed over each other and turning to face him properly.
“That sounds pretty perfect. Just us, and our books, or whatever we want to do. Relaxing in our own space." Trisha smiled softly at him, eyes filled with a warm light. It was really nice to think about. She'd never really had a space outside of her bedroom to just relax in. Her life, rich as it was, was always constrained to the one space that actually felt like her own.
“Maybe I can set something up so that we can play video games on the television together. Nothing too serious… I'm not really a gamer, I just enjoy it occasionally. One of my college friends, Sal, dragged me into it. There's some relaxing games that I enjoy playing, and a couple of two player ones I've always wanted to play through but haven't been able to. I tried with him but he's impossible to play with… there's nothing less fun than shouting at each other over a game. But I think it would be fun with you, if you'd like to try."

Casey had some experience with gaming; mostly the Reserve barracks, where the college atmosphere of the entire facility could be felt as a quiet undertone. Most of them were respectful, but they were allowed their hobbies and free time in a way you just didn’t see on a frontline.
Well… He had met a few dedicated gamers in North Africa. The FOB he’d been in had a working television and an old Gamestation that they played an old shooter together on. At that point, Casey hadn’t cared. In all actuality, it made him mad how they could just forget that war was going on all around them…

Now, he understood. One simply needs to get out of that moment.Living in the red zone twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, was impossible without seriously fracturing one’s psyche. Since then, he’d become more accepting of the hobby, and didn’t hold such a grudge against it.
”I’m always willing to learn. At worst, I’ll still watch you play whatever you want. Sometimes I catch myself getting lost watching the younger guys at the Base playing. Usually it’s football games, but some of them play this shooter game… It’s bubblegum colored.”

He called it “The Candy Game” or “Bubblegum Game” because of all the colors and effects happening on the screen at once; someone deciding to build a massive tower or odd cover structure in the middle of a gunfight.
”They build shit. It’s nutty, but then I think about how actual magic fights go and then I remember we’re not so different.” he laughed. There was a slight readjustment on his part, mostly to grab Trisha by the sides in order to drag her down onto the couch fully.

”You can’t escape meeeeeeee-”

”Maribel Worthurs, you’re fuckin’ done for. Do you hear me? Yeah. Yep, go ahead! Call the police, they won’t be able to figure out what the fuck happened to you!”
A violent pause. Casey was surprised to hear such a thing. His eyes got wide, and he stopped playing around, now looking at Clarissa.
[color=e0c4ff]”It’s my fucking business Mary! The fucking machine doesn’t work without my spell, Mary! So I guess it’s all [i]mine, isn’t it Mary!?”[/color]

Clarissa was getting visibly frustrated, free hand gripping in and out of a fist until she finally lashed out. In the action, there was no tension. She simply stood, let the phone down to her side, stepped, and hucked the phone across the store, watching it smack into the escalators and fall down to the first floor of the building with a clatter. She cleared her throat and smiled at the duo.
”My my, today is just… One of those days, ain’t it? How y’all feeling, better?”

She sat back down on the couch, a warm smile filling her face in stark contrast to her last few motions.
”Trisha I’m so sorry sweetheart. Forgoing any desire to overly explain myself, I’ll simply say that I understand what the problem is, and I’ll take steps to prevent it in the future… Can you accept that from me?” she asked, holding out her hand.

Trisha had been trying to figure out what game Casey was talking about, expression scrunched up cutely and easily allowing him to pull her properly down onto the couch. Before she could guess, or snuggle up to him again, Clarissa absolutely lost it beside them. Trisha automatically flinched at the aggressive tone. It didn’t necessarily set her off, but it was just… incredibly different to the Clarissa she’d seen so far.

And the switch back to warm and smiling was just as jarring.
“Yeah, I’m feeling a bit better." Trisha then looked at Clarissa’s hand, then over at Casey. As far as apologies went, it was fine. Not that Trisha knew what a good apology was. She hardly got one towards her, and she certainly didn’t apologise very often herself. But there were no excuses. What had been said couldn’t be taken back, and the way Trisha had started to open up wouldn’t resume, but it was fine.

“I can accept that," Trisha said, a bit awkwardly, sitting back up and reaching over Casey for Clarissa’s hand. She didn’t smile, but she wasn’t frowning either. A neutral expression.
“I don’t care if you bring up anything to do with what happened during the Stygian Snake, or my magic. It’s my mundane life I don’t want mentioned… Especially not my family. I’m sure you can both understand why."

Of course, the real reason why was that she didn’t want how bad her relationship with her family was all round. A mother she had no contact with, siblings she barely tolerated, a father she’d hated right till the day he died… It wasn’t good. Not that Casey’s was either, and he’d introduced her to them, but at least there was a relationship there at all.
“But we’re fine as long as it doesn’t happen again."

Clarissa nodded along.
”We just… Don’t keep secrets. Not among the Crones and the Closest. Lynette hears us, every single one. And she listens, and we know. So we don’t act like she doesn’t know, we just…-”
The bright expression she usually carried softened to something like sadness. Fatigue.
”-We just live with it. It may seem like they’re all reading your mind, but it’s the wheel of gossip that releases your business to others. Like that… That stupid fucking nickname that you don’t deserve.”

She shook her head.
”I’ve never felt so ashamed meeting a newcomer. Ashamed of us, our people. For being how we are.”
None of this was what Casey expected to hear, and his brow furrowed. He sat up, pulling Trisha tighter.

”Because it’s not right…” he intoned gently.
Clarissa simply nodded, fingers playing with themselves in a nervous fashion.
”You are part of the Sycamore… For most, it doesn’t mean anything. They don’t really know what you kids were doing. But I watched. The whole time, I watched, just like I would watch Leon and Elise when they went out, I’d watch you all and just think about… Everything, I guess. I’d think about what y’all were gonna do with your lives, if we’d have to step in ever, what things would be like after the smoke cleared. There were a lot of times I… I probably could’ve helped.”

She sighed, shaking her head again.
”I’m sorry. It ain’t about how I feel. Your privacy is yours as far as I’m concerned; but I can’t stop the others. You’ll do the dance again and again.”
Casey rubbed Trisha’s arm. He had a strange feeling that Trisha was just going to leave, that he’d wake up one morning and find her and the bees gone. Or that they’d get outside and she’d be too put off by the prospect of having to keep going through this that she’d just say fuck it.

But he couldn’t imagine what would happen if she asked him to leave. Leave them all… He thought about all the faces he loved, and about all the faces who gave him love despite the pain he’d been through with his closest family. He didn’t want to leave someone like Clarissa, who was a good soldier and did what she was told.
He still had a great deal of respect for that aspect of her life. The loyalty and willingness to do her duty.
”She’s got me… We’ll get through it, Clarissa. Right Bee?”

“Right," Trisha nodded. After Casey had explained what Lynette was like - and this morning - she expected it. She should’ve expected it with Clarissa too. Did she like her privacy being invaded? No. Did she care about most of Lynette’s ‘closest’ knowing? Not really. She disliked certain things being brought up- being used against her- but at the same time she didn’t give a fuck what they thought.
It was a strange conflict.

“I’m not going to pretend to be happy about it, or that I won’t get pissed off. I’m not that nice or forgiving. But I was more bothered because…" Because Clarissa’s warmth had caught her off guard and began to break through the walls Trisha had up. She’d started relaxing around her, after such a short period of time, and it had been more of a shock. She hadn’t been on edge like she had at the Temple. “Well, Casey’s close to you. I care more about what you know… Because I want to be able to be around someone Casey likes."

A partial truth. It was fine for now. Her want to be with Casey outweighed the rest right now. She was used to people saying shit about her that was based on assumptions or what they thought they knew. Everyone from the old coven she’d met since, her half-siblings… She could handle it.
“If you were around Sycamore a lot, you know what I’m like. I can get through that, I can get through anything."
Even if there were patches in her memory from the time that weren’t quite complete, facing the petty coven drama along with a world ending creature was a lot worse than this. She leaned into Casey with the hint of a smile.
“And I have Casey. I’ve already seen how much he’ll defend me, I probably don’t even have to lift a finger."

”Whatever I may hear, sweetheart, has no bearing on how I see you as a person. You are who you are, understand? Don’t let anyone you meet among us make you feel like you’re anyone other than exactly who you are. Because we’re a big group of rejects. People nobody else wanted. Lynette knows we’re important, and that we have purpose.”
Her head bobbed from side to side as she considered what to say.
”Judgemental people may feel bigger, or better, but they’re only hiding their own insecurities.”

Casey nodded.
”Like Lena, and her parents being in Sonnenrad.”
Clarissa pointed at him.
”What?”
”Your girl’s sitting here talking about how she doesn’t want her private bits getting thrown in her own face.”
Casey looked at Trisha and frowned, then put his hands up.
”Hey, she already made Trisha feel like shit. As far as I’m concerned, my girl deserves some payback.”
He waggled his eyebrows at Trisha.

“Yeah, she already knows and said a bunch of shit about me, it’s only fair," Trisha shrugged, smiling at Casey - a slightly smug, devious smile. Trisha wasn’t exactly some kind of amazing person who just let things go… She was the opposite. And she wasn’t nice enough to care that it was hypocritical that she was fine about Lena’s privacy being broken but not her own.
“No wonder she was so nasty to me - she’s just jealous. If there’s one thing my parents have going for them, it's their good reputation."

Aside from the whole having many children with different women on her dad’s side.
“As long as she never says shit to me again, I’m not going to bring it up, anyway." Though she was fairly certain if she ever saw Lena again, she would. While she wasn’t above petty revenge for the sake of it… she’d rather just never see Lena at all.

---

Barker Brothers > Claire’s

It was another few hours the three of them spent in the furniture store. Accents were picked out, massive curtain rods, even a new wood stove for what would, presumably, be a more formal entertaining area. Clarissa had shown off various pictures of the interior, and there was a side with enormous floor to ceiling two story windows. Lots of natural light and a clear enough skyline that it's the tallest thing around; no chance of people watching through them outside of a hot air balloon or… Oh, I don’t know, magic. Still, curtain rods were purchased, and massive drapes (which would need to be cleaned of dust regularly) were purchased.
Clarissa seemed to know half a dozen of the employees, many of them joking about “When her next shift is” and acting friendly by name. It seems the store had some experience with the property as well, having furnished the very same apartment before the war when Clarissa and Furio had moved in. They even kept some pretty specific styles and patterns required for quirks of the design.

In the end, Clarissa was satisfied with the thoroughness of the new couple. At the billing, she said her goodbyes and expressed her apologies a final time before leaving off with a “Can’t wait to see you on moving day.”
She disappeared into the store, and after sorting out logistics for the deliveries, there was the inevitable bill. Twenty-five thousand dollars. Even Casey had to think about whether or not he had to worry about it or not; but for the moment, they wouldn’t go hungry even if they were broke. Too many tributary deltas to fish from.

So the papers were signed, a card was swiped clean, and they had a lovely bill of sale that they could frame and put up in the house, or let rot in an organizer somewhere. Casey checked his account as they were leaving and nodded. By then, it was after noon, and the perfect time for some food.
As they were leaving, the storefront was getting busier and more boisterous with families and window shoppers lining the street and coming in for the warmth and the coffee. Stepping back out into the cold, the two had a moment to themselves again. Casey had a wide smile on his face.

”Spending money is pretty fun… I liked getting rotated back and hitting the vendors at the base… Oh shit…” he bit his lip, looking at Trisha, then shaking his head. ”Never mind. I have like three apartments downstairs I can put stuff in. Are you hungry, Baby Girl?” he tucked her in his arm, rubbing her shoulder lovingly.

“Yeah, shopping’s hard work," Trisha smiled softly up at him. Honestly, she didn’t actually feel that hungry. She’d accidentally trained it out of herself a bit as a teenager - studying for so many hours without eating, and no one bothering to make sure she did. Nowadays she just tried to keep to a schedule of eating. It worked, even if she didn’t really feel it physically.

Trisha shuffled in close to him, shivering slightly at the cold and trying to steal a bit of his warmth. A shorter skirt hadn’t been the right decision for the weather, with the slight breeze chilly against her bare legs. It would be fine when they were actually moving.
“What do you want to do? Find somewhere to sit in, or get something to take away and eat it… well, my place, maybe? Since our place won’t be ready." That was nice to say. Our place. Maybe, eventually, it would become somewhere that truly felt like home to her. “I’m happy with anything. I don’t really get the opportunity to eat out often."

”There’s a cool place up the Shore a bit. We’ll drive, but in the summer it’d be a great walk. Hopefully it’ll be a peaceful little lunch. First peace we’ll get since getting glitter bombed.” he laughed.
”So how does it feel? Happy to be a little bit safer at least? If nothing else, at least now you have the interest of the entire Temple watching your back. Not a moment alone for you to get movie murdered.”

He shuffled her in front of him a bit, letting her control the pace at which they walked to the car while holding her around her shoulders to keep her as warm as possible. Knowing the bees were in there, he felt a desire to keep them just as warm.

“That’s one way to look at it," Trisha laughed, though… Yes, it was nice to not have to worry about getting stabbed at any moment. She walked at a moderate pace, not feeling a particular rush, but not going especially slowly either. His arms around her shoulders helped keep the chill away, anyway. The bees had gathered together on her upper arm, a small ball of fuzzy warmth.
“It is nice to feel safer. Saves me from trying to explain it to my non magical brother so he’ll fund a security team… It’s like a weight’s been lifted, because I spent most of my time alone. I half expected- Anyway, that’s not the case anymore, right?"

She tilted her head back to smile brightly up at him.
“I can’t believe getting beaten up led to me being safer!" She laughed, seeming to be joking… but it had. She bet Adora would be pissed if she found out that she’d inadvertently helped Trisha. Really, Trisha should thank her. “I guess I was lucky it was you who came along… Like some kind of weird fight caused fate."
Trisha didn’t actually believe in fate, but it was a nice thought.

Casey nodded.
”It means a lot that I can help. But it means a lot more that you like me. So, thanks for that. And for being ready to put up with it.”
He kept her safe from the wind all the way back to the car, and opened it like a pure gentleman would before politely pressing the door shut. He got in on the other side and rubbed his hands together.
”Give me the desert heat any day. I’m already done with winter.”
He shot Trisha a smirk, started the car and flicked the heat on again. It was stone cold after being outside so long.

But they were off and gone, and before it got any warmer they were at the place Casey intended them to be.
”This other guy my brother knows took us here once for lunch. They’re just good sandwiches, and they do an eggplant parmesan that I think about a lot.”
It was a little hole in the wall, some Italian sub shop that had the kind of mom and pop look you’d expect in the neighborhood. They catered to the workers at the docks, and he mentioned they had a great selection of fried fish affairs as well as the typical staples.

---

Walking into the little storefront smelled like fresh bread and french fry oil with tomato sauce bubbling away over an open flame burner. There was an old man at the front of the line, and it seemed like he had a big order to fill. They’d probably be there a while, which meant time to chat about the little things.
”What’s your favorite kind of pizza?” Casey asked Trisha with a cheeky smile.

“Well… You have to agree to not hate me for it first,” Trisha smiled back.

Casey’s eyes widened and his nose scrunched.
”You’re… Lucky I’m French. I mean… I still don’t really want you to say it. But go ahead… Tell me about what there is to like on Hawaiian Pizza, Ms Controversial?”

“It’s just-” Trisha made a large gesture with her hands as if it would somehow explain it. It was, after all, a discussion she’d had many times. “It’s nice, okay? The different flavours and textures… It was what mom used to always order when I was round there, so fond memories too, y’know?”
It was one of the rare times her mom would actually spend with her. Nights when she drank a little, relaxed a little, and ordered in food for them both rather than leaving Trisha to fend for herself. That was probably more why she liked it.

Casey went from being skeptical and cautious to mournful.
Emotional connections… Shiiiiiii-
”Alright, alright. I guess we’ll have to get two if we ever get pizza though, ‘cuz I’m not eating it.”

There had been a ding behind them while Trisha was talking. Casey hadn’t bothered to turn and check on the person who happened into the store behind them, so it wasn’t troubling him at first.
”There’s zero percent chance you have a soul in your body.”

Casey’s brow furrowed. He assumed the voice wasn’t talking to them, but there was no way it wasn’t familiar. Like a voice he knew through a phone.

”There’s no such thing as Hawaiian Pizza, Pewtrisha.” the voice taunted.

Trisha didn’t need to turn around to recognise who was talking. Even after ten years. That slick tone and needling words were unforgettable.
“Wow, what a surprise, no one’s shot you yet, Greyson?” Trisha sneered out his name, twisting around to properly glower at him. Perfect. Exactly who she wanted to bump into while on a nice lunch date- not that she wanted to bump into any of Sycamore, but he was up there as one of the worst. Back in the day Trisha had voted for him to be kicked out - not because she cared if he’d stolen any of the shit, but because she didn’t want to even breathe in the same room as him at that point.

Her feelings hadn’t really changed much there.
“I’d say it's nice to see you, but it really isn’t. Don’t you have better things to do than police my taste in pizza? And you know, if liking that means I don’t have a soul, where does that leave a criminal like you?”

Edict had a wide grin across his face, those same sunglasses from so long ago still wrapped around his head like they grew into the skin. He wasn’t wearing anything flashy, save for a shimmering watch that slipped out from under his sweater sleeve. Casey was trying to figure out who he knew named Greyson, which totaled out to zero people. But, there was only one way to know for himself who it was.

He spun around to feel shock.

”Edict?!”
Casey’s eyes were wide, and he looked between the man he knew as Edict and Trisha.
”Wait… Greyson? Greyson Devola!? Edict! You never fuckin’ told me you were part of the Cov-”

Edict held up his finger to his lips.

”Easy, Cowboy.” he grinned, lifting a hand to point at the two of them as he rested the arm against the other that crossed his chest in skepticism.
”Now… What’s going on here? They try’na make a superhuman over in that Temple of yours? I’d choose a fresher cow.”

There was a shift in the energy around them at that moment. Casey wasn’t happy to see Edict anymore; not after he said something like that. But, he wasn’t ready to be done with it yet. In his mind, Casey believed everyone deserved a chance to explain themselves before judgement could be passed without bias.
His massive body shifted forward, almost tucking Trisha behind him.
”You’ve got a few seconds to explain what you Sycamore have against Trisha. Honestly. Because I’m getting sick of meeting you assholes when none of you have anything good to say about my Girlfriend.”

Edict didn’t flinch. He wasn’t concerned about the Richoux or their size or strength; it was business. And he did business with the only one that mattered directly. The friendliness was a formality.
”She’s a bit of a whip, Casey. Little Miss Too-Good, can’t be bothered to do anything but yap and sting people. She doesn’t feel any better about any of us, and honestly I don’t blame her. But, we’re all adults here, so a little verbal jousting isn’t an excuse to get a raised temper. Trisha?” Edict finished, as if to ask her to call her dog off, or at the very least agree with him for once.

“At least I didn’t spend all my time forcing my way into people’s heads,” Trisha hissed, glaring at Edict around Casey. She put one hand on Casey’s arm, fingers curling into the fabric of his sleeves both to comfort herself and him. She was pissed. She’d been pissed from the moment Edict opened his mouth, and it got worse the more he said. But there was also a hint of fear there. What if Edict said something that made Casey reconsider?
“Don’t fight him here, Case, he’s not worth it… you can beat him up outside later,” she said softly, still glaring at Edict.

“You’re right that I don’t like any of you either, but at least I tried. Nobody gave me a fucking chance then- and they still don’t. You said all that knowing how I’d react, so save the shit about it being ‘a little verbal jousting’, E-Dick. Mind your own business and stay out of ours.”

”I said that to you to see if you still didn’t have a sense of humor. Good to know! Jesus Christ, you say a little something, all of a sudden you’re the bad guy.”
Casey took a deep breath, frustration filling him.
”Y’know, we’re gonna be working together a little more closely if everything is staying the same way… Don’t make it difficult man. Just apologize.”

Edict’s ears perked up at that. He lifted his glasses up, staring at Casey.
”You? What uh… The whole-?”
Casey shook his head.
”Quitting time. The program is set up, they either want me in deeper, or not at all. So, taking on more responsibilities here.”
The gangster’s nose crinkled up, looking between the two of them.
”Furio’s moving on?”
”Yeah.”

His face became thoughtful. Edict took a deep breath, looking at Trisha.
”You’re right. I didn’t give you a chance. I’m sorry.”
It sounded sincere. Of course it did; it was Greyson Devola.

Trisha didn’t trust the apology one bit. She trusted Greyson as much as she trusted someone who’d just lied to her face. But… right now she didn’t want to make things too difficult for Casey. Not that she would in the future, either, but if she kept snapping at him Casey might realise that some of what Greyson had said was true.
“Apology accepted,” Trisha said tersely. Unlike him, she wasn’t such a good actor, and her reluctance was written across her scrunched up face and tense shoulders. She was going to do what she always did - remember this, and hold it against him. It wasn’t like he was actually sorry, he just didn’t want to ruin whatever business he seemed to do with the Temple.

She tried to force herself to relax a bit, but it was difficult with all that resentment she held onto towards the coven coming up to the surface. Her fingers dug into Casey’s arm enough that even as her expression seemed to lighten it would be obvious she wasn’t exactly happy about the whole thing.
“So…” she looked between Edict and Casey. “The Temple does business with him? Any other surprise coven members hanging around?”
She shook her head, taking a deep breath. Calm down. She forced a smile up at Casey. “Maybe I need to send out a memo too, something like ‘please don’t bother me and my boyfriend’, to stop this from happening.”

Edict laughed aloud, if not a little nervously on reaction.
”Trisha, listen… As far as I remember, being around you was difficult. But, like you said, I spent all my time trying to get into people’s heads. So, who am I to judge you? But, you know… This is gonna happen with everything going down. This city is bustling with Sycamore coming home, the chances of interactions like this are highest now.”

Casey nodded, lip curling into a frown. He didn’t like to hear the truth like that, but he had to agree.
”Honestly? He’s probably right… Aah-about it happening again, I mean. But, we’ll try to keep it minimal after this, eh?” he turned to Trisha, nudging her gently in comfort.
”Business is business. And, if you’ve gotta know? It ain’t my “Family” benefitting from our deal. My “Company” buys interesting materials and ingredients for distribution from their organization. The money goes around, and everyone’s happy with the product.”

Casey cleared his throat.
”If we started selling your honey outside of St. Portwell, it’d uh… It’d be him distributing.”
Edict’s face became wide.
”You’re gonna sell the fuckin’ honey!? Do you remember when we were sixteen and the Club was starting? And everyone said you should do that, and you got super pissed off!? I’m actually so glad you’re coming around to it! That’s a shit ton of money just sitting around not doing anything for you!”
For a moment, he was childlike again. The same sixteen year old Greyson.

“I was fourteen,” Trisha rolled her eyes, unnecessarily honing in on a small, incorrect point. She did remember that. Back then her honey production hadn’t been what it was now, and her view of where her life should go wasn’t the same either. Everyone had assumed she was pissed off because she was from a rich family and didn’t need the money. It hadn’t been that. Selling the honey would mean going down a path her mom wouldn’t approve of. Less time to study, less chance of going to University. It had felt like they were telling her she wasn’t good enough to do anything else.

She regretted it a little. Not the getting pissed off part, but not even considering trying.
“I’ve matured. Ten years ago it seemed like a stupid idea when I could finish school and go to college and get a job. Do you know how much work goes into that honey, without trying to sell it?” Why was she even explaining it to Greyson of all people? She just felt that she… had to. Maybe it was more for Casey, or for her own benefit. “I didn’t have the time with, y’know. What was happening. Things are different now.”

Then she looked up at Casey, smiling at him - genuinely, and almost sickeningly sweet.
“I wouldn’t be able to do it by myself anyway.”

Edict grinned again, but this one wasn’t so malicious. Truthfully, he was a romantic at heart.
”Well… Either way, y’know? I guess I just hope you’re happy.”
Casey grinned as well, but was directed down at Trisha with warmth in his eyes. Inside, all he wanted was another moment in the car without anyone around.

Like God parting the clouds to reveal Heaven in the sky, the old man who had ordered what looked like an entire catering order finally waddled up to the door to push past Edict. The counter was open.

”Hey, look at that… Let me get you guys your food, eh? There’s uh, no pineapple in this place. I checked.”

“Just cause it's my favourite pizza doesn’t mean I want pineapple in everything,” Trisha glared at him, though it wasn’t half as sharp as the earlier ones.

”And me letting you spend your money on my lunch doesn’t mean I forgive you for being a dick.”
Edict laughed aloud, holding his stomach slightly as the other hand waved them forward.
”Marcooooo, I’m back again. Get these two lovebirds whatever they like, on me Fratello.”

---

Trisha’s (Sabrina’s) House

After a delightful encounter with Edict, Trisha really didn’t want to stick around and eat there. What if another Sycamore member ambushed them? She just wanted to have lunch and spend time with her boyfriend, was that too much to ask?

So she suggested they take their food back to her place, since they needed to go anyway. Sabrina should be at work, and her other two sisters were out of town. The place should be empty with no risk of someone ruining it.

In the time that they’d been away, someone had been in and cleaned the mess that had been in the living room. No more empty pizza boxes or alcohol bottles, just pristine white couches in a cold space. Trisha didn’t particularly like being in the living room, but eating in her room meant the smell would linger and the bees would swarm.

“You mind eating in here? I know it’s not super friendly but… I don’t want to stink up my bedroom. Nobody’s around, so it’ll just be the two of us, don’t worry,” Trisha asked with a smile, gesturing towards the couches. At the same time she headed towards the attached kitchen, looking out some plates and cutlery for them both. She came back out and put them on the table in front of the ring of couches. They could sit at the dining table but… that felt a bit too formal for her. Bad memories.
“Plus, out here you don’t have to fight the bees for your food. It’s worth risking the blinding white, I promise.”

She sat down on the couch, assuming he wouldn’t disagree, and patted the space beside her.

Casey had seen a lot of bright places. Mostly the desert, since there was really nowhere to go. The closer to the coast you got, the whiter the sand got. Blinding. Like this. Like she said.
”Christ! How does it stay clean?”
He knew what was wrapped up in his sandwich; a thick slab of eggplant fried and smothered in cheese and red sauce. It wasn’t going to be good if any fell…
There were at least paper towels readily available, and he ripped a yard of them off the roll to insure there was enough space for the desolation that was coming. But he sat down, the low sofas kinking his legs up until he was practically in the fetal position.

It didn’t matter… It just made an amphitheatre of carnage. He didn’t even say anything else. The paper unwrapped, and a quarter of the sandwich was gone in an instant. After a day of dealing with people and furniture ordering and patterns and anger and love, it was a perfect remedy. Just good warm vegetables and milk byproduct.
As he crunched down on the first bite, letting it fill his mouth to pull the saliva directly from his cheeks. He smiled, laughing with the food still in his mouth, and swallowed before speaking again.
”I know, I know… I missed you too, sweet fuckin’ sandwich. I don’t know why I’m not over there more, ugh… So good!”

The ascent into Sandwich Heaven lacked only the quiet strum of harps, yet it was not sweet angelic music that soon reached the ears of the young lovers. No, instead it was the awful sound that had been plaguing couples seeking a moment of privacy for eons, the terrible rattling of metal and wood as a key wrestled with a lock., the noise like the wail of a banshee, echoing through the foyer and cutting into the living room to kill the mood. Still, surely they could rest easy. Sabrina had most likely just come home early, but she was the kind of housemate who was savvy enough to not intrude too long when someone brought a guest over to what should’ve been an empty home. A quick hello, a nice to meet you, a playful quip, and then a proper fuck off to her own floor of the house so she wouldn’t be a bother.

Then all hope was shattered by a shrill, bloodcurdling,“Knock, knock. Helllllo, darlings~”

The clunking of block heels towards the living room did not give Trisha enough time to grab Casey and flee before a statuesque woman appeared in the threshold. She was nearing middle age, the fact mildly hidden by pounds of makeup on her pale porcelian skin, and dressed in a vintage, dark green houndstooth dress. Her blonde hair was preciously curled with rollers to mimic that of an actress from Hollywood’s Golden Age and kept in place with so much hairspray that striking a match within several feet of her was a good way to cause a firestorm. In her hand was a large, half gallon water bottle, partially filled with brownish-green sludge. Blue eyes brightened with joy as they fell upon Trisha, her ruby red lips parting in a wide smile made perfect through thousands and thousands spent on dentistry work and whitening treatments.

“Ohmigosh, Patricia, I am so happy that my favorite baby sister is here today!” squealed Tansy Vanburen, Trisha’s oldest half-sister and personal tormentor, the look of joy a thin veil for a precisely calculated cruelty.

Tansy continued talking, ending her sentences with an upwards inflection and affecting a kind of cutesy accent some adults naturally fell into when speaking to young children or a particularly cute dog. The room was filled with her chatter, the words crashing out of her mouth like a rushing river breaching the dam. Tansy sounded truly excited to see her young sister, yet every once in a while there was an offness to the way she said something, noticeable only if you were like Trisha and had been conditioned by years and years of dealing with Tansy to translate the passive aggressiveness.

“You weren’t here the last couple of times I came to visit, even though I gave you plenty of notice ahead of time to clear your very busy schedule. I was absolutely devastated. I had to spend my entire day listening to Brooke, I mean, she doesn’t shut up you can hardly get a word in, I can’t imagine how you stand to live under the same roof as her, I just can’t. But seriously, if I didn’t know any better it almost felt as if you were avoiding me. You look…well…”

Tansy squinted in a look that could only be disapproving and then acted as if she had suddenly noticed Casey instead of having chosen to just ignore him, “Ohhhh, Jamie! I’m even more surprised to see you here. With the long hair I almost didn’t recognize you. Very cool, it looks good on you.”

The moment Trisha heard the key in the lock, she felt tense. The prosciutto, mozzarella and tomato filled ciabatta that had been raised to her mouth for a second bite, after the first tentative one, was immediately put back down. It was probably just Sabrina. Of all her siblings, Sabrina was the one she was most alright with meeting Casey - she was reasonable and would leave after polite greetings.

But it wasn’t Sabrina. Instead, it was the worst option possible.

For just a moment Trisha considered jumping over the back of the couch and fleeing, with or without Casey. But she couldn’t do that to him - or herself. That would only give Tansy the opportunity to fill his head with lies, to try and turn him against her while pretending to just be a caring older sister.

“I was avoiding you,” Trisha said harshly, not even bothering to play along. Her whole expression tightened, eyes narrowing into a venomous glare and lips curved down into a nasty scowl. Tansy’s voice was grating enough without the words that came along with it. “You look just as fake as normal.”

“Just like a doll, I know! Impossibly flawless from head to toe. Aww, you’re too sweet, Patricia!” squealed Tansy.

But the mention of Jamie made Trisha visibly flinch towards Casey, fingers digging into her thighs. Tansy wasn’t stupid enough to mistake one man for another. As with everything, she was doing it on purpose.

Jamie was someone she’d dated for a few weeks almost eight months back. It had started as most of her relationships did, with an intense physical attraction at a club, and ended just as quickly. The in between had quickly turned toxic, escalating from two way explosive arguments to physical aggression. She’d been far too lonely then to even consider ending it. Then he broke up with her because he ‘couldn’t handle her’ even though he was the one that had slapped her across the face and he didn’t even know about magic so he couldn’t blame her for the thousands of bees that stung him afterwards.

Tansy knew all of this because she’d barged in the day after and seen Trisha.
“Is your eyesight going in your old age, Tansy? Or are you going senile?” Trisha sneered, quickly pushing down the hint of panic as she glanced at Casey. She was going to have to introduce them. She really didn’t want to, but if she didn’t Tansy would do it and that would just be worse. She reached out to rest a hand on his knee, expression lightening a little bit as she looked at him. “This is my boyfriend, Casey. Casey, this is my oldest half-sister, Tansy. I mentioned her this morning - the one with the ‘special’ water that she clearly hasn’t moved past.”

Casey had long ago lost the mindset of standing up and saluting, or stopping whatever the fuck it was one was doing to address someone in a proper and respectful way if they had some kind of rank or authority. In the beginning, they teach you that your officer is the most important thing, and you must acknowledge them or face wrath.
Nobody in the PSS was like that. It was too much of a clusterfuck of Warrant Officers and Specialists for someone to pull rank in the middle of a meal because he felt like he didn’t get a good enough welcome. So, here? To stop eating because someone’s addressing him? It didn’t even register.

But around the time the boisterous and screechy woman called him Jamie, he slowly put his sandwich down as he finished the bite. He didn’t know Jamie, but that certainly wasn’t his name. Hearing “special water” made him giggle.
”Oh, the Alkaline Water Wonder. I would’ve got you something too if I knew you were here.”
Casey stood up, sliding the paper arena he’d made onto the glass coffee table, a paper towel sliding between his hands to wipe the errant grease off.
”Chief Warrant Officer Casey Richoux, Ma’am. A pleasure to meet you.”

He was going to do his damndest, at least, to try and get familiar with these people. She was doing the same for him, and with a braver face.

“Oh, no, please, it is an honor to meet you. Thank you for your service,” said Tansy, putting a hand to her heart before giving Casey a slight curtsy. Her nose wrinkled ever so slightly at the sight of the food. “I appreciate the gesture, but I’m actually on a juice cleanse right now anyway. It turns out that alkaline water is made from the same stuff they put in batteries, can you believe it? Honestly, I don’t know how they’re allowed to sell that stuff in the store. I’m trying to get it banned.”

She jiggled the cup of sludge and took a sip, making an mm sound with her throat as she winced at the taste.

“Patricia you simply must try it. It’d do wonders for your skin,” said Tansy. She put her hand on her hip. “And why didn’t you tell me that you were dating such a handsome hero, Patricia? How long have the two of you been together?”

“Are you saying there’s something wrong with my skin?” Trisha glared at Tansy, not bothering to stand up. Why would she? Honestly, seeing Tansy curtsy made her want to gag. She wanted to tell Casey to sit back down too but… if he was standing maybe he could make a run for it and at least save himself. “I’m not drinking that sludge.”

“Nooo, I’d never say that,” lied Tansy, the Why, do you think there is? lingering on her lips, held back only because Casey was in the room.

But there was the question to answer. Not that any answer to how long she’d been with someone would get a good reaction. This was Tansy.
“I didn’t tell you for the same reason I don’t tell you about anyone in my life. You always come in and try to fucking ruin it… We’ve been together for a day. So congratulations, you’re the first to meet him.”

Casey wasn’t used to the kind of openly hostile pushback that Trisha was giving her sister. He wasn’t put off by it necessarily, but it certainly wasn’t what he was expecting. In his experience, there was always a kind of friendly back and forth, two parties well and good knowing their positions without having to make it so real so fast.
He was probably better off that she was like that. It’d be better for the honesty in their relationship if she didn’t hold back like that around him.

He laughed and raised both his hands, wiggling them a little bit.
”Yaaaaay. Surprise! Best part is you can’t make things any more awkward than my family can, so… Here! Sit down! Let me try that juice you’ve got; I doubt it's any worse than what my Dad used to give me.”
Casey looked at Trisha with a smirk. He couldn’t quite convey “Lets have fun with this.” into a look, but he did his best.
”Do you know anything about Boxing, Tansy? Like the sport, not the things shoes come in…”

“Me? No, I’m afraid I don’t know a single thing,” said Tansy, jumping at the invitation to sit down.

She squeezed herself between Trisha and Casey, turning her back completely on her half-sister, accidentally on-purpose flipping her hair in Trisha’s face. She pinched the straw between her manicured fingers and pulled it a bit further out of the cup, offering it to Casey. However, before he could take a sip she turned back towards Trisha, her eyes the size of dinner plates.

“Wait, one day!?” Tansy threw her head back and laughed. “No, you silly billy, I mean how long have you two been actually dating? Like how did you meet and when, etcetera, etcetera. I don’t care how long you’ve been hanging out for!”

Trisha’s expression went from bad to worse when Tansy not only sat down with them, but in-between them. She leaned back to not get a face full of curls, not so subtly shifting so there was a good gap between them. She… half got what Casey was trying to tell her with his look, but the thought of having to spend any more time with Tansy outweighed any fun she could get out of the situation.

“One day,” Trisha intoned, hitting Tansy with a flinty stare as her voice turned near monotonic. She was trying her best not to be as scathing as she normally was for Tansy, that slight fear Casey might find it distasteful at the back of her mind. “We met yesterday at the festival.”

”She’s super right, and honestly it’s been a pretty fun day so far. I’m thinking of actually doing a second one. Probably a third too? Trisha, what do you think, are we likely to keep stringing days together like that? ‘Cuz y’know, that’s how they work.”
He quickly plucked the straw into his fingers and sucked the opaque green sludge into his mouth. But it wasn’t like he was being polite, rather he was taking massive gulps from the straw like a man determined to suck the ocean from the planet.

Thankfully he could tell right away it wasn’t alkaline water. She struck him as the type of ditz to get something banned and still use it. He wondered how badly she’d burned her throat from the third party water filters.

“Yeah, we are, these days will just keep going until we lose track of them,” Trisha said, though the words coming out hadn’t exactly been well thought through. Since she hopefully still had Tansy’s attention while Casey finished her vegetable slop, she attempted to turn things around a little.
“Didn’t you always say, when I was younger, that if you find someone you like you shouldn’t let anything hold you back from getting together? At least, that’s the reason you gave every Christmas when you brought home a new boyfriend. How is Charles, by the way?”

“He’s dead,” said Tansy, all too casually. Socially dead, anyway, like all of the other men she had dumped or that had dumped her. She didn’t flinch as Casey drained her drink, pushing the cup even closer to encourage him to finish it, backwash and all, giving him a playful wink before turning to Patricia. “Honestly, I’m so happy to hear that you took what I said to heart. What else is a big sister for? Seriously. I think it’s great that you’ve known each other for only a day and aren’t only comfortable enough to call one another boyfriend-girlfriend, but to even introduce yourselves as such. That’s just so, so incredi—”

She coughed.

“So incredibly you,” said Tansy, giving Trisha a fake smile.

As Tansy looked back at him, he felt a shock of fear go up his spine. Instantly he backwashed the last bit he had in his mouth and sat back up stiff on the couch. He’d met this archetype before; a pair, actually. Two Warrants in Europe who were both so unhinged and over their service that they no longer showed fear of the unknown. It was like they were equipped with shields of ignorance so thick they could block artillery shells.

On base, there was a long standing tradition of fucking around and subsequently finding out. And those two were the Kings of it. For a brief moment, he felt like he was looking at the equivalent Queen. Feeling equal parts fear and disgust, he did the only thing he felt like he could do at that moment.
Holding his gut gently, he felt the kombucha base bubbling, and held it in for a moment before releasing the loudest, most protracted belch he possibly could. The scent of ginger and spinach was mixed with the marinara and garlic from the sandwich, forming a potent weapon of biological terror in the form of a gaseous cloud that now hung between himself and Tansy.

And to top it off, he blew the last little bit.
”Damn, thanks. That shit was pretty good.”

Trisha’s scathing retort to Tansy dressing up questioning their relationship in flowery language died on her tongue. She turned around and away, hand covering her mouth and nose both to avoid the smell and stifle laughter. Normally, she’d find something like that disgusting… but in this situation, against Tansy? It was just hilarious. Her hatred for her half-sister outweighed everything else.
“You’ll have to let me know where you got it, Tansy,” Trisha said, still trying not to laugh. “Since he’ll continue to be my boyfriend for a long time, and he enjoyed it so much.”

A little curl of Tansy’s hair wilted as it came in contact with the chemical bomb released by Casey, but the woman stayed resilient with her phony, polite smile. Her eyes watered as she carefully set the empty drink down on a coaster, taking the moment when the two couldn’t see her face to silently bleh in disgust, and sat back up with a smile on her face yet again, hands folded in her lap, shoulders in perfect posture.

“O-of course,” said Tansy, her guard slipping ever so slightly as she was hit by a second wave of the belch that had lingered in her spot.

It was typical for Trisha to have a boyfriend who lacked manners. Charles, the worthless, stupid, balding, fat, lazy, ignorant, incompetent piece of shit, at the very least knew how to excuse himself. She turned her head ever so slightly, her lip puckering as if she had just bit into a rotten lemon, and she steadied herself. She had one goal and one goal alone: get Casey to adore her more than Trisha. A fun little “game” she played with all of her family’s partners, winning more than any of them would ever admit.

“That’s actually a sign that it’s working. It’s your body releasing its toxins,” said Tansy, turning her back once more on Trisha to give Casey all of her focus. “I posted a blog about Eastern medicine before—you know, with how multicultural my family is I just love to learn about all kinds of foreign traditions. Better out than in is their theory. I’ll have Trisha give you my number and I’ll send it to you to read. Oh, but you were saying something earlier? Something about boxing?”

Ding ding! They were about to enter into a new round. Tansy moved to grab Casey’s bicep, “Are you a boxer? You’re definitely built like one.”

”Oh, right! Right, no, I was wondering if you know my brother? “Timberwolf” Richoux? Leon to his friends…”
Casey was frankly impressed by her sturdy constitution, but he couldn’t let her see that it affected him. If you gave these types the fear response, that was a victory. He had to keep up, for every Marine and Airborne crazy fucker he’d ever met. The entirety of the United States Armed Forces was riding on this performance.
”Trisha didn’t tell me if you were a globetrotting slag or just a regular local one. I figured if you stayed local he’d probably tried to fill that kalehole of yours at least once. But if you’re not a sports groupie, you must be into fashion.”

“She’s both,” Trisha snickered, still covering her mouth. Honestly, she didn’t feel the need to say anything… she could just sit back and watch the show. She was worried for a moment when Tansy started on her fucking flirting, the very thing that led to more than a few ruined relationships, but it didn’t seem to faze Casey at all. Thankfully.

There was a second where it looked like the annoying_sister.exe crashed as Tansy stared at Casey unblinking, the mirthful shine in her eyes suddenly dull and dead like the fresh catch of the day. Her body tensed. It seemed at that moment as if the plastic pleasantness was about to reveal itself to have been covering a mold made out of some slightly more volatile plastique. Then, the corner of her eyes crinkled in a look of amusement as her kalehole twitched until she was able to fully reboot and offer him a fake smile again.

“ I see that you must not have served with a lot of women. Did Patricia snag you up as soon as you returned from deployment? That explains so much. You’re so brave. Reintegration takes some time,” said Tansy ever so politely before cocking her head and twisting a strand of blonde hair around her finger. “Since you’re curious about fashion, I’ll give you this tip for free: slutshaming is no longer vogue.”

The piece of hair popped perfectly back into place as Tansy returned her hand to her lap and grinned, ready to shut up Trisha’s snickering with a fearsome knockout punch, “Or was it my body count that you were actually interested in, soldier boy? I’ll tell you mine if you tell me yours.”

Casey could do nothing but laugh aloud at the sheer power. The strength, the poise, the rebound potential put her in the top scoring players throughout the entire WNBA and probably the regular one as well.
”Trisha? I’m… So fucking impressed. Are you gonna be like this when we argue? Am I in for, like, the worst stone face I’ve ever gotten?”

His nose crinkled in a mix of shock and disgust as his focus shifted back to Tansy.
”You took the Kalehole line like a fucking champ. My Dad, and my Brother, are both professional boxing champions. Like, world recognized. I’ve seen sturdy motherfuckers, Tansy Vanburen, and you’re one. I’m just… I’m at a loss.”

Tansy turned to look at Trisha, the smugness of her smile unable to be masked as the ref signalled to ring the bell.

Trisha's laughter very quickly stopped. Tansy, the bitch that she was, had completely stepped past Casey calling her a slag. While she hadn't expected it to actually bother her horrible half-sister she'd hoped it would make her back off. She only seemed to double down.

That explains so much. You’re so brave. Trisha's lips pulled down into an even uglier scowl than before. It wasn't hard to tell what Tansy was implying… no she was openly saying that Casey was only with Trisha because she was the first woman he'd met since, and that he didn't know many others. That he'd leave her when he realised how awful she was in comparison. Tansy was probably right, and that was what made it so infuriating. The smug smile, and Casey being impressed, was just the nail in the coffin.

“I’m nothing like her. Just because we have the same shitty dad doesn't make us anything alike- don't even compare us." Trisha jumped up, standing in front of them both while glaring daggers at Tansy. It was very clear that she wouldn't be stone faced during any argument - her anger written across her face and slightly shaking arms. Her voice was still low, rather than exploding into a shout, but it was harsh and heated.
“Piss off, Tansy. Stop flirting with my boyfriend, before I ruin that perfect face of yours and you won't get anyone again- I mean it this time. Do you know how desperate it is to try and steal your sibling's partners? Your life is so sad you have to come here and ruin mine too. You're just a bitch that everyone in the family hates… And nobody gives a fuck about your body count- its so high we can all see it."

“She’s just kidding. This is how we show affection.”

Casey put his hand up, finger rising high.
”That was beautiful Babe. I’d like the record to clearly reflect that I was not flirting with this Botox Beast, I just… Think it’s impressive that she would fit right in with a barrack full of Infantrymen on a six month deep deployment. Mostly as entertainment.” he cleared his throat and grimaced thinking about the implication of that. However, the darker thoughts he had queued up were probably just going to send him back to a place he didn’t want to be.

”And don’t speak for women you don’t know, Hon. It’s also suuuuper not chique. Past tense, even. Most of the women I met in the service were proud slags, since active combat attracts a different breed, y’know? Harder than you. Thicker than you. Stronger than you. I could still get you enlisted, there’s plenty of border conflicts you can go fight in.” he stared, the grin vaguely fading from his face until he matched Tansy’s previous cold, dead and fish-eyed expression.

But Tansy had turned her attention to Trisha, hand up to block Casey from seeing her lips move as she mouthed: he’s talking about prostitutes. Her eyebrows raised ever so slightly, as if in concern for her younger sister, like she was some kind of protector instead of tormentor.

“Unfortunately society would collapse if I left, so I’m afraid the borders will just have to fight themselves. Speaking of entertainment,” said Tansy, smoothing her dress as she stood up and turned to Trisha, “I’m hosting a little charity gala next weekend and came to see if Sabrina could whip together some of her magic and help me find a dress. Do you know when she’ll be home? Oh, funnily enough, it’s for Veteran’s Day. You two should come! By then you’ll remember each other's name.” She nudged Trisha with her elbow. “What do you say, babe?”

”Oh, Babe, she’s so right. I can call General O’Keefe, I’m sure he’d be happy to show up and bring the Command Staff from Lewis-McChord! Just the kind of guy to give your event a bit of real star power, Tansy.”
He shot Trisha a knowing glance.
”I think you’ll really get to see what kind of soldier I am at that point. And amazingly, it has nothing to do with licking boots!”

“No way, I'd rather die the slowest, most painful death than suffer one of your galas," Trisha said tersely, expression only getting worse. Tansy knew just how to get under her skin - digging down into the insecurities she tried her best to hide. She knew Casey wasn't talking about prostitutes, and she knew they knew each other's names… but the implication under it all rattled her. “Fun as it would be to ruin it and see how you deal with real soldiers at an event you're hosting to pretend you actually care about anyone other than yourself. I don't think you'd enjoy it- and maybe then everyone would know what a fake bitch you are!"

Trisha jerked away from Tansy, sitting back down and immediately pressing into Casey's side. She looped her arms under one of his and hugged it tightly, still glaring at her sister.
“And no, I don't know when Sabrina will be home. You have a phone, don't you? Fuck off and come back another day. I won't be here anymore to ‘entertain’ you… hopefully you can finally leave me alone rather than acting like some obsessed stalker."
Hopefully it would be harder for Tansy to track down a temple owned apartment in the same city than it was Trisha's accommodation at university.

“Oh, boo, you’re no fun,” said Tansy, giving a playful pout, not even flinching at the insults thrown her way. Trisha lacked the eloquence needed to pierce through her armor. “Come on, even Casey sounds like he wants to go. Brooke and Izzy came to the last one, but do you know what they said when everyone asked why you weren’t there? They said you were throwing one of your patented pity parties. Pity Party Patty they called you the entire night. Honestly, it was awful. They wouldn’t let it go. Really, you should reconsider coming. People are starting to worry about you.”

“I mean it. I’m worried about you too. I was only playing around earlier, Patricia,” said Tansy, her voice taking a serious and somber tone. It was well-practiced, bullshit gilded to glisten like genuine concern. “You’re my baby sister. I’ll never leave you alone. So when you say things like, I won’t be here anymore, I…I…I get really scared!” Her eyes watered on cue. She wiped one with her finger. “That’s not something funny to joke about!”

Casey clung tightly to Trisha, not wanting to cause her any more undue stress.
”As much as I'd love to ruin your event, Tansy, Trisha's really got enough on her plate after meeting my family. Business, a home, safety, peace of mind. Things that you and yours can't seem to provide her properly, she's poised to achieve on her own. And I'm there for her every step. So, with all confidence, fuck off and come back tomorrow after we've properly moved her out. Oh, and one more thing?-”

Trisha could feel him lean back slightly, and both women would be able to hear his guts rumbling before a louder, nastier burp erupted from his throat.

”You're not seeing any results because you're actually not putting enough fruit into the mixture. I suggest less Kambucha, more natural juice. Maybe it'll cleanse the dirty fucking soul you seem attached to. Now don't make the fucking Wizard angry and be a good Kalehole.” he finished, his free hand coming up to shoo her off like a giant bug.

“Thank you, Case,” Trisha said softly, smiling at him and leaning into him more.

A hint of color was able to fight its way through the layers of powder and concealer and appear on Tansy’s cheeks as her eyes widened. At first it seemed as if she finally appeared insulted, having her “concern” so easily deflected, the crocodile tears in her eyes holding steady. Then loud, wicked laughter burst out of her as she clutched her stomach and doubled over. Her poise shattered and her face wrinkled, making her look like a hag whose glamour was failing. She laughed so hard that her side felt like it was about to cramp and actual tears began to stream down her cheeks.

“After we’ve moved her out? As in, you’re moving in? Together? With Harry Potter?”

Tansy threw her head back in another fit of laughter at the idea of Trisha moving in with her boyfriend of one day. She was in full hysterics as she stumbled away from the stupidest couple she had ever met and fell onto the couch while rolling with laughter. She struggled to breathe. Anytime she looked up at the two she broke into fits again, slapping her forehead and kicking her legs. This was hands down the single greatest thing Tansy had ever heard. Only through sheer force of will was she able to finally calm herself down enough so that she could speak.

“Oh, I’m just…pfft...I’m just so happy for the two of you, hehehe. I fully endorse this union, r-r-really. Wow, this is great. This is just great,” said Tansy, descending from her full blown guffaw into a giggle fit. Her eyes almost exploded out of her head as she sat up. “I cannot wait to tell EVERYBODY!”

Trisha was completely speechless. She just stared at Tansy with wide eyes, shock momentarily overwhelming how pissed off she was. She’d never seen Tansy like this. For as long as she could remember, she’d never seen anything genuine about her apart from the times a younger Trisha had gotten a proper, angry reaction out of her. But laughing? Laughing so hard she was flailing about like she was having a dying fit (which sadly she wasn’t).
“I’ve never seen her like this… she doesn’t normally show real emotion,” she whispered to Casey, going back to a narrow eyed glare at Tansy as she seemed to collect herself. Honestly, it was a bit terrifying. More so than the faked care.

“I’m sure you’re totally happy for us,” Trisha rolled her eyes, returning to a scowl. Because she knew that Tansy was mocking them. Was moving in with Casey after a day fast? Yes. Did she want her worst sister to find it so hilarious she actually proved that she was a human because of it? Not really, no. “Tell whoever you want, it’s not like you can tell anyone I care about. And I won’t have to deal with it, anyway, because you won’t be able to barge into my life anymore! Oh, but if you tell Ezra, make sure he knows I’m not actually leaving the family yet, but that I won’t depend on him for much longer.”
She still needed that allowance for now… just in case.

“Oh, of course, I’ll be sure to tell him just that,” said Tansy, still chuckling. “I’m sure Maria will be excited to hear the news, too!”

“Don't you dare tell her." Trisha's expression only worsened, tone lowering with a cold rage. She jerked forward, only stopped from jumping up and scratching her half-sisters eyes out by Casey's arm around her. But she still pushed against it in her anger. She couldn't have her mom finding out right now. That would only end in another judgemental phone call, hours of being picked apart and then thrown away again once she was deemed damaged enough. Or worse, there would be no call at all. Her mom simply wouldn't care, and that would be much harder to bear than disappointment.

“She probably won't even pick up, Mom's too busy to listen to people like you, she's not one of your vapid rich ‘friends’-" Trisha gritted her teeth, whole body tense. Pretend it doesn't bother you, don't make it obvious. A slight banana scent started wafting off her - Casey would recognise it as her pheromones, different from the ones he'd been hit by before, and not strong enough to do anything to him at all. But she couldn't handle it. The risk of it going to her mom, the risk of it not being a bluff - because why the fuck was Tansy in contact with her - and the risk of her mom not caring at all. Panic and anger clutched her equally.
“Tell her before I do and I'll- I'll make you regret it."

“Oh, of course, you would want to tell her yourself. I know how close the two of you…” Tansy’s nostril flared, her eyelids fluttered, and her words died in her mouth. Her breathing grew short and staccato as she leaned forward, fingers pinching the bridge of her nose, appearing as if she suddenly felt unwell, tugging at the collar of her dress to fan herself. “Mmph…sorry, I just…um…”

Casey immediately pointed at her, his unhinged nature growing as his emotional field was walloped by magical pheromones.
”Oooh! Not so tough now, you… Blind…”
Clearly he was looking for the words to use to insult her for lacking any sort of magic, but in his head none of it sounded intelligible. He knew she wasn’t magical from the moment she started cracking up under the pressure.

It barely tickled him.

But he knew this wasn’t going to be what he wanted to be remembered for.
”Don’t piss the Warlock off!” he barked, both arms wrapping tight around Trisha.
”Hey, easy… Don’t hurt her, you’ll regret it later. Trust me.” he quietly and calmly spoke into Trisha’s ear, hands rubbing up and down her biceps as he held her there.
”You win, you’re stronger, she’s not a threat.”

His voice was a quiet mantra that echoed in her ear as he attempted to calm her down and appease her as best he could. He was just reaching for whatever he thought would be comforting.

Trisha curled in towards Casey, legs pulling up to her chest so she was a tight ball in his arms. She took a deep, shaky breath and tried to push back the panic rising in her chest. Tansy wouldn’t actually tell her mom. If she did, then it would be fine. She was used to her mom berating her. And she would. She wouldn’t just ignore it. Deep breaths.

“I’m not doing it on purpose," Trisha mumbled, trying to pull the pheromones back in. It wasn’t anywhere near the full blast, but they started increasing the more she panicked. She shook her head, closing her eyes and trying to concentrate on everything else. Focusing in on the sound of Casey’s voice and the feeling of him holding her tightly. Slowly, but surely, the scent began to fade. The tension in her shoulders faded, and she uncurled slightly. Her arms snaked around Casey and she rubbed her face against him a few times.
“I’m alright. I shouldn’t let her get to me…" Trisha said softly. It made her look so fragile, but Tansy just knew what to say. There was so little she didn’t know. “She just pisses me off so much. She does this all the time, I should be used to it, but some things just get to me more. But I’m alright now, it’s fine."

Meanwhile, Tansy had bolted out of the room in a flash, babbling what might’ve been a panicked apology for the sudden departure, stumbling only momentarily as her leg banged into the coffee table and knocking her water bottle onto the carpet, the remnants of whatever kale nightmare concoction dribbling out and staining the white rug. The sound of heels clacking in an off-rhythm followed by the front door slamming open against the wall confirmed her exit from the house. The faint sound of a young man, her driver perhaps, calling out to her—”Miss!Ms. Vanburen!”—could barely be made out through the front door that Tansy had left open in her flight.

Casey did indulge in a smirking giggle as Tansy vacated the premises. He didn’t want that type of thing happening to Blinds, but sometimes they were just too uppity. They had to learn. But, that was also his upbringing seeping into his mentality; the inherent bigotry that families like his exuded toward those without magic was almost always palpable in a private setting.
Like any other hate, it propagated in privacy, small numbers of close people giving into their biases and insecurities. They made themselves feel insular, safe, and ultimately on a pedestal above those without their gifts.

The capacity within him filled his mind with shame, but that sense of pleasure still came with it. The snickering, greater-than judgement… He was disgusted and fascinated by himself simultaneously.
But he didn’t want to dwell. It wasn’t right… Even if she deserved it.
”It’s okay… We all let things get past our walls sometimes. She’s been doing it for years, right? Forever? When you meet Junior, he’s not gonna be like that. He’ll flirt, try to get you to think he’s charming and funny, and that he’s not a sociopath. When he hears you’re into computers and stuff, he’s-”
He stopped, clearing his throat. Why was he thinking about Max Junior?
”-I guess, the same person. Just a dude. And he does shit like that to me. So, I understand. Okay?” he offered the reassurance again.

“I’m glad you understand,” Trisha said softly. She was, in the way it made her worry less about him reacting badly to her reaction. To those who weren’t used to people like Tansy, everything she said seemed to be nice. She’d fooled most of Trisha’s university friends when she ‘visited’, aside from Reyna, thanks to her ability to read auras. It had been frustrating. It was the same for past partners of hers.
“She didn’t used to be like that- well, she was always fake. Since she’s the oldest girl, she was always trying to act like our mom. But I have a mom, so I always pushed back on it.” A bit of an understatement. “Eventually it turned to this. All the hidden jabs. She’s only like that to me.”

Trisha laughed without much joy to the sound, fingers digging into Casey’s back as she tried not to think about all the things Tansy had said over the years.
“You can see now why a bit of crying doesn’t affect me, right? She does it all the time. At least… we can both see through it. Silver linings and all that,” she smiled slightly. “I won’t get charmed by any partner stealing siblings of yours either.”

Casey nodded.
”Good, because I’d have to kill him at that point, and I’d hate for you to have to deal with that.”
He didn’t mention the familial ramifications. It was, of course, implied. Regardless, he cuddled Trisha a bit tighter and gave her a kiss on the cheek.
”At least hopefully she won’t be back tonight. She doesn’t live here, right?” he asked with a nervous tone.

“She doesn’t, thankfully, she’s just an unwelcome guest,” Trisha smiled, twisting around to look at her practically untouched sandwich. “... but let’s finish those in my bedroom, just in case.”

[AtomicEmperor]

---

Act One-Three

---

Sabrina's House

After the chaotic events of yesterday, they decided to have a more ‘relaxed’ morning on Thursday.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

---

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

She needed to move hers over to their place anyway.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

---

Cannery Apartments > Casey and Trisha's Home

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

A massage coat.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

She grinned up at him. “Either way, it's exciting. It makes it all feel real."

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Casey returned a laugh.
”What if I say it because I believe it?” he cuddled her tightly before continuing down the hall.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

”You got your key out of your office!?” Clarissa asked.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

She froze within the first step, mouth falling open.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

---

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

”But, just like you, I want to be the one to go through it with you. Not them.”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

His neck craned and he planted another sucking kiss on her neck.
”But, I kind of like the evidence… Is that weird?”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

His eyebrows rose up, making sure she could see his expectant gaze.
”Do you understand me? It’s us. Us.”

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

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

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

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

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

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

[AtomicEmperor]

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Casey laughed aloud, but still comfortingly rubbed her shoulders.
”Oh, dude… Wrong family to shack up with.”

---

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

”Casey said you’d, or that you do, play games? Do you have a Turbine account?” she asked.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

For a moment the silence hung.
”Do… You want to start? Or…”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Leon stuck his hand out for Trisha to shake.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

”Oh, oh! Oh damn girl!”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Mia only groaned louder.
”Do we need to bring that painting up so fucking much?”
”Are you not traumatised by it?” Casey asked.
”I’m not.” Eddy grinned and giggled.

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

”O-oh?! I mean, probably not going there?” Hari managed to reply through grains of rice.
”Etienne is always willing for things to go there.” Eddy cackled, sticking her tongue out.

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

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

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

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

Hari turned.
”Aw, Ginny, I’m sorry honey, I didn’t mean to make you feel uncomfortable…”
”Naw, it's… A calling, y’know?”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

”The Order never used the exact same enchantments. This ‘Standard Template’ stuff just isn’t natural magic.” Leon shrugged.

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

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

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

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

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

”Nah, Dude. That’s all, well… Like it’s a long one, but its all shit we take for granted.” Ed offered.
”So true, like… Even Emancipation, y’know?”

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

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

”What happened to talking about cool shit? C’mon, Emancipation story.”
Ed waved her hand.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Casey leaned into Trisha.
”Six hundred year old wine.” he whispered.

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

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

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

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

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

”Alphonse Dumonde Richoux. The one who-”
”-Oh, fuckin’ sick. Yeah, the… The Butter guy.” she chuckled back at Leon.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

”Yep… Shitty bottlers, imagine enchanting shitty glass.”
As the stragglers gathered back up, Mia held her glass high.

”All that aside… Toast to Casey and Trisha?” she asked around the table.
Leon was quick to stick his up as well.
”For sure. To the two of you, and to some genuine happiness.”

Trisha smiled, genuinely, at them both. One hand rested on Casey's arm as she leaned back into his embrace, the other raising her own glass.
“To us," she laughed, tilting her head back so that she could look up at him with warm eyes. “Feels a bit weird to toast to myself, sort of… Hopefully we'll be happy, not get too annoyed by all our little habits when living together, and be able to start a new life together."

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

---

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

”You… Make me feel safe.”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

[FernStone]

---

Act One-Four

---

Casey and Trisha's Home

On Friday, Trisha actually got to lie in past 5am. One of the benefits of living together was that Casey could slip out when he woke up, and there were no bees living in the same room to disturb her. As much as half asleep Trisha was reluctant to let her very comfortable pillow go, she eventually got over it and replaced him with an actual pillow. She didn’t set an alarm, figuring she’d wake up naturally while it was still morning.

But a strange, increasingly loud buzzing interrupted her dreams. With a groan, she rolled over, feeling about for her phone. She propped herself on her elbows and squinted at it. It was just past 11:30, she hadn’t set an alarm, so what- shit.

Her phone displayed in annoyingly large writing ‘Incoming Call: Cass’

She fumbled for the answer button, rolling onto her back and holding her phone up to her ear. “What?”

”OH MY GOD TRISHA FINALLY! WE MESSAGED YOU LIKE HOURS AGO BUT YOU FUCKIN’ IGNORED US!“ Cass’s voice assaulted Trisha’s ear, so loud she had to hold her phone away from it. ”I was all for just turnin’ up to your gaff and just banging on your door but Reyna said we gotta phone you first, so, that’s what I’m doin’.”

“What?” Trisha repeated, mind slowly processing what the fuck Cass was saying, taking a moment to actually understand her accent and slang. ”You’re… coming to my place?”

”Yeah! We’re like, fifteen minutes out.”

Trisha shot up, suddenly very awake. ”From what place?”

”Y’know, the one Reyna visited before, fuckin’ posh ga-”

”I moved.”

”Nah, you’re kidding, fuck- Rey, she moved!” There was some mumbled talking in the background. ”The fuck you move to? It ain’t far is it, cause Reyna’s gonna lose her head if she’s gotta drive much longer.”

Trisha pressed a hand against her forehead, trying to push down the impending sense of doom. This wasn’t what she wanted to deal with right after waking up. ”It’s ten minutes away… I’ll text you the address. Text when you’re outside, it's… difficult to access.”

”Sweet! Oh- you’re new boyfriend better be there, even if he has to absolutely leg it to arrive before us.”

”He’s already- whatever. I don’t have time, bye.”

Trisha very unceremoniously hung up, staring at her phone for a few minutes just processing what the fuck had just happened. Then, she sent them the new address, and then… the panic set in. She had maybe twenty minutes to get ready. That included getting dressed, doing her hair, makeup- letting Casey know. Shit.

Alright, calm down, before the bees get added to the situation- She took a deep breath and jumped out of bed, scurrying over to the wardrobe in their room. It wasn’t big enough to hold all of her clothes, so she’d just unpacked a few things which… made it easier to choose. She pulled off the t-shirt and shorts she’d worn to sleep, throwing them on the bed. There was no time to take ages choosing like normal, so she went with something easy, quickly getting dressed in a black dress with a tight fitting, off the shoulders bodice and a looser skirt that fell midway down her thighs. It didn't do anything to cover the mottled blues and purples across her upper body - but if she wore a turtleneck she'd just get more questions with how her friends were…

Trisha spun around on her heel, clattering down the stairs, almost tripping over her own feet at the bottom.
“Casey! Caseeeyyyyy!” She had no idea where he’d be so she shouted… she really hoped he was still in the house, otherwise she’d be running all around trying to find him. “I- my- fuck, I forgot to find out when my friends were getting here and they’re almost here!”

There was no response, making her really feel like she’d wasted her breath by explaining the situation to an empty house. It was fine. He was either outside, or downstairs. Or out… but if he was out it was fine, she’d just deal with a bit of shit from her friends, that was all. She took another deep breath, forcing herself to at least appear calm. It was fine. She could handle this - or at least pretend to.

As soon as she stepped outside, about thirty bees descended on her. Their confused pheromones bombarded her as they mostly landed in her hair and on her shoulders. They’d obviously felt her intermittent panic, and gone between coming to her and not as she jumped between freaking out and calm.
“All good,” she said softly, letting out a soothing scent. Satisfied in her safety, most of the bees buzzed away back to their new paradise, leaving her with just a few burrowed in dark, messy waves of hair.

There was no sign of Casey on the roof, and she couldn’t hear anything, so that meant downstairs. She rushed over to the door leading off the roof, not even bothering with shoes - socked feet pattering down the stairs and into the corridors of apartments below.

There were a lot of apartments he could be in. Biting her lip, Trisha started to walk down, ears straining for any sounds of life. Thankfully she didn’t have to get far, the muffled sounds of something coming from the apartment closest to them. She pushed open the door to that black metal box. Had he registered her with it yet? Could she just put her hand against the wall to get in? But if he was in there doing something… now inside here it sounded like bangs - hammering or gunshots maybe… wouldn’t she disturb him if she just went in. It wasn’t that important, was it? She could go down by herself. Better than disturbing him doing something important.

“Casey?” she called out towards the wall she was pretty sure had the door in it, loud enough it should be heard if it wasn’t too soundproofed, raising a fist to tap on it. If he didn’t hear she’d just… go back up and get ready, then figure things out.

Inside, behind the second door, the indoor range was alight with gunfire as Casey put round after round into the randomly appearing targets. Modern ear protection was something of a magic in its own right, hardly needing to be adjusted for a range like this despite the tight quarters.
Each shot was a dull thud in his ears, the electronic components of the earphones adjusting the amount of dampening to meet different needs. The shots were dull thuds in comparison to the notification on the wallboard that someone was looking to come into The Box.

He immediately ejected the magazine and cleared the chamber of the rifle, laying it all down and pulling his headset off before making it to the door. He didn’t open it, but he did slide the eye slot open. Trisha wouldn’t be able to see the wide golden retriever grin form on his face, but she certainly would be able to see his eyes narrow at her.

”Ooooh, whaaaaats the password, Miss?” he tried his best to sound aloof.

Trisha narrowed her eyes back at him, but it was less of a cheerful narrow and much more of a tired one. As much as she would really love to have time to play some back and forth, her internal clock was ticking down. She'd much rather spend what little time she didn't need to use on some much needed morning hugs.
“Casseyyy," she whined, pouting rather cutely. “Good morning, please come out, I forgot to set an alarm and my friends are twenty minutes away?"

Casey frowned, mostly because he didn’t realize things were going to be quite that rushed. Immediately, the door opened and he was standing there, more or less in the same shorts and shirt he went to bed in.
Seeing his face, he had a slight but playful frown.
”Oh, man… Sorry Babe. You want me to go get showered and stuff?” he asked her pretty plainly.
”It’ll be an Army shower with that much time, but I’ve gotta put my stuff here away.”

His torso bent down, planting a kiss on her forehead before he spun and made way for his gun and the other things he was using.

“Yeah, if that's alright," Trisha half smiled, rubbing the back of her neck and unable to hold back a yawn. “It’s on me for not checking when they'd get here yesterday so… don't worry about it too much. I can always tell them to go wait somewhere."

Just admitting the blame in such a simple way made her feel uncomfortable, like nails were scratching at her chest. It wasn't how she'd planned things to go… she hadn't expected them to be here till at least midday. Why was today of all days the one that Cass had been successfully dragged out of bed early?
“I’m going to go back upstairs and finish getting ready… I'll see you up there."

She backed out of the room with a smile which quickly fell when she was out of his sight. The journey back up was just as quick, not quite jogging to avoid breaking into any kind of sweat. She wanted a shower too but she just didn't have time. She nipped into the bathroom to grab all of her stuff - makeup, hairbrush, and a small mirror she was glad she'd had the foresight to bring along. She was used to having her own bathroom, so sharing one was yet another adjustment that she really wasn't used to after only one day. She took it all to the counter in the main room, setting up a little station. Her phone was placed unlocked beside her, group chat open, ignoring the unimportant messages as she shooed away her bees and started to properly brush out her hair.

It only took Casey a few minutes to get his stuff situated. Assuming she was going to be using the shower upstairs, he opted to use the one that was still intact in their office. Furio was there, working as usual.
”Chief…”
”Boss…”
Casey threw his hands up.
”Woah, woah. Let’s not go throwing out crazy titles or expectations here.”

They both laughed, and Furio swung around in his chair.
”What’d she want?”
”She’s got some friends coming, just gonna shower.” Casey explained in the lightest way possible.
Furio’s head nodded along, and he smiled.
”They comin’ here?” he asked.

Casey was impacted by the question, and it left him stunned for a few moments.
”She… Said they were twenty minutes away? I assume yes.”
”Alright! I’ll expect visitors.”
”I’m pretty sure she said some of them are Blind, so…”
”Some? Is one a Sycamore? Any?”

Casey did his best to recall what she’d said, but some time after the wine and the crying, it was all a haze.
”Gonna go ahead and say that I’m ninety-nine percent sure no.” he offered, figuring that was going to be enough. Furio cleared his throat.
”Y’know, protocol is usually a lot tighter than what you’re giving me right now.”
Furio’s gaze turned downward, expectantly staring at Casey. He took a deep breath in turn.
”Y-yeah, Uncle, I know. I’ll be five minutes in the shower, run up and ask her, and then-”

Furio dusted his hands off, pushing back in the chair and standing.
”Take your shower. Do your thing. I’ll go up, ask, and grab you some clothes so you can be nice and fresh for your little second housewarming.”
”Oh, I don’t know if they’re even gonna come up, Uncle Furio! D-don’t worry about it, I-”
Furio put his hands up.
”Shut up! Please! I’m doing you a favor so I don’t have to see you traipsing around my fuckin’ office during my last days of being the boss like you’re in a nudist colony!”

Casey grimaced, hand flicking up for his watch.
”Fine, man, fine. Whatever, I’m wasting time as it is with this. But if she gets pissy with me because you’re prodding, I’m gonna rip your shit apart.”
”Rip my balls you precious angel you.”

Casey stepped into the bathroom and closed the door behind him. Furio stared for a final moment before seeing himself out and upstairs. Not bothering to ring, he simply invited himself onto the roof and up to the front door. He didn’t hesitate to swing it open, though he didn’t quite enter so much as drape himself in.

”Heyyy, Trisha!? It’s Furiooooo. Mind if I come in real quick sweetheart? Casey’s showering downstairs, asked me to get him some clothes!” he called in through the open door.

When the door opened Trisha had assumed it was Casey, so panic shot through her when it was a voice that wasn't. She twisted around in her seat and the few bees with her automatically reacted, shooting towards Furio. Thankfully she was awake enough to properly react, instantly telling them to stop. Five bees screeched to a halt halfway to Furio, before reluctantly buzzing back to Trisha and landing on her shoulders.
“... Uh, hi, sure, come on in," Trisha said, expression relaxing back down to some more neutral than caught out. She was in the process of twisting her thick, wavy hair into a proper bun at the bottom of her neck, both hands taken up with it. “His clothes are up in the loft… just don't mind the mess up there."

”Oh, it ain’t a mess. You guys just moved in, a mess is expected anyway.”
Furio wasted no time making his way through and up, but he spoke to her through the open floor plan.
”Casey said you guys have friends coming? Anyone from Sycamore I should roll out the carpet for?” he asked so casually.

Trisha laughed, as if he was telling some kind of hilarious joke. There was a bitterness to it, her eyes darting over to the stairs up to the loft before moving back to the mirror in front of her.
“The only Sycamore members I'm on speaking terms with are too rich to come round to my place, or Leon as of last night. They're university friends, unrelated. None are even from around here."

She paused, finishing tying her hair back. If Furio was here… she hadn't even really thought about the whole security thing they had downstairs. She hadn't actually planned to invite her friends round in the first place until they'd surprised her with practically being there, meaning she didn't have time to plan anything else. It wasn't exactly a situation she wanted to bring them into.
“They don't have to come up if there'll be a problem going through downstairs. Things Blinds shouldn't see… or maybe the other way around?" She also spoke very casually, not signs in her voice that she was annoyed about it.

”Well I imagine they’ll ask questions. You and Casey get a story straight?” he asked back, starting to rummage through clothes. He found most of them were hers, and he’d only brought a backpack up from downstairs for now. Lazy fucker. So he simply picked it up and started back down the stairs.
”No need to worry about anything really, not like they won’t just see closed apartment doors. I guess, if you know whose driving, you can give me their names and I’ll make sure they can get into the side lot. I figure Norm’ll be fine, he’s got nice clothes on today.”

“I’ve got a story straight, I just haven't discussed it with him. I'm sure he'll go along with it," Trisha shrugged one shoulder. It shouldn't be hard, she'd just tell them he had some kind of security job, and keep them moving through that floor. She was used to fielding and ignoring annoying questions from them.
“The one who's driving is called Reyna- she's the only one with magic. She can read auras, so she'll know Norm's magic too if she sees him, if that'll be a problem."

”Well, I mean… Can she read auras well? It don’t take a skilled White Adept to know this place is engaged as it were. I mean I hope she’ll have enough sense to not bring it up to your Blind friends, but she’s gonna ask you some extra questions.”
Furio wasn’t supposed to be pressed, and he certainly wasn’t acting like he was… But know he was going to need to know a whole lot more about this Reyna person than he wanted to find out. He tapped his foot anxiously.

”I mean… If I wasn’t…” he cleared his throat.
”Uh… It’s Casey’s show now, right? So, I’ll… Be an adult and let you guys handle it. But, I would be leery of your friend. Will be. We can’t know who wants to hurt you or Leon or any of us. But, I’ll stay in my office and I’ll trust you both, and I’m sorry that I’m a grumpy ol’ man like that.”

“If Reyna was going to hurt me, she would've done it four years ago," Trisha said, tone slightly cold. She understood, but also didn't like her friend being questioned like that. Just because she was white lux didn't mean she was some invasive asshole like the temple was used to.
“As far as I'm aware she's a fairly skilled adept, but she's also good person. She's only ever used it on me for an impromptu therapy session- " maybe a bit more information than she needed to give out there. “ So yes, trust Casey's trust in me. I'll answer any questions without giving away anything about the Temple, don't worry."

Furio really wanted to say more. He almost couldn’t help himself.
”More just, we don’t know who could be controlled by forces beyond our understanding. You remember the Snake: It would be in your mind one second, next you wake up somewhere you never wanted to be. It ain’t her fault, ain’t anyone’s fault and it’s got nothin’ to do with what she knows or doesn’t know about the Temple.”

He shrugged his shoulders.
”I’m… Very sorry. Seen a lot in this business, and it’s paid to be a paranoid fuck. I hope you and Casey can find a better balance than that… I think our organization needs it just as much as you both deserve it. Capice?” he asked as sincerely as he could.

“Yeah, I understand," Trisha waved her now free hand, as if it didn't really bother her at all. It did, but she did also get it. It wasn't like she was out here trusting many people - or anyone fully. It was just a different kind of trust. She wasn't worried about magical threats to an organisation that already spied on her…
“I’ll balance him out if he starts getting that paranoid about people."

It wasn't so much meant to be a dig at Furio, just a statement of truth. That kind of paranoia and lack of trust would eventually turn on her, who was technically also an outsider to the Temple. She didn't want that.
“But I do get it. I might not be on the same level, but I'm more cautious than you'd think, since I do remember the snake." She did a pretty good job of keeping her tone even, as if just the mention of it being in her mind put her on edge in a way she didn't really understand. It hadn't quite happened like that, but there were patches she didn't remember from back then. It always had its ways of getting in. It was a specific bit she didn't like to remember. Couldn't, really.

“You better get those clothes to Casey before he traipses up here in a towel," Trisha smiled as if she wasn't not so subtly trying to get him to leave. “Oh, sorry in advance for how annoyingly loud one of my friends is, I'll try get her past the apartments as quickly as possible."

”Got it, no worries. We’ll keep it down ourselves.”
With that, he was off. Another ten minutes went by before Casey made his way up freshly dressed. He’d actually worn the clothes Furio brought only long enough to get back into Leon’s apartment so he could grab something nicer to wear for Trisha’s friends. He dressed as uncomfortable as possible, assuming that they’d be pretty preppy.

Jeans, a white collared tennis shirt, square toed shoes. He had his half-wet hair pulled and tied courtesy of his Uncle, and the nice watch that Leon had gotten him when the war ended.
He walked into the house smelling like cologne.
”Hello my Baby, hello my honeeeeeyyyyy…” he sung into the place.
”We’ve got Norm waitin’ for your friends downstairs Trisha Bee, so he’ll bring ‘em up.”

He swaggered about, looking for her.
”Anything you wanted me to get done?”

“Uhhh- m'dunno," there was very mumbled response from the bathroom, followed by the sound of the sink running. She popped out, beelining for Casey with a small trail of bees behind her. She stopped just in front of him, holding her arms out to the side and swaying her hips slightly to swish the layered skirt.
“How do I look? I had to rush, I didn't have much time to choose what to wear."

The black dress was different from what she'd worn around him so far - namely the more comfortable crop or tank top and baggy pants combination she tended to favour. It had a lower cut, strapless bodice with short off the shoulder sleeves that were pulled in tight at the top but loose towards her elbows. The skirt fell about mid thigh, loose enough to have some movement to it but not too voluminous. It was the kind of dress that could work in a variety of settings - for both a nice day out, going to a bar, even to go clubbing. She'd done a bit more with her makeup, too - darker, more purplish eyeshadows, simple eyeliner, and soft pink lips. Still relatively simple, since she hadn't had much time. She'd swapped out the simple hoop on her front lobe piercing to be a longer one, a twisted loop that swayed a bit with her movements, and the other two were now just simple studs.

She stopped swaying and reached out for his hands, squeezing them. The bees meandered past her towards him then paused, floating confused in front of him, and going right back to her.
“You don't smell enough like me anymore, they're confused- I like it. The cologne."

Casey smiled at her, looking her up and down. He was glad he ended up dressing up a bit similar, the idea of pairs and things matching making him feel satisfaction.
”I think you look fantastic, Babe.” he grinned. His hands reached out for hers, and he pressed forward to kiss her for a moment. He didn’t automatically go for tongue, but it was on his mind. How could it not be?

”And I’m glad you think I smell good. It was in a box of my stuff from before I joined Basic. Been sitting in my room, barely had the chance to use it.”
He did feel like he was missing something, however, so he made way for the hoodie he’d left on the rack when they were done moving yesterday.
”When I woke up this morning, I was looking out at the same moon we fell asleep looking at. I really hate the Winter. he chuckled.

“You know if you sleep in past five the sun's up?" Trisha teased, smiling brightly at him. It'd been a stressful morning, what with barely having a morning at all after waking up, but it was fine. She had him with her and she did like spending time with her friends… as much as she wished she'd had a couple of hours warning.
“But summer is nicer… long days, not having to worry about getting cold. I'm looking forward to spending our first summer together next year."

She really hoped they made it to then. Her lips parted to say something else, but her phone buzzed on the counter, distracting her. She unlocked it with her thumb and squinted down at it.
“Uh, they're basically outside- that wasn't twenty minutes was it? Shouldn't have trusted Cass' estimations… it's fine…" her voice lowered into a mutter at the end of what she was saying. Her fingers flew across the screen as she sent a quick response letting them know where they could park and that someone would get them. She then locked it, moving back to Casey's side.

“Ready? They're really all fine, just a bit loud sometimes…" She spoke quickly, as if they were about to enter some insane battle and she only had seconds to give him the battle plan. “I’m just going to say you have a live in security job if they ask- oh, Reyna will know you're magic right away, but she won't say anything. She really doesn't pry much, just the basic stuff like that and surfaces emotions- anyway, let's go outside?"

Casey calmly nodded, chuckling about Trisha’s explanation of their story. He was happy enough to hear about it, but he wondered if they’d been told whether or not it was very recent.
”Oh yeah, but I mean like… Yeah, alright. I figured maybe we’d just wait in here but we’ll go get ‘em out there.”

Taking a few steps forward, he swung the door open and held it for Trisha.

“There’s less things that can be knocked over out on the roof," Trisha commented somewhat ominously, smiling at him. She paused in the door, stretching up to press a kiss to his cheek.
“Thanks, babe, I know it's a lot."

They barely got a few steps out of the house before there was the sound of thudding footsteps, as if an elephant was sprinting to get onto their roof. The door was going open, and a woman of average height barreled out. She had short, curly hair with blue tips and was dressed extremely casually - a baggy black hoodie with dark, ripped jeans with all sorts of chains hanging off the belt. Her light brown eyes immediately found Trisha, already massive grin growing even wider.

"TRISHHHAAAAA!" She shouted loudly enough that she could definitely be heard downstairs. She charged towards Trisha, leaping at her in some sort of flying hug. Her arms and legs wrapped around the slightly smaller woman, sending them both crashing towards the ground. On the way down Cass twisted with a nearly inhuman speed, so that she landed on her back with Trisha safely protected.

If Casey looked close enough, he'd noticed cheetah like spots receding as quickly as they appeared from Cass' hands and ankles.

“Let go-"

”I ain't fuckin' letting you go, it's been a fuckin' age! Like monthhhhsss!" It was obvious as soon as Cass opened her mouth that she was one of the British friends Trisha had mentioned, with a rougher northern English accent.

"Come on, Cass, let her up."
Through the still open door came another woman, with two more people close behind. She spoke with an accent that made it obvious English wasn't her first language, a distinct, drawn out Latin American accent to it. Dark, kinky hair was pushed back behind her ear and her dark eyes moved from the two on the floor to Casey, lips pulling up into a calm smile. She pulled her denim jacket close around her.

Right behind her was taller, slender woman - dressed the nicest of the three, in a halter neck burgundy dress with a short, black wool jacket and a myriad of delicate, gold accessories. Her makeup was obvious but well done, painted red lips pulled into a thin line. Last was the one guy of the group, just a bit taller than her, coming out with a laughing grin. He carried about three bags, and had a rucksack on, swinging one up with a sweater covered arm.
"We brought brunch! Or lunch, whatever!" Also clearly British, but with a smoother accent closer to the stereotype.

Cass finally let go of Trisha and helped her to her feet with a laugh. Trisha rolled her eyes, immediately going to slot in at Casey's side.

And so all eyes moved to him.

Cass looked him all over before getting in real close for a better look.
"Whooooaaa, so Mr tall, dark and handsome is your boyfriend? I ain't saying it's suspicious but you bring us to your fancy as fuck gaff and pull out a dead handsome man, but you sure you ain't-"

"Give the man some space, come on," Sal had reached them, grabbing Cass by the back of the collar and dragging her back so she wasn't practically pushing into Casey's space. He dumped her a bit away along with the bags and went in for a hug with Trisha… lifting her well off the ground and spinning her around.
"Trissshhaaa, I've been excited to see you for months!"

"You only invited yourself along a few weeks ago," Nadiyah, the only one who hadn't talked yet, commented snidely. She glanced up and down Casey with a raised eyebrow and cold expression. Of the four, her look was the most judgemental. "It is nice to see you again, Trisha."

"Well I'm always in a state of excitement to see my friends," Sal laughed, putting Trisha down and stepping away. "Well, introduce us to this incredibly handsome man, Trish."

“Back off. You’ve got a mouth, don't you, introduce yourself," Trisha shot back.
Sal held up his hands and laughed.

"Gladly!" Cass pushed back around Sal, holding out a hand towards Casey. "I'm Cass, which rhymes with ass!"
They all groaned.

"Nadiyah," the tallest woman said, without a hand held out to shake or a smile.

"I’m Salvador but you, handsome, can call me Sal," Sal lowered his voice until it was silky smooth, leaning in towards Casey with a wink and a smirk. Trisha’s hand immediately flew up to slap his chin. It wasn’t a hard hit at all and he chuckled, completely unphased and unmoving.

"Don’t joke around too much, Sal… It’s been too long, Trisha, I thought that you maybe were avoiding me." Reyna smiled and moved past the other three to Trisha’s side, pulling her in for a normal hug. Trisha half returned it, grumbling something about being busy. It wasn’t like she’d been avoiding visiting Reyna, it was just a lot of effort to go to Portland and it always ended up being a therapy session forced on her that she didn’t want. Well maybe she had been avoiding her a bit.
"Reyna, and it’s a pleasure to meet you," Reyna stepped back and turned around towards Casey, also holding out her hand.

Casey was happy to observe, to be someone on the sideline of Trisha's interactions. Cursory. But they were, obviously, expected to focus in on him at some point. He wasn't intimidated by their closeness, nor was he worried about whether or not he could make friends. His main concern was simply not saying something stupid.

Though, he couldn't help swooning when Trisha got barky. What she said to Sal made him grin ear to ear, and Cass’ introduction was more than he could ask for as an ice breaker. From his personal perception, the only one who didn't seem thrilled to be here was Nadiyah. He felt the side eye, but with underdeveloped White Lux, he wasn't going to try and gleam anything from her Blind psyche.

Attempt to impress, expect to misstep.
Casey's hand quickly struck out to mine away the wall of hands.
”Casey Richoux, Casey Richoux. Nice to meet you guys; I haven't heard this many British accents since we stopped off in Scapa Flow for a refuel at the end of the War.” he grinned, shaking hands lightly.

With Reyna specifically, he gave a grin and a nod, bumping against her Emotional Field with his own vestigial White Lux in as friendly of a manner as he could.

”You guys just studying here? Or is it permanent residency?”

There was a slight shift when Casey mentioned the war. Not much, but both Sal and Reyna look at Cass with some amount of concern. The woman herself didn't seem bothered, however, still grinning brightly.
"Permanent! Well… that's the aim, y'know how hard it is to get a green card, and I ain't gonna shack up with someone just for that," she chatted away. "Well, dunno about Sal, he fucked off to Spain for a year back when we graduated."

"I just couldn't bear the separation from you lot," Sal said dramatically, with a laugh.

”Sure you couldn't… It is nice to meet you, Casey," Reyna smiled. There wasn't quite a message against his emotional field, but the like tap that came back was a clearly friendly gesture. "Trisha never seems to want us to meet her partners…"

“Cause you all start asking unnecessary questions and making annoying comments," Trisha rolled her eyes. It wasn't like she'd purposefully kept them from her friends. Right now they don't exactly all live nearby, and back when they were studying… Well, very little lasted long enough.

"Aw, Trish, we ain't that bad!" Cass laughed, leaning on Nadiyah, who just gave her a cool glare but didn't say anything. "Soooo… you fought in the war, Casey? Shit, thanks, sure you get that shit a lot but we lived through all the fuckin' bombing."

Casey laughed at their interactions, listening to Reyna as she mentioned Trisha’s other partners. Obviously, he knew that he was clearly the best. She hadn’t moved in with any of the others. Cass asked about the war almost instantly, which was expected. He mentioned it, and he had fond memories of the short time he spent in that cold, Scottish port.
”Oh yeah, the Blitz and the Lockdown. I appreciate your thanks, though… Thank you for, I guess keeping your spirits up? Did you guys have any civil duties?” he asked back, just trying to make some casual conversation about a nightmare.

"Nah, well, just the usual, growin' food and shit. We were like, teens when shit was real bad, then came over here," Cass shrugged. "My brothers were drafted, though! They were like a fair few years older than me so there was no escapin' it. Sal here managed to dodge the bullet- literally, heh."
"You're making it sound like I draft dodged or something," Sal snorted, reaching over to ruffle Cass' hair. She slapped his hand away playfully.

Trisha's expression tightened slightly. This wasn't a conversation she wanted them to continue on, and she was surprised that Cass was choosing to continue it. She glanced over at Reyna, who gave a slight nod.

"Let's continue this inside, it's cold out here. You British two might be used to it, but I still haven't adjusted to this weather," Reyna said calmly, with a relaxed smile. "More importantly, the food will get cold."

"Oh yeah, shitttt, I ain't fuckin' eating cold pasta, fuck that shit!" Cass shot over to one of the bags Sal had dumped. He also bent down for the other two, which looked particularly square shaped. ”Let us innnnn."

“Nobody’s keeping you out," Trisha rolled her eyes. She then reached out for Casey's hand, fingers threading through his. “Do you want to do the honours of showing them the place?"
Not that there was much to it.

”Whatever you say is my pleasure.” Casey smiled back down at Trisha, taking her hand in his and pulling it up to kiss it before he spun on his heels.
”And may I say, as a life long resident of St. Portwell, welcome. We’re happy to have you. I don’t know if my associate Norm gave you guys the rundown when you got here, but this is the Cannery Apartment building. Kind of a historic building in the town, been here almost the entire time. But, our house-”

Casey swung his arms up to their house built atop the building.

”Is like… Twenty? Years old? Originally, the landlord built it because his wife wanted a house instead of living in the apartments, but he didn’t want to live too far from the building. They compromised, and now I’m acting Landlord. Family business!” he smiled. Taking Trisha’s hand back, he walked them both forward to the door and swung it open for everyone.

”C’mon in! Pile in, it's warm and comfy.”

Trisha smiled up at Casey as he explained. It was a pretty good one, managing to avoid mentioning anything that pointed towards a magical cult. It was a better one that she would have given, for sure.

"Whooooaaa," Cass was the first one through, striding right in and looking around the place. "Hey, this place is fuckin' sound. Shit, I was absolutely dreadin' sitting in your fancy fuckin' place after Rey described how white it was… this is awesome! Like, dead homely."

"Sure is… where's my landlord boyfriend to give me somewhere like this?" Sal laughed, as the other three followed Cass in. Those two completely glossed over the whole our house thing, and Sal raised one of the bags. "Where do you want this?"

Trisha pointed towards the large countertop.
“He isn't here, this one's mine."
"Aw, Trish, you really think I'd try steal him- is there a chance?" Sal joked, winking at Casey again.
“Only if you have a death wish," Trisha shot back.

"It is nice, but," Reyna fixed Trisha with a look she knew meant some kind of prying, and a possible lecture, was coming? "What does he mean by our house?"
"I would like to know that too," Nadiyah added.

“It means exactly what it says, we're living here together," Trisha said as nonchalantly as she could, grip on Casey's hand tightening a bit. She wasn't… super bothered about if they thought it was a bad idea. Just a bit scared of the disapproval Reyna and Nadiyah might show.

They both stared at her.
"You moved in together… after a couple of days?" Reyna asked slowly, still looking calm, but Trisha had known her long enough to read the shock behind it. "That seems…"
"Stupid," Nadiyah said bluntly.

“Don’t start, Diyah," Trisha said, glancing up at Casey and then at her friend. She really… really didn't want Nadiyah to start going off about things she really didn't want to hear.

Nadiyah, thankfully, recognised the look… and decided to start ripping into her in a language Casey (hopefully) wouldn't understand, switching to Arabic. "Are you stupid, Trisha? How long have you known him?"

“Just trust my judgement, please," Trisha snapped back, words much more stilted than Nadiyah's, more following the modern standard than the Libyan dialect Nadiyah spoke in. She… was nowhere near fluent in a language she'd essentially picked up from short visits to her mom and then brute force learning to have discussions with Nadiyah that no one else could understand.

"Why would I? You have terrible taste. You get yourself into situations where you're stuck, and then you get hurt. But this… this is a new level."

“I'm not stuck- and it's not the same. It's…" she waved her hand trying to describe how it wasn't the same. It just wasn't. Casey wasn't the same as the other people she'd dated, apart from maybe Reyna. It had started differently. “He's not like them. He treats me well."

"Oh, right, because nobody can ever fake that. Remember, who was it… you dated someone who seemed nice, acted nice, and then after a few weeks of monopolising all your time, he changed and hurt you really badly."

Casey had been listening the entire time, but really didn’t want to disrespect the situation. Trisha couldn’t know how closely he’d worked with the locals, nor could she know how long he actually spent in North Africa. But the language was easy to him, and he found himself gripping tighter to Trisha’s hand.

”I really hate to disturb your personal discussion. I think it’s great you’re looking out for her too, Nadiyah. That’s great.”
His voice hung in the air as the eyes peeled up and looked at him as a singular unit. Arabic, just like they were using.
”But if I know what you’re saying, it’s hard to argue without me hearing. So… Maybe just give me a shot?” he finished in English.
”Unless we want to swap to a different language. I’ve got French and Spanish in the back pocket.”
Casey grinned a slightly evil grin, his eyebrows rising as he nodded at Sal.

Nadiyah's eyebrows raised, and Trisha's head snapped up towards Casey. She was glad he'd interrupted when he did rather than just listening until it got into things she wasn't comfortable being open with yet.

"Ooo, yeah, let's switch to Spanish," Sal grinned.
"That would be easier for me," Reyna added with a smile. She reached up to put a hand on Nadiyah's shoulder, rubbing it. "It is unfair I never get to speak my first language… ah, well, let's give him a chance, alright, Diyah?"

"Alright, I suppose I jumped to conclusions," Nadiyah said evenly. Throughout the conversation her expression hadn't changed very much, only narrowed eyes as she got more verbally aggressive that relaxed now. "I'll give you a chance."

“Since when was it-"
"Oohhhh Diyah stop acting like such a stuck up ass, we all know you're soft as fuck inside!" Cass interrupted, leaping over at Nadiyah's other side and hooking an arm around her neck, forcing her to bend over. "Unless you're just jealous cause Trisha got such a smokin’ hot boyfriend!"
Nadiyah rolled her eyes at Cass. "You know I have no interest in that."
"Well just picture a smokin' hot woman then!"

”Hey, before we get too into this, let's eat, I'm starved," Sal said. He'd pulled out a whole bunch from the boxes along with Cass while they were talking, laying it out across the counter. There were big pizza boxes and smaller tubs of what looked like pasta. "We went to an Italian on the way over… we didn't know what you'd like, Casey, so we just got a whole lot."
”Yeah cause someone wasn't answering our messages."

Trisha ignored Cass's dig. She was still a bit visibly wound up, grip on Casey's hand not loosening, but she took a deep breath. She'd expected this.
“Let’s have something to eat," she leaned up towards him, speaking softly. “You’ll need the energy… they're not that bad, just nosey."

Casey was at least happy about the fact that Nadiyah conceded the point. It was a bit more frustrating that Trisha hadn’t put out the fire earlier. He found himself lingering on it as something he’d find a reason to bring up later. No problem; couldn’t be. So it was annoying? Everything else was too.

”Hey, me and food have a weird relationship. Though, I’m not a big pizza guy. It kind of, well… What kind of pasta did we get here?”
He wasn’t above tucking into simple food, finding himself hoping for some sort of scampi or alfredo that didn’t look like someone’s head-mashings. It wasn’t as bad as the raw flesh color of things, thankfully having a very different sheen compared to the color of spilled blood.

”But, y’know Trisha I can be nosey too. I learned from the best, y’know.” he giggled, bumping into her gently.
”Like, uh… Sal? From Spain fully? Born and raised?” he asked, eyebrows rising.

"We got macaroni cheese, carbonara-"
”That one's mine!" Cass shouted, sprinting over to grab up the plastic box Sal had just gestured to.
"- which is Cass's, and some kinda spinach Alfredo thing. I think."

”Oh, no problem. You said Mac and Cheese, so I’m on it.” he smiled, going for the gooey golden deliciousness.

"Perfect," Sal grinned. "And to answer your question… Spanish born, sadly not raised, my family moved to Manchester when I was like four."
"What do you mean sadly, you wouldn't have met me if you didn't move!" Cass pointed out, kicking at Sal's ankle. ”Oh, Trish, where do you keep your plates and shit?"

“I’ve got it," Trisha said, finally loosening her grip on Casey's hand and letting go to get out a bunch of cutlery for the pasta, then trying to remember where they actually kept the plates. She just started opening random cupboards in her search.

”Only Diyah's actually American born and raised," Sal continued, opening up the pizza boxes. There were three - a plain margarita, something with a ton of -meat on it, and something with a ton of veg on it.

"Technically I'm American," Reyna commented with a light laugh. "South America is part of America."
"Right, right, only Diyah's from the states. Well, Trisha too."

Trisha, as her name was said, popped back up from her plate hunt, looking over towards Casey with a look that clearly said ‘i don't know where anything is in our kitchen but I'm too embarrassed to say that please help.’

The scent of cooked meat hit his nose like a punch. There was a great need to extract from the spot he was at, which Trisha happily gave him an out to do. He couldn’t not stare at her, after all, so catching her gaze wasn’t a problem. He pushed up and away, sliding out while he tried to maintain conversation.
”Uh, right. So, full British, Spanish raised British,-”

He spun slightly to keep looking at them, pointing to each individual as he relayed his memorized information.
”Then, I mean… Egyptian? Or Lybian? But, your folks, right? You’re born here, so a States Citizen. And then, born where, Reyna?” he asked her, just being nosey. Not giving them the chance to be nosey about he and Trisha.

As he listened, he stayed quiet. But, with gathering things, he was hoping Trisha was watching so she could know where their dishes and cups had been put. Though, he did take the time to whisper to her.
”Nothing has to go back in the same spot, Babe, so don’t worry too much about keeping it neat.” he smiled, kissing the top of her head as he handed off some plates.

Trisha had watched carefully as Casey pulled out everything, committing it to memory. He said it didn't have to go back to the same spot, but if it didn't go back where it belonged then they'd never know where their stuff was. But it wasn't hard to remember, so she just nodded to him with a soft smile.

"Libyan," Nadiyah said, taking a plate and stacking a few pieces of the vegetable covered pizza on it. "My parents moved over just before having me."

"And I'm from Ecuador," Reyna said with a smile. She hung back as both Nadiyah and Sal got their pizza, seeming to be waiting for everyone else to serve themselves first. "I was… sixteen, I believe, when I moved over with my family. It is safer here, but I miss the warmth back home."

"I don't miss my home weather!" Cass laughed. She'd just taken a fork, not bothering to take the carbonara out of the plastic Tupperware it was in. But she hadn't started eating, instead she was watching Casey and Trisha with an increasingly widening grin.
"You guys are soooo cute… Trish, I didn't wanna start out with it, but," she gestured to her neck with a smirk, "you're clearly gettin' a lotta love, huh?"
Sal whistled, and Nadiyah rolled her eyes at Cass.

“Shut up," Trisha groaned. She'd known she wasn't going to escape this, and her reaction was a lot more annoyed rather than embarrassed compared to the night before with Casey's family. She was used to it.

"You can't silence meeee, I want all the deets! C'mon, tell me, when-"

“Just because I invited you into our house doesn't mean I invited you to our relationship," Trisha said, pointing a finger at Cass. It was clearly in good nature, because Trisha appeared more relaxed than she had been before. She took her own plate and put a couple of slices of the margarita pizza on them. “Keep asking and I'll make you shut up."

"Ooo, Trish, don't tempt me with a good time," Cass laughed.

“Neither of us will enjoy it," Trisha intoned, fixing Cass with a hard stare.

"Heyyyy, don't assume I won't, anything can be enjoyable if you try hard enough," Cass grinned, waggling her eyebrows.
"Cass, can you not make us all look bad in front of someone new?" Nadiyah interrupted, also fixing Cass with a cold stare.
"It ain't that bad, Diyah. Right, Casey, it ain't bothering you? Not like I'm gonna steal your girlfriend."

”Oh, I mean, true.” Casey laughed, bringing one of the couple chairs from the island out into the parlor.
”I’m a big virgin, so I’m sure you could outmaneuver me.”
Casey liked Cass. She was the kind of person he wasn’t bothered by at all; if the worst she did was get into people’s business and give out good energy, she’d be the easiest to deal with.

”Plus, I mean I was a Marine. Pretty hard to be poorly impressed when one of your Sergeants liked to play the ball tucking game.” he giggled, taking a spoonful of mac into his mouth. There was a good cheese mixed in with way too much mozzarella that was clearly meant to give it a good cheese pull. Photo-food.
”I’ve got so many stories that’d make you blush, and honestly none of them have anything to do with awful shit happening. Just, like, the shit people do, y’know?” he laughed openly.

"Ohhhh yeah, people do so much weird shit, I'm pretty damn normal, honestly… especially compared to you army folk," Cass laughed, before flashing an ok sign at Trisha. "I like him, he's passed my test!"
"You have defeated the first boss," Sal intoned, before laughing too. "Don't let Cass fool you into thinking she's got legit moves she's dated, like, two people."
"Shut upppp, don't out meee!" Cass punched Sal in the side. He half kicked her back, and the two continued to play punch each other with their free hands all the way over to the parlor area, when they finally stopped to sit down on the main couch.

Reyna and Nadiyah followed suit with sitting down, though Nadiyah perched on the edge of the smaller couch they'd chosen as if she'd somehow get the cheese from the pizza she was delicately eating onto it.

“She’s been trying for nearly five years, and you succeeded in a day," Trisha said to Casey. She'd trailed after him when he'd brought out the chair, just kind of hovering as if this wasn't her house where she could sit literally wherever she wanted.

"Awww, Trisha, babe, you totally fell for my charms, we'd just be too powerful together!" Cass joked, winking. She then very enthusiastically slapped the space between her and Sal. "C'mon sit between your two favourite people! I just knowwww you've missed the Cass cuddles."
"Pretty sure you've been replaced by someone else with a name starting with Cas," Nadiyah pointed out drily, lips curving up towards an almost smile.
"Nooooo!" Cass wailed dramatically, making fake sobbing sounds as she started to stuff carbonara into her mouth.

“You can't replace what was never there," Trisha retorted.

"Yeah, keep dreaming, Cassi," Sal mockingly patted her head, grinning and turning to look at Casey. There was a glint in his eye. "So, Casey, how exactly did you two meet? Trisha gave us very few details. Her messages are the shortest shit ever."

Casey grinned, looking down at Trisha. Of course he wasn’t going to tell them that, and he figured he’d do his best to help his girlfriend out while assuaging at least a portion of the worries her friends had about the situation. He was a member of the Charming and Graceful, after all… If Grace gifted him with anything, it was the Richoux propensity to avoid awkward truth with convenient lies.

”Trisha and I were in high school together. Hung with a different crowd, but we had a few classes together and we were quiet friends. At least friendly. But I’m a loser, and didn’t ask her out then. I came back home recently from up North, and we actually met back up at the Halloween festival here. Which, by the way, if you’ve never been to the St. Portwell Halloween Festival, you’ve gotta come. We’re like the Salem of the West out here.” he grinned, throwing a thumbs up.

”But, yeah, we’ve really not left one another’s side since. I knew I’d be coming back to this place, so I asked her if she wanted to try living it out. Worst comes to worst, there’s empty apartments downstairs she can use. I don’t really see that being necessary though.”

Both statements were true, obviously. He’d be just as likely to let her live downstairs for the safety of it regardless of their relationship status, but he really wasn’t keen on things becoming like that.
He wanted Trisha in his life as long as he could have her.
”I really think she’s just embarrassed about how people are gonna act, y’know? But I keep tellin’ her, Original Sin is just shame, right? If you don’t feel the shame that people try to force on you, it rolls off your back.” he shrugged, spooning some more of the stringy glop into his mouth with a wide spoon.

Trisha nodded slightly as Casey spoke, but her gaze had immediately moved to Reyna rather than Sal who'd actually asked the question. She was watching Casey intently, with the same calm smile she'd had for most of the time so far. Even Trisha couldn't see through it to tell if Reyna could read past the truthful cover to the lies within it. She didn't remember the full extent of her life detection, just that it was something she could do as passively as basic emotion reading. Paranormals didn't feel it happening. And that made her worried, even though the other three ate it up.

"Oh, that's good to hear! We were worried when Trisha said you guys started dating Tuesday that you'd just met then!" Sal nodded, seeming satisfied as he ate some pizza. "I did want to come for the festival agesss ago but Trisha said she was hanging out with other friends - guess I understand why now."

"Moving in with someone you've known since highschool is slightly less idiotic than someone you just met," Nadiyah concurred, glancing between the two.
"But Trish, why would you be embarrassed? You know we'd never judge you! We've seen you in all sorts of shit states, like when you-"

“Lets not," Trisha interrupted. She finally stopped staring at Reyna and shuffled closer to Casey, nibbling on one of the slices of pizza she'd taken. Her mind was jumping all around the place, from the comfort that came with Casey saying he didn't see her moving out being necessary in the future, to discomfort at the mention of Original Sin and Reyna's possible truth reading. At least no one-

"Are you religious, Casey?" Nadiyah asked. "You mentioned Original Sin, though it's… an interesting way of looking at it."

Casey shrugged at the question.
”You get a lot of time to read in the down periods. Raised in a weird little Christian sect, but never got nuts over it. I did think that the whole Paradise Lost book was pretty cool though, the one where you see the Devil making Hell and shit? Obviously, religious fanfiction, but still cool, it’s the type of shit that sticks in my head.” he shrugged.

Obviously, he had no clue there was a situation where someone was reading his mind would be present. Everything he knew about Emotional Fields told him that there’d be some sort of struggle generally; at least Adept to Adept. Rarely did someone have a spell that wasn’t extremely telegraphed that could freely bypass the natural defences.
His Mother, as he was aware, was so effective because of the way her powers worked. Being able to observe people remotely through some innocuous means made it hard to pinpoint her to begin with.

He wondered if she’d join.

”How about you guys, any religious trauma? Or just the normal stuff?” he giggled.

"Sadly," Nadiyah said drily, seeming surprisingly fine with the question. "I was raised Muslim, but clearly."
She gestured to her hair. "Islam in Libya is… well, it's not something I can agree with. My parents were less strict about it since they moved away, but it was still there until I moved out."

"I just got the regular shit," Cass laughed, having somehow finished off most of her pasta in the short time she wasn't talking.

"I'm technically Catholic, lightly practising," Reyna said with a smile, gaze almost unnervingly fixed on Casey.

Which just made Trisha uncomfortable. Why would she be staring so hard if she wasn't reading his aura? Just what could she read again without it being felt… she tried to remember at what point she'd feel that intrusion. Rarely. Reyna wasn't exactly the intrusive type in general, unless she felt it was for safety. But the basic emotion reading… the lie reading, perhaps.
“Are we really talking about trauma this early?"

"Hey, you know I'm an open book," Cass said cheerfully. "We're bonding here! Maybe Casey and Diyah can make a religious trauma support group, get friendly, y’know…"

"That doesn't sound like a bad idea. I’m surprised, Cass, I didn't know you had a brain in there," Nadiyah said.

“No, absolutely not," Trisha shook her head, trying to clamp down on her agitation when she failed to change the topic. Reyna's gaze flickered over to her for a moment, before returning to Casey.

"Religion aside, you grew up here in St Portwell, Casey, is your family still here?" Reyna asked with a smile. "I know Trisha has three sisters here that she was living with. Do you have any siblings?"

While he didn’t mind the questioning, his predation senses were tingling like he was being stalked by the cats. He actually took a cursory glance outside, scanning across the rooftop trying to see if the blighted beast was waiting. He wasn’t, thankfully. But, that did lead him back to Reyna’s eyes.
They locked with her as everyone else talked, until there was a shift that clicked into place. Like his body went from loose and noodly to locked and rigid. He tried channeling a little bit of White Lux again, but without his glove actually on, it was just going to hurt. He wasn’t practiced enough to ignore that kind of pain, not these days.

Thankfully she started talking, and since she was the only one he was uncomfortably focused on, he quickly answered.
”A couple, yeah. Well, out of five I’m the middle. My older brother lives where he likes, my older Sister is up in Seattle most of the time, my younger brother lives outside of town, and my little sister actually lives here in the basement. Which, coincidentally, is our childhood home. Big apartment down there, enough for everyone. Her and her girlfriends are happy enough, which makes me happy.”

He held his gaze a little while longer, still smiling.
”Sorry, I just… Can’t get over feeling like I’ve got some cheese or something? On my face?” he asked, pretending to search for some cheese he knew wasn’t there.
”Or, maybe you recognize me? I look a lot like my Dad, and he was a famous boxer. Max “Gravity” Richoux? World Heavyweight Champion, I think record holder for the largest modern boxer to hold the heavyweight title. Started his own league for guys our size, The Superheavy League? Posters. Tooooons of posters. I’m sure I can get one.”

"OH! OH SHIT! I knew there was a reason I liked you from the start!" Cass shouted, jumping up and punching the air. She then shot finger guns at Casey. "Not only are you a middle child of five, making us totally connected cause same, but your dad's also a fuckin' legend! Damn- nobody ever knows about boxing, these heathens won't get it… fuck, now that I'm lookin' I see the resemblance, how did I not notice before?! Could you actually get a poster? Shit, that is so fuckin sound."

"Is he on any of those posters you used to have in your room?" Reyna asked, finally looking away from Casey and over towards Cass. It was partly because she realised he'd realised, and partly because she also realised she'd been magically prying more than she should.
"Oh yeah, a fair few. I had a whole wall of that shit… you know how hard they are to find now?!"
"Right, that makes sense, sorry if it looked like I was staring too hard," Reyna smiled at Casey.

“Just don't look at all," Trisha muttered, quietly enough that only Casey should hear it. She'd felt him stiffen, and knew he'd realised that Reyna was reading him in some way. She should've warned him… but also why couldn't Reyna just keep her eyes to herself.

As she did look away, Casey untensed a bit and put his bowl down on the table before wrapping an arm around Trisha. He leaned back slightly, smiling widely as he nodded along to Cass’ enthusiasm.
”No worries! I just didn’t want anyone sitting in anticipation. But, absolutely. And one of my Brother Leon’s too. ‘Timberwolf’ Richoux? He fought Carlo Herron for the Superheavy title a few weeks ago, actually, so we still have a bunch of those posters. Signed, too. I mean shit, I’ll hook you up! Date and everything if you wanted!” he offered up his own brother, laughing aloud as the expression left his lungs.

Not being stared at helped. It wasn’t so much that he cared what she was doing, it just… She was strange, and it didn’t feel good. And knowing she was the only magical one made him definitely feel like there was more than just a contemptuous gaze behind it.
”And he’s bi, Sal.” he winked, clicking his tongue between his teeth and shooting a finger gun at the wonderful gentleman. ”I honestly don’t know what the fuck I am, so I can’t exactly jump into the water.” he laughed aloud a second time.

“You can't jump in because you're taken," Trisha said with a light laugh, nudging him with her elbow before leaning into his side. She'd eaten one slice of pizza before putting down her plate. Reyna looked over at her now and Trisha stared back, clamping down on the surface agitation and forcing herself to relax against Casey.

"Oh shit! Timberwolf too… well I should've fuckin guessed that!" Cass spun around and pointed a finger at Sal. "Back off, Sal, you ain't even into boxing, I'll fuckin' end you before I let you get the jump on me for that date."

"Hey," Sal laughed, holding up his hands and grinned at her, then over at Casey. "Let the man decide himself… maybe we can share."

"Oh I suppose… but I ain't sharin' the signed posters! I'm fuckin taking those for myself." She then spun round towards Reyna and Nadiyah. "See, ladies, this is why I'm bisexual - the chance to bag fit boxers of all genders."

"I'm not into the muscular type anyway," Nadiyah shrugged, looking amused. Like she was watching some kind of show… but it wasn't a judgemental watching, at least to those that knew her.

"More for me!" Cass turned back towards Casey. "Would you really hook us up? Shit, just meeting him would make my day."

Casey grinned, slipping his hand into his pocket and pulling out his phone. He loved this.
”Oh, for sure. I’ll even have his big dumb ass bring you the poster.”
He quickly flicked through it, pulling it up to his ear after a moment. There was ringing, ringing, and finally-
”Yooo, what’s up. What are you doing?”
Silence. Listening.
”Alright, come up. And stop in the office, grab one of your posters. And one of Dad’s if there’s any.”
More listening. Anticipation.
”Well, no, I’m just… There’s a couple people visiting who’d love to meet you, and I know how big your head gets. Especially when you weren’t the first person who came up, it was Dad.”

A grin came over Casey’s face.
”Yeah, yeah. Exactly. Alright? Cool, see you in a few minutes.”
And then he hung up the phone, pointing at Sal and Cass.
”Ayyyy, we’ll figure it out soon enough. Either way, you’re getting your poster. Now, I’ve gotta ask… Did you guys just bring lunch? ‘Cuz we can go anywhere you guys want. I’ve got plenty of recommendations if we wanted to go have fun.”
Though, places he thought were cool and what was actually cool, he didn’t know how close the crossover was. Could’ve been miles off.

”Well I mean, maybe not so much in this weather, but… Oh, Trisha, did you ever go to the Walden Arcade?” he asked her.

“No, never really had the chance," Trisha shook her head. It was less that she hadn't had the chance and more that when she was in St Portwell properly she was studying, fighting the Stygian Snake, or spending time with the type of girls who wouldn't go to an arcade. She hadn't really been into that stuff before meeting this group anyway.

"Shit, an arcade?! We have to go," Sal grinned, already cheerful expression lighting up even more. "We just brought lunch since it seemed rude to just impose ourselves-"
"Something they would've done if I hadn't suggested it," Nadiyah interjected.
"-Right, but we didn't have other plans! We figure Trisha would have suggestions but we're definitely going to that arcade. If anyone disagrees it's just because they're scared I'll hand their asses to them."

"I'll beat your fuckin' ass if you start on that," Cass said, pausing what seemed to be panickedly rearranging her hair after pulling off her hoodie to reveal a black tank top with rips down the side underneath.
"Whoa, calm down with the violence, that's not going to be a good look in front of your boxing hero."
"Boxing is all about fuckin' violence!"

"An arcade is something we can all enjoy," Reyna smiled. As she did, she slipped off her denim jacket, putting it over the arm beside her. Trisha let out a soft sigh of relief, relaxing more. "So long as Sal doesn't get aggressively competitive. Avoids the cold weather, or starting drinking midday."

”Ah I mean, I’ll dominate him. Put him in his place.” Casey joked, sticking his tongue out at Sal before laughing loudly.
”Shit, sorry. I’ve never been more comfortable than in a barracks full of dudes acting gay. So, that stuff’s just gonna slip in and out y’know.” He tilted his head back, laughing some more as he thought about the absolutely heinous shit that would be said back and forth between the good-natured gentlemen he served with. Monsters. Animals every one.

”But it’s great. It’s on the bay, and it’s got this like, outdoor balcony on the back where we can sit and get drinks; they updated it to cater more toward people our age. Go figure.” he smiled, offering them an idea of what was to come.
”But yeah, I mean they’re still running strong. I went there when I got back to town with my younger sister a few weeks ago, and my mind was blown. I thought I’d definitely need to go there with more people, so this is perfect. I’m really glad you guys are game.”

He felt his phone vibrate, and he pulled it up to look. Leon telling him he was about to head up.
”And we’ll see if big brother’s free. If you guys don’t feel intruded on by him, we’ll definitely bring him along. Because he’s another dude who loves playing games. I mean, he’s nearly seven foot tall so like, those basketball games are guaranteed losses.”

"Don't underestimate us shorties when it comes to basketball," Cass grinned. She still hasn't sat back down, practically vibrating with energy and excitement. It wouldn't be surprising if she started bouncing off the walls. "Oh, maybe I can pretend I dunno how to play, then your brother can teach me… he better come along! If you guys cockblock me Ima be pissed."

"I, for one, am looking forward to actually having a challenge if you're as good as you say, Casey," Sal smirked, cracking his knuckles, eyes practically burning with a competitive light. He then winked. "I'm not easily dominated."

Trisha groaned, though it was less the unsubtle innuendos that she knew was a joke (though they jabbed at her fragile confidence too) and more the memory of all the times Sal had gotten competitive while they gamed and ended up cussing out whoever slacked just slightly in a team game, while managing to be both a sore winner and loser.
“Are you alright with the arcade?" she asked Nadiyah, the only one who hadn't agreed.

She shrugged. "I enjoy watching you all worked up over unimportant, supposed to be fun things."

“I guess it's that then," Trisha nodded, smiling up at Casey. It would be nice, so long as Sal's competitiveness was directed towards anyone but her.
“Leon can come along to keep Sal's attention off you," she said playfully, seemingly unbothered by the jokes that were going on there. She was used to it with Sal at least…

Casey laughed at the idea of Leon taking the spotlight. He almost wanted him to. Obviously her friends were here for Trisha, but if he could get her to himself? He didn’t mind that. He could see himself doing evil things to keep Trisha’s attention.
Not evil… Naughty. Like, inviting his handsome, rich, famous brother to a get-together where some of those attending were very clear fans.

That wasn’t evil. He’d seen evil.

”Well, Nadiyah, I’m not really sure what you’re into. But, there’s luck stuff. They have a mock casino where you gamble tokens for tickets to get prizes… And because they’ve gotta follow local legislation against actual gambling, you can’t actually lose your ante. It’s pretty neat, and a pretty clean gambling high. If you’re into that sort of thing. I know I’m probably gonna see if I can get a jackpot out of a craps game our something; I love that shit.”
He was laughing often and loud, making sure to keep his energy up. There was only so much of it he could dedicate to dealing with people outside his circle, so they were on a timer against his mood.

”But, honestly it’s no rush or anything. You guys take all the time you need to catch up, I mean… You came for her, right?”

"I just go with the flow, though getting some money out of the trip does sound enjoyable," Nadiyah mused. Her friends all laughed at her saying she went with the flow… it was very much not true, but she was genuinely fine following along in situations like this.

"Well yeah, obviously we're here for Trish, but there's no better way to catch up than over some games! Well, games then a couple of pints in a pub, but we gotta wait for that cause two and she's gone," Cass grinned. Her eyes widened as she suddenly remembered something. "Oh shit, before I forget…"
She ran over to Sal's backpack, rummaging through the front pocket and pulling out a small box. She practically skipped over to Trisha and held it out.
"Happy birthdayyyy, Trishaaa~"

Trisha just stared at that box, then at Cass.
“It’s not my birthday till the end of December."

"Yeah well, we ain't gonna see each other again before, are we? And I gotta go home for like a month over Christmas… so consider it an early gift! The rest of these assholes didn't think ahead like I did."
"I live in the same state," Reyna commented.
"Yeah but I bet you'll be back in Chicago for the holidays. Anyway, cmon, take it and open it."

Trisha wriggled out of Casey's hold a little bit to lean forward and take the box. As she did Cass took the opportunity to hook an arm around her shoulders, spinning over to her other side with a grin and leaning in. It was just an unwrapped box, so Trisha opened it to reveal a pair of nice, gold coloured honeycomb design dangling earrings. They were actually… surprisingly nice compared to Cass's taste. While she wasn't actually someone who enjoyed getting gifts, she did appreciate this. There'd clearly been effort put in.
“Thanks, Cass. I uh, yeah, I like them."

"Shit, that's a relief!" Cass grinned, turning around and properly hugging Trisha. Trisha half hugged her back. "You were always pushing honey on us and had that cool beekeeping hobby so yknow, I figured you'd like them."
She let go of Trisha and put her hands on her hips, looking at Casey with a jokingly intimidating look. "When her actual birthday rolls round you better spend loads of time pampering her. Everyone's normally busy so it's always a bit fuckin’ shit."

Casey looked over the bee styled earrings. His eyes went wide, and he snorted as she mentioned Trisha pushing honey on them.
”Babe! Holy shit, tell them about the-”

There was a knock at the front door, which swung open regardless of whether or not someone was letting him in. Leon stepped in like a Goth Prince, baggy black jeans and boots, a pristine white t-shirt, tattoos gleaming upon his rippling muscular arms. His neck bulged about the line of the shirt, straining just a bit too much. His hair was tied into a braid down his back, and he wore a half-folded beanie over his head. He was holding a bundle of plastic sleeves in his arms.

”Heyyyy, I heard people were talking about some fuckin’ boxing up here?”
His handsome, wolfish grin parted to reveal the sharpness of his teeth.
”Lemmie take a guess…” he said, looking about the people gathered before pointing at Cass directly.
”Had to be you, right? You’re looking at me like I’m not actually here.” he finished, actually managing to grin and make his face just a bit more handsome.
”Oh, yeah… Ladies? Sal? Meet my brother Leon. Leon, this is Nadiyah, Reyna, Cass and Sal.” Casey gave out casual introductions, being sure to reach for Trisha in order to give her hand a good, affirming squeeze.

"Holy shit!" Cass gaped at Leon. Her hand shot out to slap the person nearest her - which was Trisha’s arm. Cass managed to get a good few hits in before Trisha was able to get far enough away, gripping tightly onto Casey's hand. She was glad he'd taken it, the contact helping her deal with the extreme excitement that normally had her grumpily leaving the room for a while.

Sal whistled, standing up with a grin. ”Great to meet you, Leon, I see good looks runs in the family, huh?"
"Yes, a pleasure," Nadiyah said in a smooth tone that made it impossible to tell if she was being genuine or sarcastic. "The more people to hold Cass's attention the better."
Meanwhile as Leon stepped in, Reyna brushed her fingers over her denim jacket and looked over at him. Her eyes immediately squinted and her lips pulled down into a small frown, and she let go of the jacket. It was a minimal reaction, unnoticed by most of her friends. "... Nice to meet you, Leon."

"Shiiitttt you guys can't be fuckin' serious, nice to meet you, that's all, fucckkkk, this guys like a fuckin' legend in boxing, you just don't get it, fuckin' hell," Cass had snapped out of her weird slapping whatever was closest state to bounce over towards Leon, screeching to a halt just in front of him. "Shit, Rey, Diyah, you guys don't know how fuckin' easy you have it, I bet you could get it on TV all the time, but back in England I had to fuckin' hook up this shit on a computer just to stream shitty quality matches… then I missed a shit ton when all the poles near us were taken out. Fuckkkkk, I can't believe you're actually fuckin' real rather than some figure on fuckin' TV."

“I could have told you that since ten years ago," Trisha commented, rolling her eyes at Cass, but she was smiling slightly. Her grip on Casey's hand had loosened, playfully tapping her fingers against the back of it.
”You've known him for ten bloody years and you didn't tell me?!"
“No. I knew him ten years ago. Different thing."

Leon didn’t bother with any sort of magic, wanting to respect Trisha’s space. He could’ve given a great sniff of the air and known a lot of things; but he didn’t. Not, that is, until Lelou screeched so loud in his head that he couldn’t ignore the warning.
His nostrils flared, ears opening as the water and air seals ever-so-slightly unlocked to grant him a sense of the paranormal.

What he found was a room full of magic. No different than usual, only these were all people he didn’t recognize. Who? Trisha’s friends? From where?
”Y’know, Casey didn’t mention magical fans. I would’ve brought the moving posters instead.”
Casey furrowed his eyebrows, head turning to look at Reyna again before swinging back to Leon. He threw on a fake grin.

”They’re pretty awesome, but I don’t think I’d say magical!” he tried to insinuate.
”Caseau, you seriously need to sort out some White Lux spells, my man. And Furio said there was only supposed to be one. So, why’s there three and a Severed?”

Leon shook his head at his brother with a look of annoyance before turning back to Cass with a smile.
”That’s some pretty serious praise though. Boxing isn’t so hot anymore, but they won’t really let me into any of the MMA leagues, since there’s really nobody willing to put up a bracket for guys my size.”
Leon spun, putting down the tubes on the counter before stepping back into the middle of the room.

”You wanna throw some punches? Hard as you want, as much magic as you wanna use.” he grinned at Cass, leaving the rest of the room to deal with the probable psyche damage he’d just bombed them all with.

Casey looked back at Reyna, then at each in turn until he was looking at Trisha.
”I’m… Confused?”

Trisha looked back at him, shaking her head without saying anything. She was also confused.

"As much magic as I wanna use?!" Cass squeaked, eyes widening in clear panic and head snapping around towards Reyna.

Trisha frowned. There must be something wrong here, Leon must be sensing wrong, only-
Cass had grown a pair of wolf ears. A pair of wolf ears were sticking out of her head, out of nowhere, twitching around nervously.
"Ahhhh, fuck, Rey, how do I make them go away?" She reached up to try and cover them with her hands.

Reyna sighed, holding up a hand to her forehead.
"I was going to talk about this until Sal tagged along. I didn't realise he was severed… I don't see that."

Trisha was still staring at Cass's wolf ears, and so was Nadiyah. She has an expression of shock that none of them had ever seen before. Reyna and Sal seemed to be taking it best.

“I didn't know," Trisha said eventually, voice getting really quiet as she looked up at Casey. She was worried he'd think she'd lied. And after what Furio had said earlier, that they might not trust her… well, did they even trust her in the first place? But she really hadn't known. As far as she'd been aware it was only her and Reyna.
“I really didn't know, only Reyna ever told me. I wasn't hiding it or anything."

"Cass kindled right before we graduated," Reyna stepped in, explain calmly to the whole room. "Nadiyah only became… an Agent, I believe, sometime last year. Sal…"
"I severed when I was eighteen," he shrugged.
"I don't read that," Reyna continued. "There has never been a time when I could bring it up, and I didn't think it was my place to out magic without the subject present."

"... And Trisha?" Cass asked, seeming to get over her shock, even though the ears remained.
Trisha didn't answer, and Reyna shrugged. "The whole time we've known each other. I'm sorry, by the way, Casey."
She gestured to her eyes. "It's not something I turn on and off at a basic level. If I wear my jacket, I see auras, and read the changes. I know I was looking too much earlier."

Leon and Casey frowned at one another, both realizing at once what they’d inadvertently done. It wasn’t something they could take back however, so the only thing Casey could do was try and make it right.
”I mean… Obviously, apologies are accepted if it’s something you can’t control. I mean, you were giving me a staredown like you didn’t believe me, so… I guess that cat’s out of the bag too?”

Leon piped up.
”You’re a White Luxer. Like our family” he said to Reyna, shrugging his shoulders.
”The intrusion is honestly expected in our household, so don’t go feeling too bad. Casey’s just been sensitive ‘cuz he’s got himself a girlfriend to be protective over.”
His gaze turned back to Cass.
”Now, you gonna hit me, or are you just gonna stand there and howl at me, little miss Green?” he tilted his head downward seductively, putting his hands up for her to strike.

”You serious?”
”You may as well just let it go, dude. Clearly we cracked open a big misunderstanding, so just… Y’know, live with it. So what, everyone’s had magic, not like we ain’t lived around it our whole life.”

Casey tilted his head back, sighing as his hand gripped Trisha’s, the pressure valves releasing. He relaxed slightly.
”It’s just… Awkwaaaaaard…” Casey finally blurted out, nervously laughing as he did.
Leon didn’t seem much phased, ready to put Cass to a test.

"Oh shit, I'm allowed to use any magic right? Uh- ain't so good at this magic thing, anyway," Cass shook her head, wolf ears twitching a bit. But she grinned, eyes narrowing up at Leon. She jumped from foot to foot for a moment, before shoving her hand in her trouser pockets and properly pulling out the guitar keychain in there.

"Don't hurt yourself," Reyna implored, glancing over at Nadiyah, who was still sitting in a state of shock. She went over to her and patted her shoulder, gesturing towards the corner of the room. To Trisha, she said, "I'll talk her through it over there."

Trisha nodded. She didn't say anything at all, just holding on tightly to Casey's hand, still slowly processing it all. It was difficult to decide how to feel. She looked at Cass, but also wasn't really looking at her.

Cass finally seemed to figure out what she wanted to do, shifting into an awkward fighting position. A curled monkey's tail pushed through her lower back, balancing her out, and spots grew visible through the rips in her jeans. Her nails lengthened into sharp claws… which she then looked at, and laughed.
"Aw, fuck, not what I wanted, I'm way better at the howling part, honestly," Cass shook out her hands, eventually the claws retracted. It was replaced by scales coating her hands and wrists, fading up into another set of spots all the way up to her shoulders. "Alright, better not start cryin' when I knock you off your feet."

She twisted her body forward, fist shooting towards Leon's hands at a supernatural speed. It slammed into it with enough force to send a loud bang echoing around the room, her strengthened legs and arms combined with speed and hardened hands allowing her to put a lot of power behind it.

Casey watched with baited breath in anticipation of what would happen here. He wanted to see serious, awesome raw power… To see an Adept fresh to kindle with a great deal of hidden potential. Leon was waiting for the same, as both were conditioned to the ultimate wait to see what a fresh wizard could do.

In the end, some of the plants overhead jostled about with the shockwave flying upward toward the ceiling. Obviously, as he’d held his open hands up intent on catching the blow, Leon did just that with speed and strength to match and exceed. Not like he wasn’t a trained champion boxer or anything… Like lightning, he’d grabbed and thrown Cass’ hand downward, letting the free hand lash out at full speed with deadly precision.

Even if she flinched the wrong way and got closer, he’d know exactly when to stop. It was almost literally an instant, and his hand was hovering an eighth of an inch away from Cass’ jaw.
”You know you’ve got that “fresh Lux” smell that all the freshly Kindled do. Pretty cute. Like the ears.”
He hand that had thrown the mock punch flicked up to pat her head, rubbing the wolf ears with a smile.

”I’d ask if you wanna feel my wolf ears, but-”
”Alright, alright… Jesus Christ, guys, I mean…”
Casey’s head looked at Trisha before looking toward where Reyna and Nadiyah had gone off to.
”It’s clearly a big deal to some people, so… Let’s chill out? Maybe?” he asserted, looking back at Trisha with empathy in his eyes.

Cass gave a little, involuntary wiggle when Leon rubbed her ears, almost leaning into it and seeming completely unphased by also almost being punched. She twisted around to look at Casey and Trisha, nodding. The tail was pulled back in first, and she grimaced as she began the arduous process of returning all her features back to normal. The ears stubbornly remained, though.
”You can show me yours later, I'm here till Sunday," she winked, laughing.

“Yeah, no more punching or animal features in my house please," Trisha finally said, sighing slightly. She managed a thankful smile towards Casey. It was the last thing she'd expected… suddenly her mundane life was growing less mundane. Did she actually know anyone without magic? Ezra, Tansy and a bunch of her other siblings, she supposed. But that was really it. Was it really a problem? Maybe not. She rubbed the back of her neck.

"Man, if I knew keeping my lux would've allowed me to punch someone so hot, I wouldn't have severed," Sal joked, still very much lounging on the couch. "But yeah, it isn't nice to focus on something some of us aren't involved in anymore! And clearly it's broken Diyah, look-"

"I'm fine." Nadiyah and Reyna made their way back over to the group. She didn't look so shocked anymore, looking cooly at Cass's ears, before shaking her head. ”It's just a bit shocking to learn that magic is common enough that my friends, my friend's boyfriend, and his brother all have it."
"You'll get used to it," Reyna said.

“Not everyone gets used to it," Trisha frowned, as if she hadn't taken the many new magical things she'd been exposed to the last few days relatively well. Her view was an extremely skewed one, where the magical world was mainly a dangerous thing focused on fighting something that could easily kill her, and the non magical was the rest of her life.

”I mean, we can kill that feeling pretty quick. Reyna, when you came here today, did you notice anything weird about this building?” he asked. ”Or the guy who met you at the door? Or the elevator you took to get up to the top floor? This place glows like a magical beacon. If you’re real observant, you’ll probably be able to feel out the Cat Demon in the basement.” he grinned evilly, hand reaching down to tug Cass’s shirt.
”C’mon, let’s get your posters signed, we can talk about the date we’re going on later.” he waggled his eyebrows.

”Mon Dieu, Leon! You animal!” Casey called, looking back at Reyna and Nadiyah as they came back.
”I’m… Listen, I’m real sorry. I cocked this one up, I… Shit, man…”

"Fuck, yes please!" Cass shouted a little too loud, patting Leon’s hand before very happily bouncing over to tubes on the counter.

"Don't worry about it," Reyna was the first one to respond to Casey, holding up her hands and smiling. "If anyone's at fault it's me. I knew about the magic and yes, I could see it in the whole building. I should have figured someone else would be able to tell."

“I would've appreciated a heads up," Trisha grumbled. She glanced over at Leon, then back at Casey. “And someone who doesn't just come in sniffing magic out."

"You can't expect me to text you something like that, Trisha," Reyna shook her head. "You failed to mention that your boyfriend has magic too. But it's not important now, right?"
"Well, I do think it was a ‘cock up’," Nadiyah said bluntly. "But I accept your apology, it was unintentional. None of us hold grudges over things like this."
They both glanced at Trisha for just a moment, before Reyna looked over towards Cass.
"We should think about going to that Arcade soon, before Cass drags your brother into a room somewhere."

“She does that in my house and it's over," Trisha intoned, not being very clear about how it would be over, but it would probably involve a lot of bees.
She wasn’t really happy about the whole magic situation, but she was trying to let it go. It wasn’t really anyone’s fault. It wasn’t even really that bad. She definitely shouldn’t let it ruin her time with her boyfriend and the friends she didn’t see very often. Move past it, enjoy herself.
“Going to the Arcade sounds good, if everyone’s done eating, I want to see Casey beat everyone- especially Sal." She reached out to hug Casey’s arm, pressing her face against it.

”Y’know, I don’t think she’s capable of dragging me anywhere. But I’ll happily go.- Here, check this out, its from my da-”
Two fans of a sport hit it off like peas in a pod, leaving the rest of the group to sort out what was going on. Casey looked back, then looked at Sal with a grin.

”If you flirt, like, a little louder? I’m sure he’ll give you just as much attention.” he giggled, standing up from his seat with Trisha’s hand tight in his.
He looked back again to see how absorbed Leon was in talking about their Dad, so he turned his head to Trisha and nodded at Leon.
”Yes? No? I understand no.” he shrugged. ”Not that… Not that I think no at this juncture will stop the train.” he grimaced.

"I let her have this one, this time," Sal held up his hands and laughed.

Trisha chewed on her lip for a moment as she considered it. She was still on shaky terms with Leon, and she wasn't particularly comfortable with him. But… she glanced over at Cass who's already high energy had already gotten higher. It was difficult to say no when one of the few friends that had actually stuck with her was that happy about it. Especially when it was Cass. It wasn't like he'd be with them all day, either.
“Yeah, you've put something scary in motion," Trisha half joked, managing a smile. “He can come along, I imagine at an arcade we'll split up a bit? Different games. And they're here till… Sunday morning I think, right?"

"Yeah, here all day tomorrow," Reyna smiled. "Not that we'll be demanding all of your time, unless you want to give it."
"No, we are demanding Trisha's," Nadiyah countered.

“Yeah, two whole days, I actually need Leon to come along so I don't get a headache from Cass's shouting," Trisha managed to joke a bit more fully, finding herself relaxing again. Yeah, it was really alright.

Casey nodded.
”Heard that, Big Man? Or do you need Mumma’s permission today?”
Leon was too busy GUSHING about his own father to the girl, not missing opportunities to talk about his own record.
”Leon?”

”-so we were just kind of waiting for this fuckin’ pussy. We’re sitting there in his corner, I’m wrapping his hands-”
Casey took a deep breath, tilting his head back and snapping it forward.
”Leon Furio!?”
The massive man jumped out of his skin.
”-What!? What!?”
”Pay the fuck attention, God… We’re going to Walden! You’re coming!”

Cass would be able to see Leon’s childish grin.
”Oh… Why didn’t you just say that?” he asked, holding his hand out to Cass and wiggling his eyebrows.
”I guess the date is right now, huh?” he grinned.

Casey groaned.
”God, I’m so fucking sorry for this.” he said, shaking his head and taking a deep breath.

”Fuck yeah it is, I ain’t gonna wait,” Cass grinned, practically slapping her hand into Leon’s.

Reyna laughed as she looked at them. "Well, honestly, when Cass is happy, we’re happy."
"Cass is always happy."
Reyna shrugged.

“Alright, let’s go, let’s go,” Trisha started gesturing towards the door with her free hand… before realising she didn’t have any shoes or a coat on. She pointed to the door, looking at all of her friends.
“If you aren’t all out by the time I’m back, I’m calling it.”

"Aw, don’t worry Trisha, I won’t steal your boyfriend while you’re gone!" Sal laughed.

Trisha just rolled her eyes at him, giving Casey’s hand a squeeze before letting go and running up to the loft.

[AtomicEmperor]

Walden Arcade

---

Once Trisha had appropriate outer layers, they bundled into multiple cars to go to Walden Arcade. It was in a medium sized building on the bay, backdropped with a beautiful view of the sea shining with cold winter light. The upper floors seemed to be something else, though it wasn’t obvious what, but the main two were the Arcade. The sign wasn’t glaringly out of place, going along with a more nautical theme of blue and white with a light neon glow.

"Here it is," Sal grinned as they approached, shading his eyes dramatically and looking up at the sign. "The site of my great victory."
”Site of your fuckin’ ass kickin’ more like,” Cass shouted, slapping Sal’s arm hard. With the other hand she was holding Leon’s, obviously.
"Sheesh, calm down with the violence," Sal laughed, rubbing his arm.

"Come on, let’s go in," Reyna smiled, all too used to herding around those two. She was wearing a pair of sunglasses now, which appeared odd at this time of year, but it was the only way to wear her jacket (the only one she had) and not be blinded.

They went inside, Trisha hanging at the back of the group. Inside, the place was filled with arcade games of all kinds. From retro arcade machines, to pinball machines, to the more up to date ones with wheels for racing and shooter games that used actual guns. The more physically ‘exertive’ games were in the back corner, with the basketball hoops and even one of those boxing arcade games. The place wasn’t heaving like it might be later that evening or over the weekend, enough people to not feel empty without being busy. There were signs pointing to the bar out back, and for more games and hot food upstairs.

”Awwww shit!” Cass looked around with a wide grin. ”We ain’t got shit like this back home! It’s all fuckin’ lame, like five machines in a bowlin’ alley.”
"You’ve lived here for seven years," Nadiyah pointed out.
”Yeah, and how fuckin’ often do we go to an Arcade? It’s always pubs and clubs, shit, and I thought we had a drinkin’ problem- oh shit!” She started doing her excited slapping thing again, this time hitting Leon’s arm multiple times. ”They have the fuckin’ bag you can punch! Bet you’d get kicked out if you did it!”

Trisha went from looking around, eyes slightly wide at the sheer amount of games, to looking over at Cass.
“I’m actually really glad Leon is here to tank all of her slaps,” Trisha commented quietly, audible to those closest to her - Casey and Nadiyah, who sniggered. She then tilted her head up towards Casey.
“So, which games can you definitely beat all my friends at?”

Casey and Leon were both happy to be here. Many free days were spent here with coins in hand and blood on high as they battled between skeeball, hoops, fighting games… At the time, Leon hadn’t memorized every trick in the Richoux Tomes, so he wasn’t such a rampant cheater as he was during the era of the Stygian Snake… Not that they had many chances to spend time together at that point.

But now Leon was adjoined with Lelou. Both brothers were aware that there was just going to be a gap…
”That really depends, Babe… Are we cheating? Cuz, you know me… I can come up with something.”
Leon scoffed, pulling Cass close and spinning her arm, forcing her to twist in his grasp so that she’d be pressed tight to his massive form.
”Why? Scared? ‘Fraid you can’t beat the Big Dog?”

Casey grimaced.
”Just… Tank hits, Bro, you’re not even allowed to play with us. Everyone, just ignore his showboating, ain’t no way you’re beating him at anything. But, I mean, Sal? Reyna? You guys wanna do some round-robin air hockey?” he raised his eyebrows.

Leon frowned.
”Heyyy, I can tone it down.” he said with a pouty expression.

"Now that sounds like a challenge," Sal grinned, swinging his arm around as if he was gearing up for a fight. "Let him in, toned down just because some of us don’t have the… advantage, but I bet I can win anyway."
”Ooo, I can’t wait to see you get your fuckin’ ass handed to you.” Cass managed to stop swooning into Leon’s chest to shit talk.
"Won’t stop me from beating you, just like I do at every game."
”Oh you’re fuckin’ on.”

"Do we need a referee? I’m very good at judging," Nadiyah smiled. She really was quite content to watch this all unfold.
"Perhaps between those two," Reyna chuckled, before nodding to Casey. "An air hockey round-robin sounds like a good way to start… I would say it will be fun and not competitive, but that’s not really possible."

“It’s better to play against Sal than it is with him,” Trisha commented, looking up at Casey with a soft smile. She went up onto her tiptoes to whisper in his ear.
“You can cheat against everyone but me and Reyna, alright, babe?”

”Oh, so I guess I’m first then? Leon? Get your spazz attack out of the way?” he asked, motioning his brother on toward the machines in question.
Leon nodded with a happy expression, his hands dipping to pick Cass up like she was a surfboard by the hips.

”I’d say race you, but I’m worried you’d beat me.” he grinned at her before slinging her atop his near seven foot shoulder and sauntering toward the air hockey tables.
Casey laughed watching them, and threw his hand in his pocket to fish out his channeler. Throwing it on, he twisted his fingers into a strange shape before making way to his starting position at the machine. He dumped a dollar’s worth of quarters in, having stopped at the machine by the entrance, and it flicked on to jettison air upward.

Feeling the cool air from the machine rush out of it brought back old memories, and he smiled at Leon.
”Last time we played, you’d just learned one-oh-four. I told you I’d never play with you again.”
Having released Cass to the sideline, Leon was rotating his shoulder in its socket before grabbing onto the paddle. The puck had been dropped at Casey’s end.

”Yeah. I wasn’t hurt by it; I figured one day something like this would happen. Yes, even when we were pre-teens.” he grinned.
”I knew you’d kindle, and then you’d learn one-oh-four if it killed you. And you’d come back, and rock my ass.”

Casey grabbed the puck with his ungloved hand, and the paddle with the right. He grinned, set the paddle down on the table, and held the puck over the center.
”No, Leon… The paddle is going to kick you ass all on it’s own. And I’m gonna watch.”

What transpired was a solid ten minutes of some of the most intense air hockey play that had ever been witnessed by human kind. The enchanted puck, taken by a masterful algorithmic spellcasting produced by a battle-hardened Adept whose signature personal spell involved training guns to fire themselves, laid a constant assault upon Leon. In counter, Leon’s proclivity toward pleasure melted into his competitive nature and need to be seen as “the best”. As the match went on, he found himself letting out more and more of the Seal of Fire, balancing it with the water and air as he tried to gain some kind of upper hand on the enchantment.

It wasn’t a contest of brute force; it was speed and precision, and while everything was just that little bit slower in Leon’s mind, the paddle was somehow managing to keep him on the back foot the entire time. After roughly four minutes, the first goal was made in a best of three, causing the machine to buzz. They didn’t curse, they didn’t say a single word to one another. Despite the fact that he wasn’t using his muscles at all, Casey was beginning to sweat bullets as his focus and concentration all went into making sure that the paddle stuck to the game plan rather than doing something of its own accord.

But Leon’s mental game had already been severely hampered. He remembered being good at this particular spell, using it to learn half a dozen instruments and countless other things before he forsook his Lux in the name of the Temple.
But Casey was in another league. He was beyond impressed, and while he didn’t want to crack to his little brother or his wizardy, Lelou wasn’t helping in any great capacity. He could feel himself brushing tighter against the machine as she constantly tried to draw his attention back toward his date… Because obviously, that’s what Lelou really wanted.

By the last point, Leon was so distracted that he nearly threw in the towel.
”J-jesus, fucking Christ, Casey!?”
Casey had been holding his breath for a minute or more by the time the buzzer sounded, and his face was red with exertion. On winning, he gasped in big gulps of air, jumping up and down. He immediately grabbed Trisha, hoisting her up into a hug and spinning her around.

The five had been watching with wide eyes and bated breath, nobody but Cass, with her eyes enhanced, able to keep up with the puck. She’d slung herself over Trisha’s shoulders as they watched. Reyna had basically given up within a minute, looking up at the ceiling and shading her already shaded eyes from Leon’s brightness.

”Holy fucking shit!” Cass shouted when the match finally finished, letting go of Trisha before Casey snatched her up.

“Heyyy,” Trisha jokingly complained, wrapping her arms around Casey’s shoulder and curling her head down with squeezed shut eyes to avoid getting dizzy. Once he finally stopped spinning her she opened them again, grinning at him.
“That was… wow. I didn’t know air hockey could get that intense, it was really impressive. And it was really cool seeing you beat Leon. Congratulations.” She leaned forward to kiss him, light and quick since her friends were right there.

"I’m not sure how we follow on from that one," Reyna laughed, finally looking back down from the ceiling. She took off her jacket and handed it over to Nadiyah, who took it after a bit of grumbling. "Who’s next? I assume you two will be taking a break."

"Me!" Sal said immediately, stepping forward and puffing up his chest. "Who wants to lose?"

Reyna looked over at Trisha, who looked over at Cass, who looked at… her own hands with a groan.
”Fuckin’ fine, I’ll take one for the team. If you get fuckin’ grouchy after losing you I’m gonna take you outside and beat you till your black and blue, alright?”
"Good thing there’s no chance of that happening."
Cass grinned evilly at him, pulling back off the hoodie that had been put on for the cold outside. She held it out to Leon, patting his bicep.
”Here, hold this for me, I gotta beat this dick into the ground.”

Leon took the sweater, but quickly swung it back over Cass and tugging her in close to him.
”Aaaahpapapap… Tell me how awesome I am again?” he grinned, and very clearly, his teeth had grown significantly, especially the cutting canines.
Casey was quick to interrupt, figuring maybe Cass didn’t want his giant brother hanging over her like a bear skin over a wooden couch.

He had put Trisha down, rubbing up and down her arms and planting another quick kiss on her head before moving to Leon and wholesale jumping on his back. Leon barely grunted with the extra weight, and Casey leaned into his ear.

”It wasn’t one-oh-four!” he chided.
Leon, having to let go of Cass to make sure his brother didn’t slip, shot his head backward.
”Th’fuck you mean?” Leon blurted in retort.
”It’s mine, it’s mine~! It’s my fuckin’ spell, and I Kindled with it, and it’s my secret! And one day I’ll write my own fuckin’ Tome entry and it’s gonna be fuckin’ sick because it saved. My. Life.”

Leon was a bit taken aback, as Casey’d been Kindled for quite a few years at this point. He kept a secret like that? From everyone? The giant man felt a softness come over him that dulled his senses and his connection to Lelou. The voice quieted down. A big brother looked up at his younger counterpart with a silly grin.
”Shit, man… You chose now to whip something like that out?”

Casey shrugged, sliding off Leon’s back.
”We’ll talk about it more later. Watch, don’t gawk.” he said pointing at the table and the match that was about to start. Leon, now full of mixed emotions, did his best to clear his mind. What better way than a joke?

”Alright, just remember, winner sleeps with me tonight. Preferably nude. Preferably, we’re also not sleeping.”

Both Trisha and Nadiyah pulled a face like they’d just stepped in shit, equally disgusted eyes looking over at Leon.

Cass grinned, cracking her knuckles and rolling her shoulders. She bounced from foot to foot, unable to keep still, but seeming relatively relaxed.
”Oh shit, it’s on- Rey, people without magic can’t see the spots and shit, right?”
"Right."

"Ohhh, don’t think you can beat me without magic, Cassi?" Sal taunted from the other side of the table. Unlike Cass, he was stationary and tense, eyes narrowed and paddle already in his hand.
”I can beat you with my fuckin’ eyes closed!” Cass retorted. Her eyes, which had turned yellow as she watched the previous match, went back to the normal brown. She then gestured to her arms, bare aside from a few scars and a few black lines from the edge of a tattoo curling onto her bare shoulder. ”See, no spots.”

Sal just put the money in, taking the puck and starting.
The game wasn’t anywhere near the level of Casey and Leon’s. There was no magic, just two people who’d honed their air-hockey skill since it was one of the few things in their local arcade. Sal was incredibly, and increasingly, aggressive with it. His was a play of brute force, hitting the puck as hard as he could. But there was a skill to it, specific aims to make it difficult for Cass. But she barely struggled. Her shots weren’t as hard, but they were precise. Her hand moved across the table with surprising speed for someone who wasn’t using magic. The first point was hers, an incredibly precisely angled shot off the side that Sal mispredicted where it’d go.

After a series of very ugly swears from him, the second point went from him, when he goaded Cass into slipping up. The last point was the most intense, Cass’s more relaxed demeanour slipping away as her grin went to more of a grimace. It wasn’t that she was tired, she was just fucking sick of the shit Sal was slinging. She tilted herself slightly, letting out a groan as if she was really tired, and made a pathetically weak shot with her hand far away from defending her goal. Sal took the bait immediately, slamming the puck right towards her goal. With a renewed grin, she quickly pulled back in her paddle, catching it so it spun to the side, off the wall, and right past Sal’s paddle into the goal.

”Fuck yes! No advantages fuckin’ needed!” Cass punched the air, putting down her paddle with a grin. She spun around, cheetah spots running down her bare arms as she full on ran and launched herself at Leon, arms and legs going to wrap around him.
”Now you gotta tell me how fuckin awesome I am.”

"Fuck!" Sal, on the other hand, aggressively threw his paddle onto the table. He looked genuinely pissed, very different from the relaxed demeanour he’d had till now.
None of his friends seemed surprised. Nadiyah’s eyes rolled up to the sky and stayed there. Reyna was once again shielding her eyes, this time towards Sal, mumbling something about how ugly the red was.

Trisha just sighed, glad she hadn’t been the one to play him. She leaned over towards Casey.
“He’ll be like this a while, then cool off. Cass is the only one that can beat him, so we just let it happen and ignore him.” The few times they hadn’t ignored him had ended badly - namely with a full blown verbal fight between him and Trisha, and they hadn’t spoken for weeks.

Casey had watched the game transpire with eyes fixed mostly on the puck. But he couldn’t help listening to Sal and wondering where on Earth he learned to talk to his friends like he did. Of course, he’d known other people with similar demeanours; the Marine Corps was full of people just like that, who couldn’t help but be alpha and dominant.
In truth, he’d always imagined Leon was more like that… But their Dad had been equal parts Mick Foley and French Knight. He was a goofy hardass with a heart of gold. Richoux shit talking was fun, crafty, real banter…

Except for Junior. Which got Casey thinking. He looked over at Leon, who by now was practically back to normal despite having his ass utterly trounced by a magic trick.
”How long’s a while?” he asked in Arabic, a fair bit under his breath so he didn’t get too much attention in the noisy room full of buzzing games and talking people.

“Ten… fifteen minutes?” Trisha shrugged, a bit more awkwardly swapping languages. Nadiyah glanced over at them, shooting Trisha a knowing look, before going back to saying something to Reyna. “Normally Reyna talks to him then and it’s fine. He’s worse when you play with him.”

Casey shook his head near immediately.
”Not on my watch.”
Stepping forward, he slipped his glove off along with his hoodie, passing it off to Trisha.
”Maybe uh, someone wants to go get us some drinks? I think we can drink down here these days, which is pretty sick.”

Leon was still holding onto Cass, crooning absolutely diabolical things into her ear before finding a chance to be alone.
”Holy shit, do you wanna go get drinks?” Leon asked Cass, hands still gripping tightly to her.

”Not quite who I meant, but sure… You’ve got money, right Leon?” he asked sarcastically.
Leon just laughed.
”Yeah yeah, orders up. What’s everyone want?”
Casey directed the question specifically to Sal.
”Sal? Booze, drink, soda? Anything at all, Babe, on me. Just… Get your ass over here for your next ass kicking: I don’t keep negative nancies in my Platoon.” he chided.

"Cass knows what I like," Sal said dismissively, not even properly answering the question. He did come back over, hands shoved in his pockets and the picture of grumpiness. "Good thing this isn't your fucking platoon - I didn't get my ass kicked, I-"
"I also know what's drinks you fuckin' hate, Salvador," Cass interrupted, managing to twist her upper body around to fix him with a glare. She then turned back to Leon with a grin. ”Hey, maybe we can make him somethin' extra special."

"Gross," Nadiyah gagged. "I'll have any local beer they have, thanks. Cass knows my preferences."
"Just a coke for me," Reyna smiled.

“Lemonade," Trisha said, hugging Casey's hoodie to her chest with her eyes flickering between him and Sal. While she did hope he managed to do… something about it, she wasn't sure if she could handle it all exploding without being set off herself.

"We doing this or not?" Sal snapped, already impatiently leaning against the table. "If you can even play without assistance. There's no point with it."
Leon figured he probably couldn’t carry Cass all the way to the bar without taking her away from the building and into the cold of the day for some debauchery. So, he put her down and ran a hand across the top of her head.
”Lets go winner.” he laughed, tapping her toward the direction they were going to head toward.

Casey stretched a little bit, making sure that Sal could see he had put his glove away.
”Y’know what I hate about doing stuff like that, Sal? I hate it when it’s cheating. I really, really don’t like cheaters. Thats why my magic works entirely off of my knowledge and skills."
Grabbing the paddle, he slid it around slightly before locking into the same position that the paddle had locked into while enchanted.
”It’s all skill, Babe.” he grinned across the table, ready for the game to start.

"We'll see about that… I went easy on Cass."
Sal took his own paddle and bent his legs slightly. He didn't take much time to think before hitting the puck as hard as he could. It was clear from his posture and the strength of the hit that he was going to be playing a very aggressive game.

The three remaining girls watched from the side. Reyna had a small frown, while Trisha and Nadiyah were muttering to each other in hushed voices.

Casey played closer to the pocket, reducing the area to defend while giving the puck plenty of room to slap around. It was, funnily enough, the same way he’d play against Leon as he simply played himself out. With all the boxing, all the hand-to-hand fighting they’d done for practice, all the training he still managed to do these days, Casey wasn’t a slouch as a reactionary player.

Of course, he expected some sort of shit-talk. And that was fine: If Sal was smart, then when Casey got the puck eventually, he’d play this way too… Because two people flailing across the table smashing their hands together sucked. So, for now, Casey held the defensive line and waited for some kind of pattern to show itself in Sal’s movements.

”Is that all you've got? Fucking cowards play," Sal sneered across the table. It was quickly clear that was reliant on his advantage in strength normally, and he was used to playing against a very specific higher level playstyle. He would do a few shots that slammed against the side, going towards the goal without the actual intent to score, then a straight, hard and fast shot with that intent. His defense, even against Casey's defensive play, was jerky and more towards the sides of the pocket than the center. He was used to having to go all out against Cass, but not many other people. The more he played and didn't get through, the more frustrated he got, the more aggressive, and the more he started to make stupid, but strong, shots.

Casey let him get his frustration out, but wasn’t about to let him get away with it.
”Next time you leave that arm out too long to shoot like that, I’m sinking it.” he announced for the entire group to hear.
And, inevitably when it happened, Casey flicked the paddle upward, letting the ass end of it smash into the puck to send it flying straight up the middle.
”You should try playing like a coward, maybe you wouldn’t get beat by stupid shit. Rack up, Baby, let’s see you schmoove.”

"Fuck! Mierda." Sal continued to curse under his breath, alternating English and Spanish. He grabbed the puck and slammed it back on the table. Reyna clicked her tongue as he did, eyes narrowing at him slightly.
"I was just going easy on you."

He hit it again, just as hard as before. It was clear he'd learned a bit from it, playing a tighter game - at least he wasn't stretching his arm out so long to get shots he really didn't need to. His attacking playstyle was still the same, but there was a bit more to his defence. Just, like before, the longer he played the more annoyed and sloppy he got.

Casey always found himself annoyed by the fact that people just kept going back to the same thing. For whatever he learned Casey tried to change the expectation. This time, he assumed that Sal was going to try mixing in some more side hits rather than just trying to rack it down the middle after a series of fakeouts.

”Hey, is your brain attached to a flow chart?” he asked.
”Here, I’ll show you-” he chided, bouncing the puck back again and again as he started moving his arm in a very dull, consistent motion that kept knocking the puck back every single time.
”-if I can do this and read your mind, that shit’s in shallow water Babe. You gotta get that checked out.”

"What the fuck, are you saying there's something wrong with me?!" Sal snapped but also looked… almost impressed at the level of shit talk back. He gritted his teeth, trying to change it up a bit. More shots with the aim to win off the side. There was a lack of precision to them, some spinning so wildly they hit against the back nowhere near the pocket, but Sal's competitiveness started to win out a bit against how much of a bad loser he was. His shots were less predictable, and increasing in accuracy.

"He did always like a flow chart, it would explain a lot," Nadiyah commented from the side.
"Stay out of it, Nadiyah." A harder, less accurate hit.
”I hardly said anything, Salvador."

Distracted, pushed to the edge, Sal finally let go and made a half-mustered put across the table. It banked early, and Casey couldn’t slip back in time to send it up the board. It sunk with Casey pointing up.
”See!? That! You literally haven’t made that move yet, and you sunk the fuckin’ puck in, Bro. Use your melon, not your huevons! And let that woman talk her shit, if she can’t beat you she can damn sure enjoy watching you get all bent outta shape.”

Pulling the puck, Casey dropped it to his own side and started knocking it off of his own wall. Rapidly slapping against the two points, Casey pulled the center tighter and tighter until it was machine-gunning.
With one slip, he pulled back, letting the puck surge toward the other side of the table. It impacted, lunging back again, where Casey met it against the wall and sent it rocketing toward Sal’s goal on a quick diagonal line.

Sal's eyes never left the puck, but he still wasn't able to predict when Casey was hitting the shot and where it was coming from. He jumped the gun in jerking his hand the opposite direction, unable to move back fast enough before the puck was sunk in one shot.
"Fuckkkk!" Sal groaned, pushing away his paddle and grabbing at his hair with his hands. He was still clearly pissed about it, but also at an absolute loss for words. He couldn't exactly make any excuses about it, especially when he'd been beaten in one shot at the end. "Fucking…"

"Sal." Reyna interrupted before he could figure out what he was going to say.

”No no, let him go. He’s gotta get it out, or he’ll never bother getting it out, right Sal? Give me the business, Bro, don’t just be a bitch. That’s how you get beaten with socks full of pennies in the barrack.” Casey interrupted, clapping his hands.

"This isn't the fucking army, man," Sal threw up his hands in frustration. "Just because I lost this time doesn't mean I will again. It was a fluke."
Nadiyah snorted, and all three girls rolled their eyes in near perfect synchronicity.
"And-" Sal pointed a finger at Casey. "It's perfectly fucking reasonable to be upset after losing and getting it rubbed in my face, it's not being a bitch."

“Literally nobody rubbed it in," Trisha muttered. They'd all learned not to because he got even more pissy about it.
"Oh like you all wouldn't start, you and Nadiyah are always whispering and laughing over these things."
“It’s just a game, we don't care that much," Trisha shot back. Her and Nadiyah privately bitched about much more interesting things than Sal losing things.
"Right, sure, it's just a game when I lose, not for you, or the others, but it's not actually important enough for you to put in any effort whenever we-"

”Woah! This moment? This moment isn’t just a game for me. I like seeing people around me improve. Sal. Look at me, man.”
Casey didn’t raise his voice, but he did make a shift into a much more serious demeanor.
”You’re good! You’re very good. But I’m not letting you get away with acting like a boy in my presence. Fifteen minutes for you to get over it? To settle down? That tells me nobody’s ever beaten you. You’ve never had your ass kicked. You think that everything you’ve done is enough, and it’s clearly not. You’re not a master. I’m not a master. Now, beat me! Kick my ass!” he said, throwing his hands toward the table.
”Ignore the crowd!” he barked.

"Calm it with the tone," Sal, very hypocritically, said, throwing up his hands again. But he did back off Trisha, turning towards Casey, then back towards the table. What Casey had said seemed to have gotten through a bit… at least, he was thinking about it.
"Fine, let's go again. This time I will kick your ass." he went back over to the table and picked back up the paddle he'd discarded.

"Your boyfriend's good," Nadiyah leaned in towards Trisha, resting an arm on her shoulder. She didn't bother lowering her tone so only she could hear. "Got right to the root of the problem - only child syndrome."
Trisha looked over at Casey, and smiled. “Yeah, he is… does this mean he's passed the check?"
Nadiyah shrugged, laughing lightly. "For now."

Sal had gotten the puck again, trying to ignore the rest of them, sliding it over to Casey's side.
"You start."

Casey was surprised, which was good. He liked that Sal seemed to chill out a little bit, or at least wanted to keep his mind on the game.
”Oooh, you’re not a quitter. Good. You think you can get past the first round this time?”

He began to knock the puck between the wall and the paddle, but rather than letting it get spicy by dragging it closer to a single wall, he smacked it once to the left, slipped the paddle down, let it pass, then met it in the middle on the way back to reverse its momentum entirely. There was a rhythm to the knocking, almost like a metronome or a drummer setting a pace.

”In the Reserve barrack, we had air hockey, a pool table, and a bunch of fucking boardgames. The amount of time I’ve spent playing this fucking game against myself is pathetic. I’m sorry, Sal… But you’re going to lose.”
As he flicked toward the right, he swung his arm upward and skipped the puck, grabbing the very edge of its back with the back of the paddle. With a twist, he sent the puck rocketing up the board in an unexpected diagonal toward the back edge.

”Didn't know having a social life would be my downfall," Sal actually laughed, though it was more on the butter end of things. "But, don't speak so soon."
He let the puck hit the back corner, paddle snapping out as it bounced back. It bounced against the right wall, and he moved his paddle half with it and back, slamming it up the table in the diagonal towards the back.
He was learning, at least.

As Casey missed the flick, he bumped it up against the board and drove it directly into his own goal.
”Baaah! You sounded pretty sexy for a second, distracted my ass. Good shot. You want this puck!?” he asked, grabbing it from the bottom of the machine.
”Game point, bro!”

"Shit," Sal laughed out of shock when he won the point… sort of. He shook his head.
"Sure, I'll take it."
When the puck was thrown over to him he caught it with the paddle, taking a moment to position it. He was clearly loosening up a bit now. He finally got it where he wanted it, slightly to the left, hitting it hard and towards the right wall, aiming for a bounce into the goal.

Casey, knowing that his point would be completely lost if he let the game go now, jumped straight for the puck and snagged it in a crocodile grasp between the board and the paddle. He began to circle it over and over again, giving Sal a rhythm to focus on, then let the puck slip out into the field on a lazy trajectory. Still orbiting his paddle in the same rhythm, he slung his arm out of the circle to drive the puck up the board.

It made a Z motion, smacking from Sal’s left to right with little time to react as it careened toward the ultimate goal.

Sal's head snapped from left to right as he tried to figure out which side it was going to come from. His paddle moved with his eyes across the goal, and as the puck came close he jerked it in the right direction, narrowly brushing the puck but not enough to change its trajectory.
"Fuck." He bent down to grab the puck from his side. His reaction wasn't as aggressive as before when he'd lost, and he was definitely concentrating more on the game than shit talking.
"You want it? It's only fair."

Casey leaned forward. A grin split across his face as wide as the Devil on a Saturday’s eve.
”Did you lose count My Friend? You lose, three to two.” he grinned, Spanish leaving his mouth as the machine switched off, ready to suck up another dollar.
”You’re gonna want to go again, but we’ll do it later. Look who managed to make it back.” Casey pointed.

Leon, with Cass sitting on his shoulder like he was some sort of siege beast to be ridden, came back holding a tray of different drinks that had been acquired from the bar.
”Drinks up, drinks up. Trisha, Lemonade. Rhiannon, they had Pepsi, I didn’t know if you’d want that so I got you a water as well. Uhm… Diyan? Ahhh, I’m terrible at names, I’m sorry, it’s from getting punched in the face too many times. But, you said local beer, so I got you some of the IPA our family brews. Here you go.”

Leon was all smiles with a girl clinging to him.
”Sal? Is easy, ‘cuz it’s one syllable. Got you a lighter beer, didn’t want you getting too drunk. Casey, you’ve got waterrrrrrr.”
Casey puffed air out of his mouth as he got closer to Trisha and claimed his drink.
”You have an immeasurably small cock, Leon.” Casey growled back, taking his plain water.
”Designated driiiiver, designated driiiiver.”

”Cheers to being the drivers," Reyna laughed as she took the pepsi, raising the glass towards Casey. "And it's Reyna, but Rey is fine if it's easier to remember."
"Nadiyah," was all Nadiyah said as she took her beer, looking at it curiously before taking a sip. She smiled and nodded.

"Oh fuckkk, Sal isn't bein' a stroppy bitch, that's quicker than normal!" Cass shouted from on top of Leon's shoulders, leaning over his head. She held a glass of some dark coloured beer, another different local one. The strongest one she could get. She then cackled as Sal dragged himself over to take his lighter beer. "Didn't want you getting smashed then getting fuckin' beaten in a back alley for being an pretentious English knob."
"... You're also English, Cass," Sal shook his head. He really did seem mostly fine after that last match with Casey. There was still a tightness to his shoulders, and he hadn't gotten to the point where he was apologising to everyone for it yet, but he was on the way.
"Yeah but I'm sound workin' class English, ain't gonna get mugged for shit I clearly don't have."

Trisha laughed slightly at them, sipping on her lemonade. While she wasn't driving, she also didn't want to get drunk too early. She held it up towards Casey.
“Want some? It's got more flavour than water…"

Holding onto her like a barnacle, Trisha could feel Casey’s muscles a bit more tense than usual. Truthfully, he was hyped from the match, and it was having some pretty significant effects on his body that would’ve been strange were it anyone else. His hands tensed up around her thigh, squeezing in a playful manner.
”Did you drink any yet? If not, no. I’ll wait until we get to swap spit without the pda.” he giggled in her face.

Leon, meanwhile, dropped Cass back onto the ground and spun her around again as he so loved to do. He’d always been told by his mother that it made her feel like a princess, so it was only natural that he’d assume other women felt the same.
”Fuck the spit, who wants to get beat up on Street Fighter?” Leon asked in a boisterous manner.

Trisha had already taken a sip, but she took a bigger gulp and then held it up to Casey, ignoring Leon. She leaned back against him and her other hand loosely covered one of his on her thigh.
“Here, filled with all my DNA, lovingly put in just for you."

"Fuckin' hell, I'd rather you just snogged," Cass managed to say after her vision righted itself from being spun again. "Hell yeah, Street Fighter's the fuckin' best, oh-"
She pointed to Reyna with a grin.
"You play, Rey, you're fuckin' unfairly good at it… it ain't the magic is it? Fuckin' like… street fighter auras."

"It is not," Reyna laughed, putting one hand on her hip and looking up at Leon with a smile. "I'll have a go. I'm not sure I'll live up to Cass's expectations."
"She's just being humble," Cass slapped a hand on Leon's arm.

“I kind of want to watch Leon get beaten for a second time today," Trisha said softly, mostly to Casey, with a slight giggle.

Casey nodded at Trisha, taking in an equally big gulp of her lemonade before he spoke.
”I assume you’re playing actively if you suggested it, Leon?” he asked his older brother.
”Yeah, you caught me. A lot of the teens at the Centre really enjoy playing, so I do my best to make sure I get over there a couple times a week a few hours a day to just vibe with them.”

Swinging his arm about, Casey prompted the group’s movement into the cabinet hall. There were a lot of different machines right up to the most modern version that could be played on home consoles, which Leon made it to with some haste.

Casey had held back a bit with Trisha, letting the group move until it was them and Sal at the rear.
”Amigo? You did good y’know.” Casey smiled at him, nodding. ”Nobody likes losing or making mistakes, but when you hold yourself to a standard like that, you’re bound to fail.”
The imparted wisdom wasn’t asked for, nor was it so easy to just change that. But, Casey was in his leadership mode; something that ended up distinguishing him from others on the field.

He coached where he’d been taught through force. Where his Father would’ve pushed, Casey learned to nudge. Where his Father would stab, Casey learned to prod. But there was no guarantee Sal cared, or even wanted to care. He was resigned to that, but it was simply part of who he was.

"Yeah, I get it, it's a problem," Sal rubbed the back of his neck. He was speaking genuinely, seeming to be back to the relaxed person he had been before he'd started competitively playing. He turned his head towards Trisha. "Sorry, by the way, Trisha. You know how I get."

“Stop apologising about it every time, then, and stop it," Trisha retorted, with a shrug. It was difficult not to feel like Casey’s words were inadvertently directed at her too. But she wasn’t a bad loser when it came to things like this. Just for real mistakes. And was it really her own standards that led her to failure? No, it wasn’t that. It was different. The standards she’d aimed for were reasonable, and she still hadn’t been able to reach them. Trisha silently frowned, tensing up slightly.

"Yeah, yeah, I'll be nicer next time we kill zombies together, alright," Sal smiled, looking back at Casey. ”I won't get into it, but all of that shit comes from somewhere. I get what you're saying about it, and hey, getting it is the first step."

”All you can do is remain conscious of it, and try little by little to improve. But its also on the people around you to hold you accountable. Shame-”
Casey would've gone on and on about it were it not for Leon barking backward.

”Hey, Master Moralist, why don't you shut up and leave the guy alone now. He's heard enough; and certainly didn't come here to get lectured and pressured by you.”
Leon was stuffing coins into the machine, prepping the game for himself and Reyna.

Casey frowned, immediately ceasing any further pressing as his head turned away in embarrassment. Shame is the greatest personal engine on the planet. What could've been a confidence boost for Trisha and her friends fizzled out into the endless history of unsaid things.
That, Casey imagined, was always Leon's super power. If a lesson needed to be taught, Casey remembered that Leon always had an example to lock in with.

”I'm not a super fan of these games. I prefer uh, what… I think they call them ‘Anime Fighters’? Just a different style, usually the characters are fast and damage is high. Too much room to fuck up in Street Fighter.”
Leon explained aloud as he navigated the menu to pick a character.

"Maybe you just need to get good," Sal joked, flashing a grin towards Casey that made it clear there really weren't any hard feelings.
"Oy, like you don't fuck up all the time then complain ‘bout how difficult combos and other shit," Cass said, punching Sal in the arm. He punched her right back - though it was pretty obvious that it was playful, even though Sal rubbed his arm afterwards. Cass jumped away and pushed herself in between Leon and Reyna… well as much as she could without getting in the way, while still being able to see. It was a hard life being average height!

"I've only ever played this one," Reyna said with a shrug. She was glancing over the characters, squinting a bit. She seemed to be playing with the controls a bit as she navigated the menu before selecting Chun-Li. She tilted her head back towards Cass. "This feels way nicer than those controllers you had."

"Well I'm sorry for bein’ a skint student!" Cass practically shouted. ”I ain't taking any of that shit, all your talent is thanks to mine. Y'know how hard it is to emulate a modern console? Shit, I had to write a bunch of code for it myself. Really if you win, I win."

"That time would've been better spent on your assignments…" Reyna laughed lightly.

Trisha, as the shortest of the group and right near the back, couldn't actually see any of the screen. Normally when they'd played games like this on Cass's incredibly janky setup in her cramped bedroom in their shared flat, she and Nadiyah just sat in a corner and talked about more interesting things. But she didn't kind of want to see if Reyna was able to beat Leon… just a little bit. She tilted her head up towards Casey, with a smile.
“Mind helping me see?"

”You fucking what Cass? You… Emulated a modern console? Like, the current generation? All the computer people make it sound like that’s impossible. Or at least really impractical when you can get all the same games on Turbine. Or, like, pirate them if you don’t want to spend the money.”
Leon locked on Ed, popping his stick to the right and selecting the alternate outfit that features a more obvious boxing motif with gloves and a sleeveless hoodie.
Casey, still content to keep quiet, looked down at Trisha after hearing her request with a great deal of admiration. She was just so cute.

Rather than scooping her up and tossing her as high as he could, Casey wordlessly leaned in close to her, running a finger gently under her chin before purposefully collapsing to his knees in front of her. Both hands swung behind his back, interlocking to make a step for her to climb up onto his back with.

Trisha's smile got warmer. She put her hands on Casey's shoulders and careful stepped onto his hands, before properly wrapping her arms and legs around him, clinging to his back like a koala and resting her head on his shoulder. She tilted her head and kissed his cheek.
“Thanks, babe."

”I did- it wasn't that fuckin' hard, everyone else is just cowards! It took me like… three months? Don't even start with the easier way shit- I know! Sal wouldn't shut upppp about it," Cass chatted away, as if it really was a small three month project that anyone could do.
"She nearly failed multiple classes cause of it," Reyna laughed as the match started. She moved the figure around on the screen a little bit to get the handle of the stick rather than controllers, before properly launching into it.
”Who cares ‘bout classes! Ain't anything they can teach me, I gotta job after anyway, who gives a fuck."
"You nearly got kicked off the course," Reyna laughed, relatively easily beginning to whip out some hard combinations.

Leon didn’t do much hesitation on his end, but found himself having to defend a lot more than he was used to.
”Jesuuuuus… None of the kids play Chun-Li, I have no clue what’s going on.” he laughed, mashing the jab button until he got a lucky hit to convert from. ”But, I do know that failing your classes to code an entire console onto new hardware sounds like a job. Why bother with the school if you can just do that?” he asked, clearing his throat.
”You can’t just get a couple certifications and just… Code?”

His little comeback didn’t help much, with Reyna employing the same tactic of jabbing out of the blockstring. He wasn’t trying to get too sweaty, especially after the air hockey match; from the whiff he got earlier, he was almost certain that she didn’t have any kind of performance enhancing magic. He was playing at a snail’s pace comparatively.

Casey easily noticed the difference in movement. Neither Richoux was going to come outright and say that there was a different bracket for people who had talent and people who had magic. One often became something of a cheater’s match, where whoever could muster the more powerful or useful spell to help them play would win. At that point, Leon almost always won as Lelou’s reaction speed and ability to manipulate his finger muscles with absolute control were unmatched by young, inexperienced Adepts.

”Everyone, point and laugh at Leon ‘cuz he can’t cheat to win right now.” Casey scoffed, needing to let some of his passive-aggressiveness out.
”Cuz he’d probably feel bad. Unlike all those dudes who he gets punched by.”
Leon’s brow furrowed.
”Fuck yooooooou.”

"Fuck, I wish I coulda skipped school and just got a job, fuckin' pretentious ass tech companies," Cass said, before going on to mutter a bunch of very rude shit about middle managers and tech CEOs with a few threats of violence in there.

"You can cheat if it makes you feel better," Reyna said, posture completely relaxed as she didn't let up any of the pressure, smoothly going through a complicated special attack as if remembering and executing wasn't that difficult.
"Or I can put my jacket back on, handicap myself by blindness?"

Trisha laughed, widely grinning as she leaned her head a bit further over Casey's shoulder to get a better look.
“See, told you she'd beat him. Well, will. No cheats needed." The last three words were said in a bit of a singsong tone as she laughed again.

"Don't feel bad ‘bout losing!" Cass said as if the result was already decided.
"Rey's known as a bit of a Streetfighter genius in our neck of the woods."

Leon shook his head, desperately slapping the controls as Rey delivered the final blow and ended the first round. He gasped, knees bending and head lolling to the side.
”Nah… No cheating necessary. I can admit when someone’s better than me naturally.” if it wasn’t something he particularly cared about. This was a cursory hobby, something he picked up just to beat his brother as kids.
It may have been useful now to stay relevant with the Temple youth, building connections and keeping the family vibes strong, it wasn’t tremendously important. He’d had to learn how to be a role model, which partially involved remaining humble and knowing how to dish out the justice in a better way.

Something he couldn’t cheat at. Something that just had to happen naturally. Casey could recognize the behavior already, watching the big brother who probably would’ve reacted very differently a decade ago. Growth was growth, and he wouldn’t take that away from the guy. People slipped sometimes; who was he to judge?

The second round started up, and Leon was pretty sure of what Rey was going to open with. She didn’t follow his idea, obviously being far too practiced to make a rookie mistake like using the same opener. At least now he had some kind of idea as to the combos that were coming his way. Moving erratically, he got behind Rey and managed a hit to begin a long combo that was perfectly executed.
”I will say, I’m happy the kids let me use their fight pads so I’m at least used to the stick and buttons.”
”Oh, that wasn’t a problem fifteen years ago was it?”
”No, we had to fuckin’- Rrrrgh! - We had to come here! To play!” Leon grunted in frustration as he dropped the block string and left himself open.

Reyna immediately took the opportunity given to her, fingers flying across the buttons as she got through a series of attacks, before she went into a complicated finishing move, ending the second round faster than the first. Though, she didn't feel it had been particularly fair, since he'd been… distracted?
”If you practice a bit more without magic you'd eventually get to my level," Reyna offered as some kind of condolence. "You already know the attacks. That's the most difficult bit."

"Yeah, that's the shit I always forget!" Cass said, leaning back and looking around at all the other nearby machines. She was beginning to get a little bored watching… just a little.

”Mm, Cass is a button masher," Reyna laughed.
“Cass is actually the worst at it," Trisha added, tilting her head towards Casey, speaking a bit more quietly. “Did you come here a lot?"

Casey grinned at the question, looking up at Trisha as best he could.
”Oh yeah, every chance we got. Dad wouldn’t let us have a console in the house, but he was cool with us working for the pocket money to come here. I assume to keep us from getting lazy and spoiled.” he offered the whole truth to her.
”Once he was gone, we didn’t really care. We stopped hanging out together. Things got quiet.”

Leon, having been utterly crushed in the first match, was moving onto the second without any sort of magical improvement. Responding to Reyna, he smiled.
”Hey, if I take time to practice games like this, I won’t have much time to keep up my actual training. And, unfortunately, the Ghost in my head doesn’t love me being lazy. If I’m doing something with my time, I’ve gotta make it worth it for her too.” he explained.

Still, he was already showing improvement. While he wasn’t familiar with the character Reyna chose to play, it was getting more and more routine as the player unleashed more of the moveset in response. Now he anti-aired more consistently, despite it being one of the character’s weaker points. He was, at least, holding his ground here.
He swung his arm around Cass as he was blocking, pulling her in front of him and resting his head upon hers to look down at the screen.
”Hey cutie… I hear you’re good at Air Hockey…” he cooed, causing Casey to pipe up.
”Boooooo, hey tall guy, you suuuuck!” he chided.

Trisha nodded understandingly at what Casey said about coming here all the time - though, she didn't really relate to that bit, she'd not been allowed any kind of consoles either. Her dad quite gladly threw those kinds of things at his children, and many of her siblings had them, but it was her mom that didn't allow it. Too distracting from her studies. She'd barely played any games before going to college.

"Ah, adjoined," Reyna said as she got a little less relaxed about it, arms tensing slightly. She wasn't at risk of losing, but she couldn't really slack - not that she had been much before. "I know a little of it, since Trisha's the same."
“Mine doesn't really talk," Trisha said quickly, in case Reyna got a bit more into some of the things she'd managed to drag out about the apparition in her head. Not so much the apparition herself, but the emotions around it.

Cass was getting visibly twitchy, bouncing from foot to foot, and it wasn't really helped by being pulled in by Leon. She wriggled a bit, trying to stay still so to not constantly headbutt his chin, but it was difficult. There was a lot of undirected energy there, so she put her fingers on the edge of the machine, underneath all the controls, letting them tap away.
"That ain't the only thing I'm good at, if y'know what I mean," Cass grinned, eyebrows waggling even though no one could really see them.

Both Nadiyah and Trisha groaned, and Reyna laughed, barely distracted by the ball of energy whose arms occasionally were flying into her space.
“Maybe we should just let them leave," Trisha said half seriously. It wasn't that bad yet, but she could see it getting absolutely insufferable.
"No way!" Cass's hand shot out from where she was completely hidden by Leon, vaguely pointing in Trisha’s direction. "We gotta play one of those shooter games, Trish, I ain't lettin' you get off so easy!"
“... Why me?"
"Cause you're the only one as bad as me who'll play!"
As she talked, the short period of Cass staying vaguely still was abruptly ended, and she started shifting her weight from foot to foot with the largest body wriggle possible while doing that.

Leon, dying once again, leaned down to Cass’ ear with his deepest growling voice.
”You should take her now… Having you right here is too distracting. Just howl when you’re done… I’ll hunt you down.”
A hand fell from the console, smacking Cass’ ass pretty hard as the opposite arm lifted to let her out from in front of him.
”Leon!? God damn, Brother, control yourself.” Casey barked, looking up at Trisha.
”Do we… Save her?”

Trisha's eyes rolled right up to the sky.
“She’s fine."

And she really, very clearly was. Cass grinned, reactively shaking her ass a bit, stretching up before Leon's head got out of her reach. At first, it looked like she was going for a kiss against his chin, but she actually lightly bit it. Lengthened canines scraped against his skin, not actually breaking it, and pulled in as she dropped back down from the balls of her feet.
"Ooo, I can't wait, but I'm pretty fast, so no slacking." Her smile only grew wider and she hopped out from in front of Leon, spinning around and shooting fingers guns up at Trisha.
”Let's go, I saw one of those fuckin' terminator ones, let's shoot a whole buncha robots!"
She didn't even wait for a confirmation, bouncing away and over towards one of the machines they'd gone past on the way here.

Trisha’s head flopped against Casey's shoulder, and she went completely limp against his back. She turned her head and spoke softly, and cutely, against his neck.
“After seeing that I… don't think I can walk. You're going to have to carry me over."

”Yeah? Who the fuck is gonna carry me? I’m wounded too…” Casey joked up at Trisha, a grin forming on his face as he adjusted her position slightly. Just enough to make it comfortable to walk without feeling so weighed down by this koala.
”Sal, Diyah? You guys gonna stay here and make sure Leon doesn’t swallow Reyna alive?”

"I'd like to see him try," Nadiyah intoned, amusement in her eyes where her expression otherwise looked… bored. But that was just Diyah - her friends, at least, were used to the fact her expression didn't really match up how she was feeling. Now, at least. It used to make Trisha take everyone she said the wrong way.
"Oh yeah, I'll keep her safe," Sal chuckled. ”I can't bear seeing Cass play those kinds of games either. She really is… very bad…"
"Amusingly so. I'll stay here for now, but I'll maybe come watch if no cannibalism occurs here."

”Alright, good. I don’t trust him, mostly because I’ve seen him eat.”
Leon laughed as Casey followed Cass off into the bowels of the arcade, looking for his favorite kinds of arcade games. He could’ve gotten to the shooting gallery with his eyes closed from any part of that building.

The three of them eventually ended up there, the rows and rows of arcade shooters in different forms. The sit-down variants, the pistols and pedals, stationary sniper games, shotgun hunting spoofs; if you could think of a gun, this place probably had a machine that replicated it through one game or another.
”Which one, Cass-assin?” Casey laughed, still walking along holding Trisha as long as she wanted to be in that spot.

"This one!" Cass ran over to one of the less realistic ones, the words ‘Terminator Salvation’ written across it in glowing red text. The guns themselves were the kind that were attached to the machine kind of like a joystick, with more limited movement up and down as opposed to side to side.
"I ain't playin' any of that boring realistic shit. It's gotta look cool!"

Trisha tapped Casey's cheek when they got to the machine.
“Thanks, Case, you're the best mode of transport I've ever had,” she laughed, leaning in to kiss his cheek before wriggling a bit for him to let her down.

Cass had already chosen one of the guns, swinging it from side to side as if practicing. She then looked at Casey.
”You ain't gonna backseat game, are you? It might be hard to resist, ‘specially if you're good at this shootin' shit."

Casey leaned up against the machine next to them, looking at the screen. He like the Terminator movies, but not that much. So, to see they had a machine based on the crappier movie, made him frown a bit.
”Jesus Christ… I mean, what’s there to backseat? You’re fighting robots in the future, just point the gun and shoot it.”
Since it was her day, he wasn’t going to get in the way of the two playing together. As long as Trisha was happy and satisfied, he’d turn a blind eye to the annoying little things. Not like he was a kid anymore anyway, the arcade machines didn’t mean so much.

Right?

"Heh, you'll see… the robots of the future are tough!” Cass grinned. Trisha just laughed, and shoved in the money required to play (that she'd stolen off Casey earlier).

What followed was some of the worst shooter gameplay possible.
Cass' tactic was to never ever stay still, constantly moving the gun from right to left, up and down. The amount of time she wasn't holding down the trigger was less than the time she was, spraying bullets at the robots that stomped towards them on the screen, getting bigger as they got closer… at a slow pace because it was only the first level. Even with her spray to win technique, she managed to miss a surprising amount. She moved her whole body with the gun, practically jumping from side to side.
She managed to run out of ammo just over half way through, leaving Trisha to single handedly bring them to victory.

Trisha, on the other hand, was a much slower player. She took her time to line up a shot, attempting to actually aim. Sometimes, she did a pretty good shot. More often by the time she'd lined up the robot had moved and she hit somewhere she didn't want to, or missed at all.
"Left, left, on your left!"
“I need to get this one first."
"The left ones closer! Maybe I can beat it with my gun-"
“Don’t try to rip the gun off!"
By some God given miracle they made it through level one. Trisha's whole body was tense as if the robots were about to come out the screen to get her.

"Ay, that was fuckin' awesome, Trish. We got this!"
Cass' overly positive words very quickly proved to be not enough when they lost within five robots. Large words telling them to pay to continue from the same level.
"Let's keep going! This time we'll beat em!"

Trisha glanced at the screen, then over at Casey. She just stared at him for a few moments, lips pressed together as she went between continuing a bit longer at being bad and asking for help. Eventually the want to not look like an absolute loser in front of him won out.
“Casey… Can you help me get better at the game?"

Watching was more comedic for Casey than it was frustrating. It was, at most points, fairly endearing that Trisha was actually trying to line up and aim on these goofy arcade games. They were both way off the mark in either direction of the spectrum, and all he could do about it was laugh and laugh.
It only got better when Trisha started pouting. His heart swelled up.
”You know that’s a loaded question. What do you mean help you get better? You don’t think you’re already doing great Babe? How come?” he grinned, getting closer to her.

“Because we died after the first level," Trisha pointed to the screen, still flashing up text telling them to pay to continue. She then turned around to Casey, looking up at him with an only increasing pout, which just continued to make her look more cute than anything.
“I’m too slow, but if I go faster I miss them… I don't know, help me like you helped me with pool."

He grinned a bit wider, looking over at Cass.
”Y’know, I’m surprised you’re not using your magic to make you better! Someone else clearly has no problem falling back on it when she’s losing.”
Casey’s eyes fell back on Trisha as his hand reached into his pocket.
”You know you’re the absolute cutest when you do this, right?”

But he slid into her spot regardless, gloved hand sliding over the machine. It wasn’t so easy as pool; this shit was all digital. But he wasn’t going to tell her that, he was just going to look like a badass. A badass who could save her from any little problem in her life.
Orange Lux surged through the machine toward the circuitry that controlled the connection between the controller and the actual game board. It wasn’t going to be like pool at all…

Casey stepped away, letting Trisha slide back in. He didn’t say anything, and tried to look like he wasn’t concentrating now, but just like the paddle for Air Hockey, he decided the easiest thing to do here was going to be controlling the moving parts himself. This meant he had to give the game just about all his attention, so rather than turning to smile at Trisha, he stared directly at the screen.
”Alright, lets see if this works, huh?”

“It's not cheating when it's a cooperative game… Thanks, boyfriend," Trisha said, smiling cutely at him. She was going to go in for a hug and maybe a kiss first, but Casey was pretty intensely staring at the screen rather than her… well, that was fine. It was definitely fine. She stepped back to the gun, loosely holding it, and moving it slightly to see if it felt much different. Not really.

"Huh, I never really thought bout using magic," Cass said as Trisha put in the coin to continue from level two. She tilted her head from side to side before her eyes changed to a light yellow, ready to continue with her amazing shooting technique.
Which was somehow worse when Cass started using her magic because she was only faster. Sure, she actually hit things more, but she was also able to move around and spray around even more.
Trisha, on the other hand, didn't move much, figuring the gun itself would direct her.

He was sincerely doing his best, swinging the machine and firing at the same time at a rate that you really couldn’t replicate manually. He was sending impulses of electricity down streamlined paths, making sure that the data sent and received earlier than it’d normally be able to.
The gun’s vibration servos rumbled in tune, rattling the plastic casing that gave the entire thing the shape of a gun.

It would’ve been a lot less noticeable if gun movements themselves matched. As Trisha stood there with the gun in her hands, it listlessly vibrated without any sway or swing. Focusing all on the electronics meant there was no outward manipulation of the casing, which would’ve only created input for the reticle to begin with.
Casey, effectively, became the reticle in the game. This entirely neglected the physical and interactive parts as the level stretched on.

Now he was so focused on the game that he had no queues to turn and see that he was limiting Trisha’s fun. Unless she told him, it’d just go on like this as the score on Trisha’s side of the field climbed and climbed.
Not a single powerup was missed, not a single reload wasted. Casey was in the zone.

Trisha's brow furrowed when the gun didn't really move. She assumed it was just because it was a lot less simple than a pool cue. But it quickly became really boring. She wasn't even playing… it was even really what she'd meant.
Because she figured it could still be fun with the magically controlled gun, she hadn't bothered correcting him when he'd assumed that was what she was asking for. What she was actually wanting was the way he'd helped her with pool before showing off the magic - manually directing her, hands over hers and all close to each other.

She completely let go of the gun, hands dropping to her side. It kept going.

"Whoa," Cass also stepped back, having completely used up all of her ammo again. Her eyes went back to normal and she squinted at the screen.
"Shit, I ain't got any magic like that."

Trisha didn't say anything, staring at Casey. He didn't even look away from the game. Of course he didn't. She clenched and unclenched her fist. This wasn't fun at all anymore. There was that little, toxic voice in the back of her mind telling her to just walk away and see if he even noticed. But… if he somehow didn't that'd hurt more.
“Casey, stop." She was frowning now, and it really wasn't a cute pout at all.

Casey had rucked himself up to the third level of the game by the time Trisha bothered to tell him to stop. He did so, focused zoned face pursing into a happy smile.
”Huh? We’re doin-”
Her pout wasn’t pouty. It was the kind of face he recognized in a lot of the women in his life. Stern disappointment in a thin veil of politeness. All at once, he realized what had happened… She was bored. It wasn’t like the pool cue at all…
”Oh… See? I told you it wasn’t gonna be like the cue, I mean… There’s a lot of parts in here, Babe. I can’t play the whole thing for you.” he said rather bluntly.
”I guess I should’ve explained it better when I hit it with the spell and realized how different it really was. Do you… Just, like, wanna keep going?”

“You didn't say." Trisha wasn't just disappointed, she was upset and annoyed. Maybe she should've guessed it would be different, but it wasn't even what she'd wanted! And how was she supposed to know? He hadn't even said.
“It wasn't even- whatever. I don't care. No, I don't want to keep going. What's the point? I want to go home. But you keep playing, it's fine, I'll see if Reyna can take me."

Cass in the background had taken a few steps away, recognising the pattern of Trisha getting upset over something and starting to clam up. She pulled out her phone and sent a quick SOS text to Reyna.

Casey recoiled when Trisha mentioned that he hadn’t said anything. It was likely; he often did so when he was getting ready to expend Orange Lux like that. He had to work himself up a bit to do so, and getting into his own head was common.
But she wanted to go home? They hadn’t been but a couple of hours at this point. Barely a few drinks.
”What!? No, no way! If you want to leave, we’re going home together. No way I’m just letting you go home mad, that’s fuckin’ stupid.”

“I’m not mad," Trisha said before he could continue, though she clearly was. Everything about her body language screamed it - lips twisted downwards, shoulders tense, arms folded and keeping her distance.
“Why do you get to decide anyway?"

”Because I have to go home to you later anyway? I may as well go home with you now and deal with whatever the fuck this is in private.” he pitched himself down an octave so he wasn’t yelling or anything. He had to be conscious now, so he didn’t look like a jerk and lose his brand new girlfriend over a game of Terminator at an arcade.
”I’m. Sorry. Trisha. We can go home and talk about it, or we can find some place private to talk about it here. You can even bring all your friends, so they can feel safe knowing that I’m not trying to be a dick.”

Trisha didn't want to talk about it at all. What was she going to say? That she was pissed off he'd misunderstood her and made something not fun, but that wasn't even really what annoyed her, it was the fact he was giving the game all of his attention? That it was just the last thing on an increasingly growing list? What would even come of that?
“Let’s go home then, but there's nothing to talk about. I'm sure Cass will be coming back to the same building."

At her name being said, Cass' head snapped up. She didn't say anything, because saying something meant stepping in the line of fire.
Thankfully, her saviour Reyna appeared in the same aisle of games as them, having understood the message perfectly. She had her denim jacket and sunglasses back on, but she pushed them up to her forehead as she approached. She'd obviously hurried over, so the others were probably just a bit behind.
"Hey, we finished-"

“I know Cass texted you," Trisha interrupted before Reyna could get any further, sullen glare switching from Casey to her, then back again.
Reyna held up her hands. "Alright, she did, but I could see your aura a mile away. What's-"
“We’re going home," Trisha interrupted again, gesturing to herself and Casey.

Reyna let out a quiet ‘ah’ sound, glancing over at Casey with a slight smile.
”Without us?"
Trisha nodded.
"Right. We're at least going to come sit in the parking lot or something for a bit, give you guys some privacy, but there's still a few things to sort out, alright?" Reyna looked at Casey, and it was obvious it was a way to work around Trisha's stubborn denial that she was doing anything but just going home. At least from the area Reyna would be able to pinpoint Trisha's aura. She wanted to make sure her friend would be fine… and Cass too. Unlike the others, she knew Casey had been lying about knowing Trisha since highschool.
"If that's fine with you, Casey?"

Casey nodded, a sour look on his face.
”Of course, Reyna. Whatever you guys want, I’m happy with. Someone clearly doesn’t even want to talk about whatever this is, so if y’all wanna ride back in the car with us, you can conduct your business. Or, hang out, make sure she’s good, whatever. How can I care at this point?”

Leon wasn’t trying to interrupt this moment, knowing full well he’d only spark Trisha’s anger and make Casey’s night worse…
But what was he going to do? He was promised a night of enjoyment. Lelou wouldn’t let him live it down if he just passed it up.
”Cass?” Leon looked across at her expectantly, holding his hand up.
”I wasn’t done… C’mon! We’ll catch a cab back when the bomb cloud settles.”

Casey scoffed, unable to say anything to his Brother. His arm weakly motioned toward the exit.
”Fuckin’ whatever… C’mon Trisha.”

Cass looked at Leon, then at Trisha. She bit her lip, quite visible torn, heel tapping up and down. Finally, she looked at Reyna. Reyna made a slight gesture towards Leon, then pinched her fingers together in an ‘ok’ sign. A silent affirmation that, if needed, she'd take on handling Trisha duty. Cass let out a silent sigh of relief, already feeling Trisha's glare turning towards her the more her foot bounced up and down.
She loved Trisha, but she only ever made the situation worse anyway! She bounded over to Leon, slapping her hand into his.
"Les'go, I'll show you what else I'm good at."

Reyna was now giving Casey a look filled with sympathy. It was obviously the first time this had happened… she just hoped he was patient enough that it wouldn't be the last.
"I brought my own car here, so I need to-"
"I can drive it." Nadiyah interrupted, after a shared look with Sal. If someone was going in a car with Trisha it was going to be Reyna. She just smiled calmly at that.
"Sure, I'll ride back with you then, Casey."

Trisha had already started to make her way towards the exit, very pointedly now not looking at anyone. She didn't react to anything that was said, but Casey's ‘how can I care' hurt. No, it was fine, she didn't care. It wasn't like she was doing anything wrong. But even as she stormed ahead of them she kept shooting furtive glances back - seeming to be telling them to hurry up, but really making sure that they… were still there.

---

Home

---

The ride went as well as one could expect in the situation. Casey wasn’t exactly a small-talk kind of guy, finding himself more and more desiring to make a big deal of things than he was comfortable. Honestly, he felt a bit hurt, wondering why she wouldn’t just stand up on what the problem was in the first place.
Hell, if she hadn’t reacted the way she reacted in the first place, he probably wouldn’t have made such a big deal of it.

Or… Had she? By the time they pulled into the parking lot at the apartment building, Casey didn’t even really remember the circumstance. He just wasn’t built to hold this type of shit in, and even if she was expecting an argument, she wasn’t going to get one. He put the car in park, turning the key and unbuckling into silence.
”Uhh… You said you had some stuff to go over still, Reyna? You want me to leave the car? I’ll meet you inside the lobby?” he asked, seeming to sound a bit tired.

Reyna glanced at Trisha, who was staring out the window to her right, hugging her legs to her chest, then back at Casey. She didn’t want to intrude too much where it wasn’t her place, but she also knew what Trisha could be like. She cared about her friend and wanted to try and make it so she… didn’t lose another relationship so quickly.
"Yeah, if that’s alright, Casey? We won’t be long."

She waited until Casey got out of the car to continue talking. The moment he was out Trisha got more tense, fingers digging into her thighs. It was the contrary nature of things with her - not wanting to talk to him, but not wanting him to leave first either.
"Are you going to talk to him when you go up, Trisha?" she said softly, shifting into the middle seat and leaning forward.

“There’s nothing to talk about.” Of course, Trisha knew there was. But talking never got anywhere. Talking just made things worse. It was better to just ignore it, ignore everything, and then she’d feel fine with it in a day or two.
"We both know that there is, and he can’t check like I can." As Reyna spoke her eyes were fixed on Trisha, gently pushing through the outer layer of her aura to the emotions below. It wasn’t something blocked by emotional fields, thanks to her lux combination, but it could be felt.

“Stop that,” Trisha snapped before she got very far, twisting around to glare at her. Reyna held up her hands and pulled back. “I don’t want to have this conversation, I’m leaving. You can too.”

Reyna winced, reaching out to grasp Trisha’s arm before she could get out of the car. It had been… a long time since she’d properly dealt with Trisha like this. She’d forgotten just how careful she had to be.
"Alright, I’m sorry. But Trisha, I’m not just going to let you go up there and have a fight. What if he hurts you?"
“He won’t.”
"You don’t know that. You’ve only known him for a few days, right? You can’t lie to me about that."
“I’ve known Leon for ten. He was a dick, but he never did anything like that to me. Casey’s nicer than him.”
"Well… I need to wait for Diyah and Sal anyway. Maybe once you’ve talked, we can go back out, if you feel up to it."

Trisha didn’t even bother responding. She shook off Reyna’s hand and got out of the car. Reyna followed behind her as she walked straight over and into the lobby. She glanced up at Casey, but didn’t say anything as she went past him towards their lift. She turned back around there and looked at him again.
“Let’s go.”

Reyna had followed them in, still smiling calmly.
"I’m going to wait in here for Diyah and Sal to come get me, they’re just going around some shops first. Hopefully I’ll see you later or tomorrow, Casey?"

Casey, by this point, looked supremely sad. He’d had a few minutes to think about his own reaction, and about how he’d jumped the gun. Thinking, not saying, and reality had manifested what was in his head. What he was worried about that he should’ve expressed. But she wasn’t going to give him the chance to explain. Maybe he had to just force her to hear it.

His biggest regret was that she was leaving her friends like that. Sure, alright. It looked bad that Leon and Cass were probably sleeping together that night, but… That had nothing to do with them. It was hearing something like that from Reyna, how she hoped they’d see each other again. Like what, he was just going to kick her out here and now?
”Yeah. Here’s hoping sooner than that; maybe we’ll be able to make it back out.”

It was a brave smile. He wasn’t sure how true those words were going to hold. But as the elevator door closed to leave them with one another, Casey didn’t waste any time.
”Listen… If I really didn’t say it was going to be different, then it’s all my fault, Trisha. I’m sorry; and I’m sorry for how I reacted. But that really didn’t give you the free pass to act like that back… I mean, like, home? Over that? What’s the reasoning there?” he tried to act like reason played any part in it. He hoped it did.

He hoped to God the next words out of her mouth were about how she couldn’t stand seeing Leon and Cass acting how they were, or how Sal had ruined her night and she was just looking for an excuse home.
Anything that wasn’t his fault… Anything he couldn’t be blamed squarely for, even though… He’d encouraged Cass and Leon, then beat Sal himself and made a big deal of it.
”Like, I mean… It’s not reasonable. I don’t expect a reasonable answer, I just want to hear what you have to say for yourself.”

Trisha didn’t want to talk about any of it. If she had it her way they just wouldn’t talk to each other for the next few hours. But that wasn’t going to happen, because he was talking to her, and she couldn’t just outright ignore that. She was that good at the silent treatment. She couldn’t not react.
And now he was turning it on her. The pushback, the phrasing, talking to her like she was some kid having a temper tantrum. It just set her off more.
“It’s not reasonable? Are you saying that I’m unreasonable? What, are you going to judge whether it’s a good enough reason or not?”

She didn’t raise her voice, but her tone was cold and harsh.
“You’re right, it was all your fault. You acted like I should’ve known when I just wanted a little help, you kept- you kept flirting with Sal, and it just wasn’t fun. I wanted to go home because Arcades are lame.”
None of it was a solid reason, nor was it the reason. But she wasn’t going to give that one, not now, not ever.

Was it flirting? Was that considered flirting?
”Woah. That’s not what I was doing, I wasn’t flirting. And if you thought that I was flirting with that dude, you’re gonna hate when you meet my buddies from the military, because that’s how we talk to one another.”
Casey grimaced as the elevator lurched through its security gate and dragged itself up the line a bit more.
”All I’m saying is that going home over what transpired is not a reasonable action. The fact that you took that action speaks volumes to your decision making in the moment.”

He wasn’t willing to engage her pettiness on the last bit, because she was most certainly having fun up until that last moment.
”And, God, do not lie to me to make yourself feel better. You were fuckin’ having fun and you know it! And I fuckin’... Ruined it. I ruined it for you, right Trisha? Super big fuckup, all Casey’s fault. Right?” he snapped. The elevator doors opened up to silence. Thankfully the office doors were all closed.

Trisha’s hands balled into fists at her side, expression tightening as her nose scrunched up and her lips twisted down into an even uglier scowl. Spoke volumes about her decision making? Right, of course, because she was just so unreasonable.
“If I wanted a lecture I’d call my mom,” she snapped back, letting slip something she normally wouldn’t want to in the heat of the moment. She stepped out of the elevator, still facing him.
“Right, it is all your fault.”
Then she turned around and stomped all the way to the end of the corridor, as quickly as she could… but she stopped at the end, twisting her head round to make sure he was following. A strange little action considering they were in the middle of a fight.

It wasn’t an action he noticed. He was far too busy trying to figure out how to crack this nut.
”Nah… Y’know what? You want your private time? You wanna fuckin’ decompress? Fine. You can go ahead, go upstairs to our house. Have the run of it. I’m just locomotion to you, right? I’ll be down here in my own little world, shooting my gun. Because I can actually shoot a gun, I don’t need my boyfriend to do it for me.”
Waltzing down to the end of the hallway, he gave her a long stare as he opened up the door to the black box.
”I’ll see you when you’re ready to talk. You know where to find me.”

And then he stepped inside and slammed the door behind him, leaving Trisha alone.

Trisha didn’t move, staring at the closed door. Her chest heaved up and down, but it wasn’t from anger, it was from panic. It was difficult to breathe, her hands trembling at her side. He’d just left her. Alarm pheromones filled the air, trapped in the tiny space with no one else around. They just rebounded back onto her, the cold feeling in her chest increasing, the need to flee becoming intense.

She couldn’t go up to the house. Not alone. She could- she couldn’t see the bees. It would affect them, hurt them- maybe she should- no. She didn’t want to talk. If she went in he’d make her talk. She couldn’t. She needed to get out of here.
Trisha went right back down the corridor, practically running, jumping back into the elevator that was still there. The even more confined space didn’t help as her pheromones filled it. She slammed a hand against the button to go back down the ground floor before dropping into a squat, face pressed into her knees.

This was it. He was going to leave- hadn’t he already left? No, no, it was just going into another room… but he’d shut her out. He’d turned his back to her and closed a door in her face. He was abandoning her just like everyone else. It wasn’t even a problem, she’d just wanted to go home, fuck. Trisha furiously rubbed her eyes to stop any tears, obviously from anger, from falling.
She didn’t even notice the elevator lurching on the way down, only looking up when it had stopped moving for about a minute. She stood up and stepped out, still looking incredibly pissed and like she wanted to cry.

"That was quick- fuck, Trisha." Reyna was still there, slamming a hand over her nose as she was bombarded by the harsh banana scent. Her heartrate increased, and she slammed herself with her emotional manipulation, completely removing her fear. She closed the distance between them, pulling Trisha into a hug that she only weakly struggled against.
"What happened?"

“Nothing.”
"Don’t give me that shit, Trisha. What happened?"
“We fought. He didn’t want to talk and went into another room, so it's over.”
"Did he say it was?" Reyna asked softly, gently rubbing Trisha’s back.
“No.”
"He just went into another room? Let me guess, he told you that you would talk when you were ready to?"
“Yes.”
"Right. So he hasn’t left you, you just haven’t resolved the fight. Alright, Trisha? You both just need some time to cool off, then you can talk again."

Trisha frowned at that, because she still didn’t want to talk. But Reyna’s words got through the panicked haze enough for her to realise that it wasn’t over… yet. It wasn’t until either of them said it was. Slowly, the alarm pheromones in the air reduced.
Thankfully she hadn’t called the bees themselves in her panic. They were too far away to sense these ones…

"Feeling better?" Reyna let go of her.
“Not really,” Trisha muttered, looking away. Reyna just smiled, her phone buzzing.
"Diyah and Sal are here… are you coming with us? Have you told Casey that you are?"
“I haven’t and I don’t want to.”
Reyna just about resisted rolling her eyes, holding out her hand. She knew that Trisha would just ignore all calls like this, and she didn’t want Casey worrying just because they were having a fight. "Then give me your phone, and I’ll answer, alright?"

“Fine.” Trisha grumpily handed it over, stuffing her hands in her coat pockets and following Trisha over to her car.
She didn’t feel any better than when they’d gotten back, and she didn’t really want to go out somewhere with her friends. But she couldn’t be alone. That… that was worse. It was fine. She’d go, drink, and just ignore all of the feelings like she always did.

The hours passed on as the afternoon sun of late autumn turned into a dim midday, and then an evening. Casey had to lose himself in something. He’d stayed next to the door when she’d left, and while he didn’t stop her from running back the way they came, he found that he was sad about it.
But she’d accepted blaming him, and he’d accepted the self-placed blame. Like usual, things were his fault. Rather than starting what he told her he’d do, he looked out the window of the apartment overlooking the parking lot. He watched little dots flick and flitter about, then they got into a car and left.

At least she was going to spend time with her friends. Reyna seemed responsible, and Nadiyah as well. Casey found all the bluster and bravado deflated from his person. All he really wanted now was to take it all back. To have her, and to be upstairs on their couch. It’d been resolved so easily at the furniture store, so… So what made her run off? Why hadn’t she just gone upstairs if she didn’t want to be out.

The realization hit him harder than it probably deserved to. That, maybe, it really was about being bored. Bored by a boring guy who got nostalgic over air hockey and a fishy smelling old arcade. A shitty place for a date, even if it may have been a good place to bring a group. Her friends seemed to like it at least…

Withdrawn, Casey wandered upstairs to take a long look at the ocean, then headed back down to shoot in earnest. He’d immerged after that cold sundown took the city, heading back upstairs to find that she’d not made it home yet. Rather than make a big deal of it, he checked the time and went back downstairs to his office. Furio wasn’t there, thankfully, but there was something there that he knew he probably shouldn’t engage with.

”M-m… Mom?” he spoke into the room, slowly sitting down in his chair. There was no response.
”Mom… Just call. I’m… I don’t want to go through a weird confession.”
A hotline on the console of his desk began to buzz. He picked it up immediately.

”What’s wrong, Bubba Cher? I can feel you bubblin’ away.”
The voice on the other line cooed in his ear. Lynette Richoux maybe wasn’t right next to her boy to comfort him, but just like her other children, she always kept an ear out.
”I just… I don’t know why I’m like this.”
”Petty? Baby, your Daddy was the same damn way. Couldn’t just let somethin’ go, always had to get into it and resolve it immediately. And if you didn’t, he’d shove your nose in it.” Lynette explained as calmly as she could.
”How much did you hear?” Casey asked weakly.
”Enough to know you should apologize to that poor girl. You think you’ve got problems? Try the Stygian Snake problems, Honey, I’m sure they’re ever-present.” she cleared her throat. ”But, listen. Just do right. Make it better. Momma’s gotta go.”

Click.

Casey closed his eyes and sighed. No thoughts, empty head. He pushed away from the console and stood up, shaking his head and turning the lights back off to leave. A lesson in useless interactions featuring Lynette Richoux. Some fuckin’ Prophet: The thought ran through his mind more than he cared to recall.
It was fine. She’d be fine. She was taking the time he offered her, and there wasn’t anything he could do but sit and wait.

And call Leon. But after it went straight to voicemail, Casey’s imagination ran wild. He made it up to the roof and tried to look down and see if Reyna’s car had come back and they were just downstairs, but no. Now he couldn’t tell himself to calm down. He was thinking about Sal being Severed, and about the other two maybe not being able to defend themselves.
He rattled off a text message to Gin, asking for notifications on any Bees leaving the hive, which she instantly responded to with an emoji he didn’t know. The assumption was that it meant yes, but how could he ever know?
Another couple of hours passed, and he still didn’t hear anything. He’d tucked into some of the food that had been left behind by the lunch party.

His anxiety peaked when Leon and Cass came upstairs to get her posters. Casey had to tell Cass that they still hadn’t come home, but she was fairly encouraging. It seemed so long as Reyna was involved, things were going to be alright. If that was the case, he’d have to thank her, but he wasn’t satisfied yet.
So, finally, after almost seven hours of waiting, Casey snapped. His fingers slid across the screen of his phone, pulling Trisha’s contact info and pressing the call button. Now he could only wait.

"Hello, it’s Reyna, sorry." The person who picked up very clearly wasn’t Trisha, and she said as much almost right away. There was some muffled background noise. "I assume this is Casey? I’m sorry I couldn’t call earlier, Trisha wouldn’t unlock her phone."

Somehow he was a bit relieved that it was Reyna who picked up.
”Jesus, hey… It’s fine, I just… I figured I’d give her the time she needed. I saw you guys leave from upstairs, so… Y’know, I mean, fuck, I feel so fucking stupid. Is she at least gonna come home tonight? Please, just try to convince her if she isn’t, but don’t let her out of your sight. There’s… Some really weird shit has been going on in St. Portwell lately, Reyna, and Trisha isn’t safe. So, whatever you do, don’t leave her.”
He couldn’t try to make his tone any less pleading. He was actively begging at this point.

"I see… Don’t worry, I don’t plan to. But-" There was some shuffling as Reyna seemed to stand up, the muffled talking in the background getting a bit quieter. "Ah, don’t worry, I’m still in the same room. As I was saying… She’s really drunk. I tried to stop her, Diyah tried to stop her, Sal- well, Sal’s also pretty drunk. I asked her if she wanted to go home, but she just ignored me, but… Look." Her voice got quieter.
"She’s really bad at saying how she feels. How she really feels, that is. She’s doing this thing she does where she’s pretending she just wants to be left alone - sometimes, that’s the case, but not just now. She’s just- well, you have to be really patient. I think you should come pick her up. If that’s the wrong move, I’ll take the full blame."

By the time Reyna was finished speaking, Casey was already up and putting shoes on.
”You read my mind, where the Hell are you guys? Do you want me to get you home? Or, no, you… Didn’t drink, did you? I saw…-” he stopped, struggling as he stuffed himself into a sweater. ”-Saw Cass. Leon and her are downstairs in his apartment. They didn’t waste any time.”

"Of course they didn’t," Reyna laughed slightly. "If there’s one thing Cass never does, it’s slowing down… But we’re at the apartment we rented. I figured that going out when Trisha was like this wouldn’t end well for anyone. I haven’t had anything to drink yet in case I had to take her home. I’ll text you the address. It’s not too far, maybe ten minute drive?"

”Make it five. I’m there already. I’m in the walls.” he laughed, hanging up and stuffing his hand into his glove to channel a spell. A few spells. Scrape-proof soles, impact dampeners, sturdiness in the pants.

Casey stepped out of his door, locked it behind himself, and stepped off the roof of the building. Ten stories, he fell toward the ground legs first. It was, of course, risky considering that one had to trust magic that didn’t actually exist.
But it did! And just like every time he’d done that before, he hit the ground soft like a cloud, bouncing up and down a few times as he directed the momentum toward his car.

---

Reyna’s Temporary Rental

---

He was in his car and on the street by the time the text message hit his message box. But, he couldn’t teleport, so… It was still ten minutes. Oh well. Pulling up outside, he went for a spot as close as he could before getting out. A text message got sent to Reyna’s number, which had been included with the address, letting her know that he was there now. The response was to come up, so he made way for the entrance and climbed a set of stairs.

The hallway was pretty long, but he quickly bounded across it until he was standing outside. He gave a gentle, non-hostile knock.

The door opened almost immediately, revealing Reyna, who smiled at him.
"Hey, come in." She stepped back to let him into the place. The entrance hall barely existed, almost immediately opening out into a reasonably large living room. The place was surprisingly tidy considering there’d been drinking going on, with some bottles of beers stacked against one wall along with an empty bottle of rum.
There wasn’t really any proper talking going on - instead just occasional swears from Sal and laughs from Nadiyah. He was sitting in an armchair leaning forward, eyes narrowed in concentration, while Nadiyah sat on the floor with her back against the couch. They were playing some kind of racing game on the medium sized television.

Neither actually sat on the couch because the entire thing was taken up by Trisha. She lay on her side with her head next to Nadiyah, hugging a pillow tightly to her chest. It came all the up to her nose, covering half of her face. At the sound of the door opening she turned slightly to look up. Spotting Casey, she hugged the pillow tighter.

"See," Reyna said as she closed the door behind them, ushering him in. "I told you he’d come."
"Does this mean I’m free from water duty?" Nadiyah asked, nodding to Casey with a smile. She shuffled to the side so she wasn’t in front of the couch, not seeming to care that it meant she drove off a cliff.
Trisha stayed silent, just staring at him.

Casey was really trying to not have a hard time in front of other people. He wanted to cry right there, and to tell her how sorry he was in front of everyone. But he had to hold it in. Just for a little bit.
”Yeah! Yeah, of course… No more water duty for anybody. I’ve got it. But, thank you… Seriously.”
He did his best to smile, but he had to clench his jaw to not let it wobble up and down.

He got closer, squatting down in front of the couch next to Nadiyah, and placed a hand on her shoulder. It patted, just for a moment of confirmation, before he turned all his attention to Trisha.
”Queen Bee? You don’t have to say anything, my girl… We’re just gonna go home and go to sleep. That’s all, okay? I know you’re gonna want to sleep in your new bed.”
His eyes stared into Trisha’s, the deep blue blinking at her.

Trisha looked back at him, slowly thinking about it, before nodding. She let go of the pillow, shuffling forward towards him. When she was close enough her arms wrapped around his neck, and her face pressed in against his shoulder. She pressed her fingers against the back of her neck, before alleviating the pressure, and then doing it again.
She was trying to make sure he was real… because everything was a bit fuzzy, maybe she was just imagining things. But he felt real, and he smelt real.
“Casey?” she spoke very softly against him, almost hesitantly.

Casey’s head curled into her chest slightly, and he shook for a moment.
”Y-yeah?” he asked, one hand slipping under her knees while the other cradled her back. Looking at him again, his face was a bit red.

“Just making sure is really you,” Trisha mumbled, words drawn out and slurred. Her arms tightened around his neck.
”It really is.”

”Of course it is, Silly… Who else would it be?”
Bearing her full weight, Casey stood up and began to adjust her slightly.
”Now, say goodnight to everyone, and tell ‘em you’ll see them tomorrow. Okay?” he urged gently, speaking to her like the softest thing on the planet. Like she’d crumble if his voice wavered even a little.

Trisha turned her head slightly to look at her friends, while still clinging onto Casey’s neck like he’d disappear if she let go.
“Night, see you all tomorrow,” she said slowly, surprisingly easily.

"Niiiggght, Trisha!" Sal grinned, the only other one who was clearly drunk - but nowhere near as much as she was.
"Don’t rush tomorrow," Nadiyah said, standing up and gently patting Trisha’s shoulder. "See you then."

"I’ll see you out," Reyna said with a smile, leading them towards the door. She opened it for them. "I’ll see you both tomorrow. Try to get a good night’s sleep, Trisha."
Trisha just mumbled at that.
Reyna looked up at Casey, and a message flashed across his emotional field.
She’s more likely to talk to you when she’s like this. Thank you for treating her well.

There was an anxiety whenever something rippled across the Emotional Field. But it was very pink of her to do so. Rather than responding, he simply nodded with a smile at Reyna.
”Goodnight, Rey. Thank you for keeping her safe.”
And then he stepped away, walking slowly down the hall in the quiet. Knowing they were going to get out into the cold, he flipped his sweater up off his stomach and torso to wrap around Trisha.

There wasn’t a single thing he wouldn’t do to make the moments like this last forever. She was just so warm and soft, and he felt nothing more than pure and unbridled tenderness. Maybe even the L word. He assumed it was just the anxiety washing away from his body…
”Y’know how much I missed you?” he asked very casually as they made it out of the building and into the cold night air.

Trisha shook her head against him. She felt safe being in his arms again, that constant anxiety that had only increased with every drink finally beginning to lessen. It was warm, warm enough that if her drunken mind wasn’t so active she might’ve just fallen asleep. It felt safe enough - and she was drunk enough - that her tall, steel walls began to slip. Maybe she could tell him, maybe she could ask-
“Why? Why would you miss me?” What was supposed to stay a thought slipped out. What was unsaid was obvious - after the fight they’d had, and how she’d acted.

He smiled down at her. It was dark, so any light would’ve been coming from over his head. It left his face dark, but a little raindrop managed to hit Trisha’s hand. It was followed by another, and another.
”Gosh, Trisha… You’re giving me the time of day? I guess?” he choked out a laugh.
”No… No joking, I’m sorry. I miss you because you fill my heart with warm feelings. Because I think we have something special, and because when I told you to go take your time… I didn’t think that meant running so far from me. I waited. I waited in the box, hoping that you’d say something, or call out, but you didn’t. And I immediately felt like I had made the biggest mistake in my life. Dramatic, huh?” he sniffled, finally getting to his car and popping the door open.

It was the back door, to let her lay out across the bench seat in the back. Only, it was hard to maneuver. It was the difference between asking for her cooperation, and not. So, he closed the door back up and went for the passenger side.
”Here we go…”

Trisha really didn’t want to let go of Casey. Even when she ended up in the passenger seat, her hands were still around the back of his neck, her arms stretched out to keep them there. She was worried if she let go he’d disappear. He could still leave… but he said he missed her and didn’t want her to run away… but she wasn’t sure…
“I thought you didn’t want me to stay. You- you-” She shook her head, suddenly panicking when she realised she was going to have to move her hands eventually. “Don’t go.”

As she resisted pulling away, Casey let the back of the seat lower just enough to let her ease back instead of being bolted upright. He pushed his face close to hers, and in the light reflecting off the surfaces in the car, Trisha could see Casey’s watery eyes and red face. He was crying. Had been since they left the apartment. Not that he could do much about it. Just like there wasn’t much he could do to get her back home that didn’t involve breaking her hold on him.

”Of course I wanted to you stay. Home. At our home. The place we live together, where we could just walk up or down a flight of stairs to apologize… And it’s where we’re gonna go now, Babe. Our house. Together. And all it’ll cost is five more seconds of not holding my hand, then I promise you, you won’t need to let go. Okay? I’m not going anywhere far from you…”

Trisha furrowed her eyebrows, looking confused for a moment as she processed everything he said. It… made sense. Why would he put her in his car just to leave… she wasn’t drunk enough to imagine that much… She nodded, finally removing her hands, legs immediately coming up so that she could hug them instead.
“Mmkay, but you promised. No letting go after.”

Casey sat and thought for a moment, finally laughing.
”There’ll be another five seconds where I have to do the reverse of what’s about to happen when we get home. That’ll be the only other time.”
He moved his hands upward to grab Trisha’s gently, pulling them close and kissing both before pulling away and tucking her tight in the car to close the door.
Trisha could watch Casey circle around the front of the car, getting to the driver’s side and popping the door open to slide in.

His left hand had to roll over the wheel and through the spoke to turn the car on, because his right hand immediately swept across the console to grab hers tightly.
”See? That wasn’t hard at all. I know you’re here, you know I’m here… God, I missed you…” he commented passionately as the car lurched forward.

“I missed you too,” Trisha said so softly that it would be difficult for Casey to hear, even as close as he was.

---

Home (Again)

---

For the whole, short journey she held onto his hand tightly, head tilted over to watch him as if she needed to do both to make sure he was still there. Then, when they arrived, it was a bit of the same game again - but she let go a little faster this time, clumsily unbuckling her seatbelt so that in the five seconds it took Casey to come open her door she was ready to roll right into his arms.

She silently clung to him the whole way up, closing her eyes with a slightly sharper intake of breath when they reached the end of the corridor where they’d ended their fight. What if he remembered and put her down and then went back into the room and left her alone-
While the thoughts were racing through her head, they were already up onto the roof, a quick walk inside with rain pattering across the canopies. Then they were inside their apartment.

Trisha opened her eyes again, but didn’t let go of him. But she did lift her head from where it had been resting against him, looking at him with slightly squinted eyes. She bit her lip, one of the hands once again at the back of his neck starting to fiddle with a strand of his hair.
“I…” she trailed off. What did she want to say? Did she want to say anything… yes, a bit. The liquid courage was enough for her to consider it. But it came out as a mess and she struggled to bring herself to say anything, or decide which bit to say.
“It- It wasn’t… You weren’t… I- You all liked each other more than me.”

Casey grinned down at her the whole way, singing gently and rocking her as they walked. Finally, with her interruption as Casey made way for the stairs to the loft, he cracked a little smile and replied.
”What? Like, at the arcade?” Casey asked, trying to figure out how best to twist his massive body to scale the stairs with her aloft.
”Sorry, Baby. I was trying to impress your friends. I didn’t even think you’d be worried about something like that.” he cleared his throat.
”I think I accomplished it though, they all seemed like they liked me, right? So, now I don’t need to try so hard. Next time we see them, I’ll ignore them. And, and I won’t talk to Sal like I was. I promise. I get that it’s probably weird, since all my friends are straight, but he’s gay… I wasn’t thinking…”

At least it was warm up here, as opposed to the cold outside. The crook in the roof was well insulated above them, keeping it warm like a pocket of spring weather. Casey tried to put Trisha down on the bed, mostly so he could at least take his sweater off and change out of the jeans he’d been sitting in all day.

Trisha, unsurprisingly, refused to let him go. She went a step further this time, swinging her legs around his waist. Even though he’d said it wasn’t the case, that was just one of her worries… the constant background anxiety that everyone in her life would decide she was the one they didn’t need. She knew, really, that hadn’t been flirting with Sal but… it was less that and more the worry with all of them. They’d all like him more than her, and he’d like them more than her too.
“You promised you wouldn’t let go,” she whined, pouting.
“If- if I let go you might leave me alone again.”

Still sober, Casey was having a hard time not seeing a pattern. Maybe it was just how things went today, but she seemed… Fixed. Persistent to say the least, which gave him a pang of anxiety. There was a moment where he wasn’t sure if he should force her off just for the moment.
No, no. Teacher. Teach. Her.
”Trisha? If you don’t let go, you’ll never see that I’m not gonna leave you. I don’t want to leave you, Baby. I… You’re drunk, right? Really drunk? Then you’ll forget when I say that I love you… But I do. I think. Why? You feel special to me. There’s a warmth in your face that I can see and feel, that doesn’t exist anywhere else. That I’ve never seen…”

He pulled his body through the sweater, wrapping Trisha in it before laying down next to her.
”I won’t say it tomorrow, or… Any time soon. Because you know now. I’ll save it.”
Pulling her tightly, he crawled into bed on his side to cradle her like a big spoon as he spun her entirely.

The little, drunken cog in Trisha’s brain was slowly turning and processing what he said. She had to let go to know he wasn’t going to leave? But- but then what would stop him from leaving? He didn’t want to… was that enough? He- he loved her? What. She didn’t understand, she wasn’t warm, where did that warmth come from?
“Okay… now I know…” she said softly, wriggling back against him and putting her hands on his arms. She felt safe again. A temporary, nice safety. He wasn’t going to leave tonight.

“I’ll try to be better,” she said quietly, a drunken promise that she wouldn’t be able to keep.
“Nobody ever lets me try.”

Casey’s chest heaved hearing her say that.
”Well… I’m here, Trisha. I’m here for you to try and try and try again. Your life isn’t on the line. Not because of it… We can just keep trying, Trisha. It’s great…”
His hand ran through her hair, the other one gently rubbing her stomach as she laid upon it.
”I’ll always be here. I promise.”

A sober promise that he’d break himself in half to keep.

[AtomicEmperor]

---

Act One-Five

It was dark.

Trisha didn't know where she was, not exactly. St Portwell, a forest. She couldn't sense the bees. Shadows moved all around her, forming vague human shapes, with sharp claws that chased after her. Inhuman whispers echoed in her ears.

You're all alone. You deserve to be. Why would anyone stay? You're a failure. Everyone will abandon you. No one loves you. It's all a lie.

She couldn't escape the words even when she tried to run in the endless forest. Shadows turned into monsters that came after her, and she had no bees to stop them.

You just hurt everyone.

The trees were painted blood red. Suddenly, it wasn't just the shadows. There were bodies of people she didn't recognise. She'd known them, but forgotten them, maybe. She didn't know. They were torn apart. But it wasn't her fault. Was it?

It's your fault that they leave you. You'll always be abandoned. You deserve to be alone.

The shadows surrounded her, blocking off any escape. She could already feel the pain of their claws, phantom agony across her chest.

Alone ^{Alone Alone Alone Alone}

Shadowed talons sliced through her stomach-

Trisha woke suddenly, one hand going to her stomach. Her chest heaved up and down, heart racing and sweat covering her. Her head pounded, nausea threatening to bring up everything she'd drank the night before. It was light, just. She didn't feel any weight against her, nothing holding her- he was gone, he was gone, he was gone-

Her head snapped to the side, breathing calming down slightly when she saw that Casey was still there, asleep. She was the one that was at the edge of the bed… she must have rolled away while she was dreaming. It only helped calm her panic slightly. She was safe, she was definitely safe… it was so hard to believe. The dream was so vivid. It wasn't often that she dreamt like this. Maybe it was getting worse because of the danger, the return of the coven… or maybe it was just the alcohol. At least she hadn’t called the bees in her sleep.

While the dream was vivid, what had happened last night was not. Her memories were fuzzy. She remembered drinking a lot with her friends, and Casey coming to get her… snippets of conversations. Refusing to let him go, saying some things she wouldn't otherwise… she didn't think he'd reacted badly? But she couldn't remember. It was a blur. Had they resolved things? She wasn't entirely sure, which didn't help the constant, cold flutter in her chest.

She wanted to cuddle up to him, but she felt uncomfortable, like something was scratching her skin. Glancing down, she realised she was still wearing the dress from yesterday. It stuck to her, all sweaty and gross. She didn't want to hug him like this… she'd get changed first. He wouldn't disappear if she looked away for a moment, right?

Trisha carefully rolled the last bit off the bed, trying not to disturb Casey. She didn't want to wake him when he'd actually slept in… at least, it couldn't be 5am. It was too light. She winced as her head swam, temples pounding. But it wasn't a long journey to the wardrobe. The shorts she'd worn the night before were dumped in front of it, so she pulled them on under the skirt. She frowned as it rubbed uncomfortably against her sweaty skin, just another horrible sensation pressing against her.

Casey was still asleep, hopefully… she pulled off her dress, starting to rummage through the wardrobe in just her bra and shorts. What she was actually looking for was one of his t-shirts among all of her clothes… but she couldn't even remember if he'd actually put anything in there. Maybe… hopefully. Her head hurt too much to think, so she just kept looking. The longer she did the more panicked she felt that she'd turn around and he'd be gone, but- but she'd set her mind to it. Find a t-shirt, go back. Her whole body trembled, but it was definitely the hangover. It'd be fine.

Oddly, Casey found himself wrapped up and held tightly by the darkness of sleep. It was rare to have a night that he didn't wake up panicked, and rarer still that he wasn't sweating from his heart pounding in his chest.
It seemed to be proximity to Trisha, though the other dreamless sleep the night they met saw him still waking up at a normal time. His unconscious brain didn't bother trying to make sense of it.

But the brain cleared itself up. It always did, sometimes in spectacular fashion, and as Casey stirred vaguely to consciousness, he felt that both of his arms were available for free movement. He wasn't trapped under her, he wasn't pinned, he didn't feel her weight.
His hand shot across the bed, fingers sliding over the silky duvet on top of the bed. She wasn't there. Why? His hand kept shuffling about, assuming she’d simply found her way to some magical position that kept her just out of his reach.

But as he gave one last pass of his arm to feel nothingness, his eyes snapped fully open. As he pushed his body up toward an upright position, he found anxiety swallowing him as her name left his lips.
”Trisha!?” Casey called out, not even looking.

As she was actually still close, it'd be incredibly easy to hear the panic and anxiety in his voice. Of course he was scared of her being hurt, but he was just as afraid of her leaving. One argument, and in the middle of the night, she just up and leaves?
He'd sat up just right to keep Trisha out of his line of sight, despite them sharing the same little room. Not on purpose of course; it's the pure panic of knowing that someone was next to you in the foxhole and now they're not there…

He didn't serve in the Pacific, and he thanked God for that. But the Special Services experienced its fair share of horror. He often wondered which actually ended up worse, but the convergent trauma was well documented. The psychological horror of falling asleep because you're exhausted, only to wake up and find your buddy's boot as the last reminder of them? It stuck.

”Trisha!?”
He spun his head, and finally their eyes were able to lock as his foolish panic faded away.

Trisha was still fruitlessly searching for some clothes that weren't hers in the wardrobe when Casey woke up. She jumped, dropping the sweater she'd picked up. The sudden shout had her head pounding, immediate response dying on her lips. His obvious panic set off her own again, heart rate speeding up and breathing quickening. She spun around, ignoring the nausea that came with her sudden movement.
“I was just getting changed," Trisha said softly with an attempted smile, voice slightly hoarse from the hangover. She felt the need to explain. She hadn't left, he hadn't left, they were both still there.

She didn't bother going back to looking, closing the small gap between her and the bed to crawl back onto it. In no time she was right beside him, climbing into his lap and pressing her face into his chest. Her body was still trembling, the lingering effects of her nightmare intertwining with the sick feeling in her gut and the worry his panic had set off. But… but that was good, right? It meant he didn't want her to leave. She didn't remember how much they'd resolved of the fight last night, but it meant he wanted her here.
“I meant to be quick," she said in a small voice, shaky limbs curling up against him. She didn't really care if he was bothered by how little clothes she was wearing - she had a bra on, he could wrap them in a blanket, it didn't really matter. The scar… well she didn't care about that either if he ended up seeing. She'd just needed to hug him. “But none of your clothes are in there. I was just looking for a t-shirt, but it's all mine. I wanted something of yours."

Wordlessly, Casey began shuffling and tugging until his sweater and shirt came off. It was the same collared shirt he'd worn the entire day previous, and he figured it wouldn't really work.
”G-girls… like guy sweaters.”
He pulled the shirt out of the sweater and clumsily begin trying to pull it over Trisha's head and shoulders.
”J-just… wake me up next time instead. I thought you ran away from me.”

Doing his best, he figured the sweater would be enough to keep her there next to him forever. His arms got tighter around her, and as the haze of sleepiness returned, he found his fingers slowly but surely scratching her back in the same spot. It was a gentle thing, supposed to be comforting as his eyes closed back down. He wasn't even sure if she actually put the sweater on.

For whatever reason, he didn't feel entirely functional. Like it was a dream he was trapped in and couldn't get away from.
”We're real…? You and me? No dreaming?” he struggled to ask her.

Trisha managed to half wriggle into the sweater, getting her arms and head through so that it was at least over her. She didn't bother detaching herself enough from Casey to let it fall down past the upper half of her body, pressing as close as was physically possible.
.“I wouldn't run away from you," Trisha mumbled - because that wasn't what she'd done yesterday. That had been different. He'd shut her out first… she started getting a bit tense just thinking about it, though having him right there, holding her close. The constant, light movement of his fingers against her back meant there was no way to think this wasn't real. He hadn't left.

“Yeah, we're real," Trisha said. She wriggled one arm out of the hold he had on her, hand moving to his bicep to pinch it. Unlike him, she was wide awake after the nightmare and getting up.
“See, if you can feel that it's real. Definitely not a dream. I'm here, you're here, we're both here, together."

It was as much a mantra for herself as it was for him. She was still worried he'd just disappear, somehow, even though she knew this wasn't a dream. She wouldn't dream of anything so nice. The few dreams she had were always nightmares.
“I can keep pinching you if it'll help you believe it? Or to wake you up more… well, you can go back to sleep if you want, I'll just be here."

Casey cleared his throat as he clung to Trisha.
”You’re not… Gonna sleep?”
Sniffling, he pushed up on the bed and sat up straight before starting to rub his eyes a bit more. Thoughts after blackout sleeping like that usually came at a slow trickle so long as the panic subsided, and he was thankful it had.

But now she was going to raw dog the day? He flicked his hand to look at his watch, finding the time closer to eight in the morning than he ever thought he’d see.
”Oh, Jesus… I’m amazed Furio hasn’t come up to buzz us and see where the fuck I am.”
Despite work now being on his mind, he knew he was “free” for another couple of days. They hadn’t trusted him with the Manuals yet, and he hadn’t had some Pink Luxer in his mind handing him over any important secrets. Furio wouldn’t bother; but he would be giving Casey a hard time about not being more serious when he finally did show up.

So he shook the responsibility off in favor of cuddling his girlfriend. His. Girlfriend. Still, after the tremendous amount of shit she’d given him and the cold response he’d initially given her, she was here. Arms held her tightly, keeping her as close as he possibly could while she was there with him.
And now she was wearing his sweater, which made her like a little loofa-blanket that he could pick up slightly and rub himself on like a cat. Before long, he slid the hood over her head and was rubbing his cheek against the fabric.
”Do you remember what I said last night?” he asked very casually, as if it meant absolutely nothing.

With the hood pulled up it was more difficult for Trisha to see Casey's face, just to try figure out what he might've said last night from his expression. Her brow furrowed as she tried to pick through her incredibly fuzzy memory, hand wriggling up to play with a long strand of hair that had escaped from the sweater entrapment. She'd clung to him… he hadn't pushed her away. He told her he missed her. They'd talked when they got home but… she didn't remember the details. She wasn't sure what she'd said either. Something about trying harder? She pursed her lips, head just hurting the harder she thought.

“Unless it was that you missed me, I don't…" she shook her head slightly, which felt more like rubbing back against Casey's cheek than anything else.
“Was it something I should remember? I was really drunk… we're not still fighting, are we?" The last bit was said in an incredibly tiny voice, barely a whisper. She really hoped that they'd resolved it last night.

As she was asking questions, Casey’s smile slowly crept across his face. By the time she was done, he was shaking from the giggling. Pulling the hood far enough away from her face, he looked down to make sure she could see him smiling.
”Nah… We’re not fighting, and there’s nothing you need to remember. You were just being really sweet, and so was I. We were both just tired, I think…”

If she was being serious, then she didn’t remember he said the L word. His arms tightened around her a little bit, and he rubbed her arms to give her a bit more friction warmth.
”But, I’m pretty sure you’re going back to see them again today, so… I guess, if you’re gonna get that drunk again tonight, just let me know first? So I know if I have to go get you. I couldn’t ask someone else from the Temple to do it, that’d be embarrassing.”
His face got a little closer to hers, and he rubbed his nose against hers with smiling eyes. He loved her: Now it was his secret to keep until she said she felt the same. Could he? He didn’t know, but Casey wanted to try and make sure she was convinced of it by then.

Trisha wasn't entirely convinced that there was nothing she needed to remember - had she really just been sweet? She hadn't said something she normally wouldn't? But it was difficult to dwell on those worries when they were so close like this. She obviously hadn't said anything bad. If she had, would he still be here?

“I could just get a taxi- but I'm not drinking anything today. Even if we go to a bar, I'll just drink soda or something." She tilted her head forward to press her forehead against his with a little smile, trying to ignore what felt like spiders crawling inside her chest at the thought of going to see her friends without him today. Not that she was worried about seeing them, it was the being away from him. She couldn't just shake the anxiety yesterday had brought up, and the situation that had led to her drinking so much in the first place.
“I didn't plan to drink that much, it just happened… I regret it, I feel awful."

The more she woke up the less her hangover actually felt all that bad. Sure, if she smelled too strong food she'd probably throw up, but the headache was lessening. That didn't mean she wasn't going to milk it. Trap him for as long as she could.
“I don't even know if I can get out of bed for a while… My head hurts so much. Not for another few hours, at least… I neeeeeed some cuddling time to feel better.”

His hand bumped against her shoulder, rubbing her gently again as he kissed her on the forehead.
”You neeeeeeeed some cuddling time? Like deeply?” he giggled.
Posture shifted again, and he held himself upright while letting her go again.
”Then you koala yourself around me. Get nice and comfy… I’m here with you.” he urged her in a gentle voice, patting himself.

Casey swung his head equally urging her to cling to him as tightly and awkwardly as she wanted. It was necessary, he figured, after everything that had been said. He was happy she really didn’t remember, since it was all private feelings he could hold onto. Things he could know for certain weren’t even hers. Just for him.
Special feelings.

It wasn’t good to urge her to drink, probably… He could only hope that she’d be so open later on without the same influence. For now, he just wanted her to feel good about him feeling good.
”And I’m only doing this because you’re really fucking awesome and pretty and cool and… Y’know, if you weren’t, I’d… Still really enjoy my time that I get to spend with you. What the Hell am I saying?” he started giggling, holding his arm out and waiting for her acceptance.

Trisha turned around to properly face him, arms going under his as she burrowed herself against his chest. Her legs also wrapped around him so that, while she was still sitting in his lap, she was completely clinging to him. He’d have to work really hard to detach her, she really was like a human sized koala.
It made her feel secure holding onto him like this.
“If I wasn’t so cool I probably wouldn’t be here like this,” Trisha responded with a slight giggle of her own, tilting her head up to smile at him. She didn’t really believe it all. She knew that she was pretty, the one thing she truly accepted, but the rest? Well… she wasn’t going to argue if he genuinely thought so. “Only super cool people move in with their boyfriends this early.”

If she didn’t live with him, and hadn’t been brought back home by him, she’d probably still be upset and ignoring him. She definitely would’ve been in a much worse mood if she’d woken up at the place her friend’s were renting.
“I’ll hold you to that if I become less cool and awesome and pretty,” she said, resting her head back down against him. Maybe she could… try open up a bit. Just a little bit. It wasn’t about anything deep.
“This morning I actually woke up from… a nightmare, I guess? About the apparitions I had to fight, before. I’d rolled away so I thought you weren’t there but then I saw you and… it didn’t seem so bad.”

Casey was holding her tightly, and thankfully his face was pushed past her own so that she couldn’t see his eyes dim.
Of course she’d have the same nightmares, idiot… Tell her.
”Y’know I feel the same about you? Like, I almost always have them… But spending the nights with you, they’ve… Not been bad. Like, last night I didn’t dream at all.”

As he held her, he gripped the fabric of the sweater gently, bunching it up and letting it go in little crinkles.
”I mean like… I know those kinds of dreams. And, you make them seem not so bad too. Or like even if they are bad, you’re there to comfort me.”
He was somewhat satisfied by what he managed to get out, and shifted slightly to push his forehead against hers.

He didn’t want her to think it was creepy, but it was important to get the eye contact in. His Father had always pressed that one should maintain eye contact when expressing things like sincerity, because they were the windows into the soul. There wasn’t any real magic there, it was just… Maybe it was magic.
”I mean that.”

It wasn’t that difficult for Trisha to meet his eyes, and to try to believe the genuineness in them. That would be hard to fake. Of course he had dreams like that - worse, probably - but that he felt the same as her? She had to believe it here. He meant it, and it helped quiet down those annoying little voices in the back of her mind for a moment.
“I don’t have mine every night.” She decided not to tell him that she hadn’t had them in years, not until recently. It was the circumstances - Father Wolf, the reminders, meeting coven members again. What if he thought last nights was because of him, somehow?

“I… I’m really glad you feel the same,” she continued softly, fingers pressing into his back and lightly running up and down. If she made his dreams better, then he’d want to keep sleeping beside her.
“That means we’ll have to keep sharing a bed, forever and ever. It hasn’t been the same with other people for me… not really. Though the last person I shared with was Cass, and she kept kicking me in her sleep-” she smiled, eyes so close to his gently curving. It really did feel better. Like, even if the nightmares continued it would be fine.
“We’re like each other’s… good sleep charm or something.”

”We are… So lets keep it that way, okay? Next time you’re mad at me, or something happens… We’re going to talk about it. And we’re going to make sure that even if we can’t resolve it, it’s understood that we’ll end up in bed together at the end of it.”
He took a deep breath. At least he had her right now, and she couldn’t escape the tender moment. He only hoped that she’d understand that the feeling wasn’t malicious. He only wanted to hear her say she’d try again while she was sober. It was, after all, what he remembered most.

”Or, at least don’t run away. For now. With things being so not safe, I… Can’t say it isn’t a little tense knowing that anything could happen. If our info’s good, and lone people are being targeted,- God, there’s just too much shit, Trisha. I don’t ever want to lose you like that.”

Trisha bit her lip and glanced away, unable to keep up the eye contact while she thought it through. She didn’t like talking when she was upset. She didn’t like talking about things that set her off at all. Because the surface reason always came across as petty and stupid, and the deeper, real reason wasn’t something she was comfortable with sharing. The reaction to that would only be worse. Everytime she started opening herself up she got shut right back down.
But she couldn’t say that right now.

“Alright, I’ll try,” Trisha said eventually, looking back at him again. She would, when it came to not running away. Even if she was still mad at him, and still didn’t want to talk to him, she’d try to stay here. Where would she go when her friends weren’t around? Anywhere else, like her sister’s place, would just be more empty. She’d sleep just as well alone as she would next to someone she was still upset with.

“But I didn’t run away, you-” she stopped herself, taking a long, slow breath. She didn’t want to ruin the moment. It was difficult to stop herself getting a bit grumpy about it again, especially when she didn’t remember resolving anything, but she was too comfortable hugging him. Being with him. She didn’t want to stop that.
“I’ll go into the Greenhouse next time. Then I’ll still be here, but it’s my space… I…” she trailed off again, struggling. It wasn’t like last night when she was drunk - though even then, it’d been apparent she still struggled.

“I don’t want to die because I’m alone.” Though she’d been alone for so long, why hadn’t Father Wolf killed her before? He probably just hadn’t gotten around to her.
“I don’t- I don’t want to get mad either. I’ll try not to. I won’t run away, and I’ll sleep here anyway.”
There was nothing about talking about it. She couldn’t lie like that. She didn’t want to make a promise she knew she couldn’t keep, as opposed to one she could at least try to. If he hadn’t shut the door yesterday, she probably wouldn’t have left like that. She might still be ignoring him but… she wouldn’t have left.

He was, if leery, satisfied by her reaction. He wasn’t about to get upset this early in the morning, so whatever she felt like she had to say, he was going to let her without giving any kind of pushback. Frankly, Casey was just happy to have Trisha still safe and in his arms after something stupid. Something that was, ultimately, his fault.
”And, I apologized to you last night. But, if you don’t remember, I want you to hear me say it now. I’m sorry for pushing you away. At first, I didn’t really consider that you maybe just wanted some private time… And by the time I did, I threw it in your face like I was a child. It was wrong of me, and I’ll try my absolute best to not… Like… Well,-”

He thought back to the sorts of things he had said before. Even moments ago… Authoritative; like she was his. It wasn’t a road he wanted to go down. He didn’t even really know where it was coming from… But that seemed to him to be the more embarrassing element in it.
Leon acted like that… Before. Like he was-

”-I don’t know, admonish you like I’m you’re fuckin’ Dad or something. I’m not here to teach you how I think you should be, or make you fit into a mold you don’t wanna be in. So, me getting mad at you and like, trying to project myself on you… I should just go along with you, and learn how to accept things like that. Right? If I… Have feelings for you. Like I’m sure I do.”
At least he managed to scoot past the L word again.

“I accept the apology, now I’m sober.” Even though she was the one that had started it, really, and ignored him. She hadn’t really pushed him away. She’d waited at the end of the corridor. She’d even sort of been talking about it. But it would be easiest if he went along with her every time. Then things could keep going smoothly. Things always fell apart when she snapped and people got sick of it… but maybe then he wouldn’t?
”My dad was never present enough to be like that, anyway.” She laughed slightly at that, as if it was a joke - it felt like it. Her dad’s lack of presence in her life wasn’t something she was touchy about as her mom. Everyone knew what a shit father James Vanburen had been, except a select few of his favourite children.

“I really don’t like people trying to make me into something so… yeah, it’ll be better if you just accept it. For both of us. But I can take you getting angry at me, or shouting at me, or admonishing me. I’ll argue back, I’ll get more mad, just... don’t leave first. I-” she bit her lip, unable to take it back. The actual vulnerability, the peek into what really scared her more than anything. If he tried to project onto her, she could resist it. But if he was out of her sight, she couldn’t do anything.
“I’d rather, if you can’t accept it, you get mad instead of leaving. If you like me, don’t walk away first.”

Patience necessary, inquire within.
She was fixated on it alright. Drunk, and now sober. He was happy to hear her bringing it up, and while it maybe wasn’t the greatest thing to deal with, he was sure he could.
”I won’t, Trisha… And I didn’t mean to do that, so… If you don’t need some kind of personal space to sort your shit out, then I won’t worry about it. ‘Cuz, y’know… I’m used to shit like that at least. Being in a barrack with a bunch of other dudes? We just kind of sit and take care of shit. ‘Cuz you’ve gotta be ready for anything. Can’t let things get in the way.”

He was good about blinking at least; hadn’t given her the two thousand yard stare yet. Yet.

He didn’t mean to do that? Then why did he? No, no, this was good, if he wasn’t going to do it again.
“Don’t worry about it, because If I need the space, I’ll leave.” Reading between the lines, her actions were louder than her words.
“Not our place, to another room- or the Greenhouse. But I’m also used to dealing with it around people. Because of all the siblings.” That wasn’t strictly true. When she was younger she’d always lock herself in her room. But it was different when it came to her partner, or even friends. She glanced around as she spoke, obviously uncomfortable with talking about it at all, forcing herself through it. Impressive progress, really.
“I prefer sitting in the same room not talking.”

Casey made a soft eeeyuck sound.
”We can’t share such a close proximity and not talk about it unless you’re gonna like… Cuddle me or something. No way can I sit on pins and needles in the same room. I mean, I’m sure it’ll all work out and we’ll find some way to make things right for one another. So we’ll have to… Just wait and see what happens? And then hash it out again when the time comes.”

He nuzzled her nose again, rubbing Trisha’s shoulders and back as he took a deep breath.
”My sweet Koala Bee.” he giggled.

Trisha just about managed to not frown at that, lips twitching a little bit, managing to even out back towards an almost smile when the topic was mostly moved on from. Not having to keep talking about it was more of a relief than the future problems when they did fight again.
“Maybe the time won’t even come,” she said softly, even though she knew it would. She was the one that had gotten irritated by small things building up before, and she would again. But she wasn’t going to think about that right now.

“But now you’re in big trouble, because when the Koala Bee latches we never let go.” Trisha smiled again, finally properly meeting his gaze again. She relaxed more, rubbing her nose back against his. Then she tilted her head slightly and leaned in to peck his lips with a very light kiss.
“We’re cute but clingy and fussy,” she laughed lightly. “But you already seem to be getting used to that.”

---

Some hours later, Casey had time to himself once again. At least this was scheduled, and nobody was in a bad mood as they left except… He giggled to himself thinking about Leon bringing Cass outside to meet with Trisha and their other friends who came to pick them up. She’s had the expression of annoyance toward Cass, and that little upturned nose with the leering eyes made him smile.
He thought Trisha was tremendously cute when she was upset…

Casey’s headphones once again blocked out the loudness of the indoor range. It was his zen place, his favorite spot to be around home now topped only by Trisha’s direct location. Since she wasn’t there, it was a clear winner with no contest.
When he first got downstairs, Furio was quick to let him know that tomorrow, Sunday, he’d be officiated into his position and office. It’s when he’d have the knowledge and the lores passed down to him, and it was meant to be an occasion of celebration.

So, Casey was expecting guests. Furio had ceremoniously given him the day to himself again, but only one party really knew what was in store. He fired off a salvo of handgun shots, watching the different patterns that they split and fragmented into as the magical detonation forcibly blasted the slugs into miniature shotgun spreads.
The ammo enchantment was coming along nicely. He liked what he saw, especially in the consistency of the blast pattern which seemed to be more or less identical between each shot. As such, it rewarded precision marksmanship, and he hoped that it would translate similarly into ammunition with better penetration capabilities.

But there was a body behind him. It didn’t reach out or stop him from what he was doing, but he could feel eyes. Not to mention the way the sound was echoing changed completely, muffling and tightening it more like there was a barrier. He flicked the safety, dumped the mag out of the well, then cleared the chamber before laying the empty firearm down.
Turning and pulling his headphones off, it was someone he wasn’t expecting.
”Oh, shit… Mumma?”

He probably should’ve expected her. If the ceremony was tomorrow, it was only natural she’d want to speak with him… But at the same time, he didn’t expect her here. Not actively. She was wearing a black dress; simple, without frill or ornament. She didn’t wear a coat or carry any kind of purse ever, so Lynette Richoux was singular in focus.
”Is that any way to greet your mother, Casaeu?” she grinned, holding up her arms for an embrace.

Casey accepted it, moving and hugging under his mother’s arms as hers wrapped around his back.
”How’s my Late Bloomer? You’re all settled in, I take it?”

Nodding, he took his Mother tenderly by the hand. Usually he wasn’t so reverent, but they were supposed to have an agreement. So, he figured he’d play his part.
”Yep… It’s great up there. But, I get how Furio and Clarissa were getting claustrophobic.”
Lynette giggled to herself, a serene smile painted across her face like comforting sunlight.

”And our favorite newcomer?” she asked with an expectant tone. ”Did you both settle the problem you came to me with?”

Again, Casey nodded, but this time he felt the hair on his neck stand up. He had made the mistake of trying to get her involved, at least to comfort him or something, but… She’d practically shunned involvement. All she really did was blame him without context, them tell him to make it right.

”Fixed. No sweat.”
Lynette’s hand reached up and pinched Casey by the cheek playfully.
”Good boy. I’m proud of you navigating your first test of tender care… She’s damaged, Casey, just like you are. I’m sure there’ll be plenty more moments like that. So, always try and think about how you would feel, my Bubba. Now, c’mon. Toys away, lets go upstairs. I have a gift for her, and we need to discuss plans and necessary ritual expectations for tomorrow… And Eli’s here, so-”

Casey grimaced slightly.
”Oh, well I mean… She’s not here?” he said, in reference to Trisha.
”That’s perfectly fine, my sweet boy. We ain’t got anywhere to be!”

Lynette’s hand reached out, taking the shoulder of Casey’s shirt and lifting it, tugging it toward her as if she was going to pull her giant of a son along where she wanted him to go. Like a cat caught in the neck grip of its mother, he too practically went limp, finding himself being dragged up to his rooftop home by his mother.
As they exited the armory, Elise and Mia were both waiting and talking, laden with bags that most likely had freshly pressed clothing in them. When they saw Casey was caught in the dreaded grip, they both gave him a frown of knowing, meekly following behind to leave the hallway quiet once more.

---

The Harbor> Back Home

---

Across town, Trisha had taken her friends on a nice (if cold) meander across the harbour before going into Coastal Harbour mall. It lent itself more to her, Reyna and Nadiyah - but Sal had his gaming time yesterday, and Cass had her fun all night. Thankfully she didn’t go on about it too much. If anything, it made things easier, because she was too tired to complain about being dragged from shop to shop.

After shopping was done - with Nadiyah having bought multiple bags of items - the four from out of town wanted to go get some food. Trisha really didn’t want to get food. Just the thought of getting food made her feel a bit queasy.

”There’s a Red Lobster in St Portwell, right? Let’s go there for tea!” Cass grinned as they walked out of the mall, making their way towards Reyna’s car at the other side of the parking lot. Suffering through the shopping seemed to have had the opposite effect on her that it did others - she’d bounced right back to full energy. Somehow.
"Absolutely not," Nadiyah was the first to say, rolling her eyes. "I don’t understand your obsession with Red Lobster. We’re by the coast. We can go to a nice seafood restaurant."
”Red Lobster’s good and cheap! I’m fuckin’ skint, alright!”
"You wouldn’t be if you hadn’t bought all those new computer parts. I told you not to."

Trisha walked at the back of the group, rubbing her forehead with a small frown. She had a small bag slung over her shoulder - nothing she’d bought, but little household trinkets her friend’s had all pitched in to get her as a ‘housewarming’ gift. It was nice, but she was tired.
She could probably eat a little bit, but sitting in a restaurant surrounded by all sorts of food smells? She was still too hungover for that.
"You want me to take you home first?" Reyna asked quietly, slowing down to walk beside Trisha.
“I didn’t say I wanted to go home?” Trisha looked up at Reyna, head tilted in confusion. She did, but she also… didn’t? She knew that if she went back she probably wouldn’t see them again for a while, but she also just really wanted to go cuddle up with Casey on their massive couch.
"It’s written all across your aura," Reyna laughed. "And your face. You had a lot to drink last night, I don’t want you throwing up over our meal."

After some thought, Trisha nodded. Maybe she could see them later, or tomorrow before they left. She’d only get annoyed if she went out to eat and started to feel more sick.
“... yeah, you’re right,” she said eventually, with a smile.

They’d reached Reyna’s car, bags stuffed in the trunk and all five piling in. Cass and Nadiyah continued to bicker over where they were going to eat, over Trisha who’d been forced into the middle seat thanks to being the ‘smallest’, with Sal occasionally interjecting. By the time they reached the apartment block it had been decided they wouldn’t go to Red Lobster, but that they’d try to find a reasonably priced seafood place. All parties were reasonably satisfied in time to say their goodbyes.

”TRIISSHHHHAAA I’m gonna miss you!” Cass immediately pulled Trisha into an inescapable, tight hug while rubbing their cheeks together. Trisha leaned away from her with a half assed grumble.
“You’re just going to miss my boyfriend’s brother.”
”Hey, no way! It ain’t like that! Bros before hoes! You’re the one I looovvvveeee.” Cass sang the last word with a wide grin.
“Gross,” Trisha made a face, but she properly hugged Cass back.

"Hey, let the rest of us in there," Sal laughed. Cass reluctantly let go and Sal went in for a hug, once again lifting Trisha off the ground and squeezing her tight.
"I’ll catch you online, so work on your fps skills… and say bye to your boyfriend from me!"
“Fuck off,” Trisha rolled her eyes good naturedly.

Nadiyah was thankfully more reasonable, a light hug and whispered comment about how annoying the other two were. Trisha laughed.
"Call me if he ever annoys you. We can bitch about it together."

Reyna was last, hugging Trisha with a warm smile. It lingered a bit, Reyna patting Trisha’s back before pulling back.
"I’ll try and visit more often, since I’m so close. You should also come to Portland sometime. Bring Casey as well. I hope it works. He seems nice."
”Awww shit, he got the most difficult seal of approval to get!” Cass grinned from the side.

“... yeah, that’d be nice,” Trisha smiled, ignoring Cass. She wasn’t so sure about visiting - Casey would get busy soon, and she didn’t want to travel alone, but it would be nice if Reyna came around more often. Maybe with a bit more warning next time.
“Well, bye… Maybe I’ll see you all in the morning.”

They all laughed, clearly not believing that, and Trisha just shrugged. With a last wave she backed away towards the lobby. She wasn’t one to linger on goodbyes - they always sucked, because as soon as someone was out of her sight the worries started to creep in. But it was better to get it over with.
Inside the elevator she leaned against one of the walls with a yawn. The small group of bees she’d brought with her crawled out of her coat and onto her neck, buzzing softly. The shaking of the lift near the top still made her jump a little bit, bees scattering. But it wasn’t as bad anymore. The bees all came back to her shoulder as she quickly made her way along the corridor and up onto the roof.

She really couldn’t wait to get back and just relax for the rest of the evening. Maybe she’d have a nap, or they could watch a movie. It would be nice.
“Casey, I’m home-” Trisha froze just one step through the door. With the place being so small it was impossible to not notice the guests immediately. Her wide eyes went to Casey, then to Mia, then the woman she didn’t recognise - his other sister, judging by her looks - before stopping on Lynette.

She forced a smile.
“Hello. Casey didn’t tell me we had guests. I would’ve come back earlier if I’d known.” That was a well told lie, of course. If she’d known, she wouldn’t have come home until much later.

”Oh my God heyyyyyyyy!”
Classically, Mia jumped at the first hello. She seemed perky and clean today, dressed in some fairly comfortable clothing as she’d probably been downstairs. Her hair was tied up and mostly hidden away under the hat that she always wore, and she tore from where she was to embrace the much shorter Trisha.

She had to bend her knees slightly to get deeply into it. But she smelled nice, like lilac and vanilla; and when her head pulled away she was grinning ear to ear. Mia, like Reyna, was decent enough at reading auras through her Mother’s preferred method, and could always sense the tension coming from Trisha’s eyes whenever she was hugged.
It wasn’t great knowing you weren’t wanted in such a way, but she knew she couldn’t hold it against Trisha. Only work to better the relationship. So, she hoped that the consistency would be good.

Mia moved to give Trisha a better look: A better look at Casey, who was standing with different fabrics draped across his otherwise scarcely clothed body. Lynette was, until Trisha entered, fussing about with a string of ties draped across her arm trying to match one with another fabric she was holding.
At the other side of Casey, Elise Richoux stood staring with cold blue eyes that shimmered in a way the others didn’t. She was holding tightly to a teddy bear who seemed to be dressed with some bandages and other medical dressings.

Eerily, its face also stared at Trisha with beady little black eyes that somehow conveyed intelligence within. When Trisha’s gaze would inevitably meet hers, the expression instantly shifted to one of comfort and kindness. She looked very much like her mother and sister, and with all three of them now looking at Trisha from different distances, it was impossible to not see it…
The Smile.

”I’m real sorry, Babe… I honestly didn’t know what time you’d be back or when they’d be done, so I just kind of winged it. Next time I’ll let you know…”
And there he was like a beam of sunshine among a painted facade. His tender grin was the same one he’d given to her that morning, and the same one that he’d given her last night when he picked her up.
The Smile was trained expression. Casey’s face was full of love, as if he were in the middle of a joke he wasn’t aware of.

”I’m super glad you made it though… Mom and Elise wanted to finalize the measurements on your dress for tomorrow… It’s my Ascension Ceremony, Babe! And we’ve gotta match… But I told them you would maybe get pissed off, so I’m expecting to hear your honest thoughts when you see what they picked.”
Not that it probably wouldn’t have been obvious instantly to Trisha as to what the theme was by looking at the cloth colors already draped over Casey…

Gold and black. It was honestly a coincidence that the colors for the office somehow made the resemblance of the Bee, but it was probably some strange twist of fate in the end.
”Mhm! Oh, but please, Elise! Introduce yourself sweetheart!”
Elise had been staring daggers at Trisha despite the automatically adjusting smile. The look didn’t change as she piped up…

Except, the shimmering in her eyes died away. Somehow the smile lost a little bit of the fake porcelain nature. She softened. Placing the bear down, she stepped across the room to hold her hand out. Dressed mostly in black, she looked like an office woman working for Hot Topic’s corporate branch. Even the tattoos on her fingers spelled out things like “goth” and “blood”.
”Right. I’m Elise, Casey’s big sister. I guess Mia’s too”.
”You fucking guess?”

Casey and Lynette both laughed, and Elise smiled. The women hoped singularly that it would somewhat break the tension for Trisha.

It was a lot, as it always was with Casey’s family… in just the few days Trisha had been around them. Mia’s hug was less unexpected but still uncomfortable, even if she was slowly adjusting. The fake smile they all wore didn’t bother her. She was used to something like that among certain siblings of hers. It was easy enough to return it with one of her own, softening more genuinely when she looked at Casey.
“You’re making me out to be fussy in front of your family, Case, I’m not that bad,” she laughed lightly, before stepping enough into the house for the door to shut behind her. The likely bee motif that would come with her dress didn’t bother her - because to her clothes weren’t for herself, they were to present an image to others.

But she had no idea what on earth an Ascension Ceremony was. Something Temple, something important. It didn’t really matter. She put it to the back of her mind and reached out to shake Elise’s hand lightly.
At least it wasn’t another hug.
“Nice to meet you, Elise. I’m Trisha… but I’m sure you already know.” It was all polite, with a pleasant smile. She glanced over at Mia. “I have siblings I don’t want to claim either.”

She took off her coat to shake off the urge to run, trying to push away the discomfort. She didn’t like coming home to people unexpectedly in her space, but she could tolerate it. She was used to it. Her clothes were more casual than yesterday's - dark green, wide legged corduroy pants with a light, knit white top tucked into them. She hung up her coat before turning back to the four, gesturing to Casey, with all the fabrics and lack of dress.
“I’m not going to have to do that, am I?”

There was a momentary exchange of glances between Lynette and Mia that were ultimately subtle. Elise laughed openly, catching it and shifting the tension.
She moved around behind Casey and pulled the bag with Trisha’s pre-emptive dress inside off to hand to her.
”Uhh… No. No need to be so undressed; we just weren’t really sure what we were doing for him yet, so he’s getting more attention. Mia actually-”
”-Fucking designed the dress…” Mia finished in a fairly despondent and distant tone. Very far from where she’d started. ”It was supposed to be cute, but, whatever, it’s not-”

Casey, ever vigilant but not so observant, cleared his throat.
”Mimi?” he questioned, looking at his younger sister. She didn’t respond, taking a deep breath.

”It won’t be a problem to change the design one way or another, Trisha. You’re not fussy if everyone throws something like bees in your face all the time and you don’t want it themed like that. It’s fine. Just, go put it on please, so that we can get your measurements and make sure everything’s good so we can leave you and Casey alone.”

Trisha took the bag, compliments towards Mia for designing a dress in the first place dying on her lips before they could get out. She genuinely thought so. Sure, her older sister was also in fashion design, but Sabrina was able to magically create any clothes. That was cheating. Perhaps Mia had used magic too, but she didn’t know. But Mia’s sudden glumness stopped her from saying so. She didn’t know what had caused it - was it her? Did it matter if it was? She wasn’t sure.
“Alright, I’ll go try it on. I really don’t have a problem with the bee theming, it’s not like many people… know about the magical bees. I even have earrings now to match.”

It took a lot for Trisha not to get a bit snappy in response to how Mia was talking, grounding herself by looking at Casey, and thinking about how she didn’t want to look bad in front of him. She smiled and went past them all, jogging up the stairs to their loft bedroom with a trail of bees following behind her. Once up there, alone, she was able to relax for a moment. Deep breath in, deep breath out. Then she pulled out the dress, gently unfurling it and holding it out in front of her.

It really was beautiful.

Black, with perfectly embroidered, golden honeycombs across it. There was delicate beading on the bodice, a few beaded bees among the honeycomb. Trisha had seen, and worn, a lot of nice dresses - for galas she was dragged to, all the formal occasions a rich child and teenager was forced to attend. But she’d never actually had something made specifically for her. Either it was made to match her family, or just something incredibly expensive that fit without much thought put into it. She actually… really liked it.
And she wasn’t sure how happy she was about that.

Putting it on was a bit more of an ordeal. The skirts were longer than she normally wore, with multiple layers and gathered at the bottom before poofing out even more. It was difficult to find which one was the inner skirt, with so many underneath the outer, slightly sheer, layer. Eventually she managed to wriggle into it, arms straight above her head to get in through the much tighter bodice. Then… there was a zip at the back she just couldn’t do up the whole way herself. Getting the bees to do it was possible, but would be an ordeal. She’d just have to ask for help.

The fit wasn’t bad. It was a bit oversized, both around her waist and with the skirts going past her feet. It wouldn’t be so bad if she wore heels, but it was obvious they hadn’t estimated her shorter stature quite right. It meant that she had to hold them up as she made her way back down, a lot slower than she’d gone up.
“I can’t quite get the zip at the back done up,” she said as she reached the bottom of the stairs, still holding up the skirts so they didn’t trail on the floor. The bees had settled on the bodice, practically blending in. It was a casual entry and she gave Mia a slight smile before her gaze turned to Casey.
“You were wrong about me getting pissed, I like it. It’s… really nice, actually. I might need quite high heels to not trip on it… though I guess that can be adjusted?”

The mood had somewhat shifted between the time Trisha left and came back. As she mentioned she liked it, everyone cheered in unison. Casey, throwing off the different fabrics that were draped around him, curled his arms toward the sky in excitement.
”Thank God!”
”See!? You’re nervous about nothing, Mimi! All the fuss!”
”It was written, my baby girl… Now apologize to yourself…”
Mia’s hands clasped together and she mouthed something to herself before smiling brightly at Trisha.

”I’m sorry, Trisha… I’m just like, nervous about it. I literally made a suit for Casey that matches, and it’s totally done, and then he said you may not like it and I… I was just thinking the worst, and… I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to, like, give you attitude.”

“It’s fine, don’t worry about it,” Trisha waved a hand, awkwardly laughing. It had bothered her, but at the same time she recognised that she shouldn’t make a big deal about it. Couldn’t. She was the same. Getting upset over something reasonable like perceived failure, that was.
“I’m used to being given outfits that fit my family rather than me. I love my bees, so I like things themed after them.” At least, things like this. She wouldn’t go for anything too cutesy, in public at least.

“Do I get to see Casey in his, then, or do I have to wait till tomorrow?” She smiled over at him, before looking back at Mia, gesturing at her back.
“Could you help with the zip, Mia? I’d ask Casey but…” she laughed, smiling teasingly at him. It wasn’t exactly difficult, but with the calluses and larger fingers, he’d pos

She slapped her forehead and moved behind Trisha to zip her up fully. From there, she began to mess about with the length to get an idea about how much had to come off. Casey naturally looked toward Lynette with an expectant grin and hopeful eyes.
”Well of course, we want to see him too!”

Elise laughed.
”Some of our seats have colors associated with them; it’s traditional. Furio wears very little of it these days, but Gold represents Casey’s position. Our general ceremonial garments are usually black; so, black and gold in the pattern of something like this is… Only natural. We’ll all match, save for Mama.”
While she spoke, Casey was starting to unzip the outfit, grinning and nodding as he started to get dressed.

From what was already visible on the table, it looked to be a very militaristic-style uniform. Maybe to be like his own service uniform, it even had his medals and service award bars already attached to it alongside his rank. The brimming of the hat, the cuffs, the inner lining of the jacket, every little bit of it was the same as Trisha’s dress. Repurposed, refined, and identical to her own.
”I get to wear my favorite color…” Lynette beamed, moving to a box that they were keeping by the bags.
”Now, Trisha… Jewelry? I’m sure you have some of your own, darling, so if you had any specifics please feel free to wear them, but… We will need you to wear a ring. Don’t worry, there’s no magic or anything, it won’t bite. It’s just very old, and its symbolic of your… Our… Recent commitment to one another spiritually.”

Bringing the box to Trisha, she opened it fully. There were different bands, different colors and jewels, and even some platinum necklace bands in case one didn’t want to wear it on their finger.
”The choice doesn’t necessarily matter, since there’s not any sort of reading we’re trying to do for you. But, I’ll say, each ring has a very old story, and usually we… Like to gleam certain portents from which ring you pick… I can tell you, or I can spare you. Since, we wouldn’t want you feeling any more pushed than you already may.” Lynette offered.

Trisha’s gaze moved from what she could see of Casey’s outfit, the way it matched her own tugging her lips up into a genuine smile, to the box of rings. The smile fell, lips pulling into a thin line as she stared at them. She didn’t remember agreeing to any kind of spiritual commitment… whatever that meant. She wasn’t committing anything to them. Hers was to Casey but… his was also to them.
So she couldn’t just refuse.

The thought of picking a ring that would cause them to try and ‘gleam’ things didn’t sit well with her. It was just another way to put labels on her without knowing her. But if they were going to do that anyway, she would want to know.
“Picking a ring doesn’t bind me to anything, does it?” she asked, glancing up beyond the box to Casey. “It’s just for the ceremony? I just want to know what I’m agreeing to when I take one.”

The four of them turned to one another in small bursts. Casey really cut it though.
”No, Babe, don’t worry about it. Ma? Momma? Please, I understand it’s important to you, but it’d be really important to me if we can just skip that. Us. Don’t ruin…-”
Lynette huffed, tilting her head back and grabbing the bridge of her nose with her free hand.
”Fine, fine. To answer your question, Trisha, so you don’t get the wrong idea: No. There’s nothing magical or enchanted about it, no binding, no oaths. It’s just… We know these people’s stories so intimately, it… Means something, to us, about which you’re drawn to. Which you pick. Like that… Fucking… Blasphemous book by that no good lady from England about the wizard schools…”

Elise laughed through her nose again, shaking her head.
”I’m certain she means the wands.” she did her best to explain.

Blasphemous book from England… like the wands… Trisha held a hand up to her mouth to smother the intense laughter she couldn’t hold back. It was just too funny. There was just something disconcertingly entertaining about Lynette bringing up Harry Potter of all things. Calling it blasphemy… haha. Bad writing, sure, but blasphemy?
Not that Trisha had actually read the books. It wasn’t on the approved reading list her mom made her stick to.

“So it’s another way to judge what I’m like from something I choose, rather than actually making the effort to actually get to know me?” Trisha said, rather bluntly. She couldn’t help it. Maybe it was because she was brought up differently, mundanely. She truly didn’t believe that her picking out a ring that she thought would suit her correlated in any way to her as a person, no matter what the story was behind it.

“I actually don’t mind if that’s all it is, but I’m not doing it if Casey wants to skip it.” She’d been watching him pretty much the whole time. If he genuinely wanted to skip it, she was more than happy with that. But she could also choose one. Whatever came out of it didn’t affect her, and if it coloured their views of her? Well, they were probably already coloured from all the information they’d gathered anyway.
“But I’m fine to do it. I already know which I’d choose.”

Lynette looked toward Casey who, midway through fixing his shirt into his pants and belt to show off the dark black versus bright gold radiating from beneath the collar. He frowned back, then shook his head and looked at Trisha.
”I’ll… do… something special. For you. If you genuinely don’t care, they’re just… Like, they’re saints’ rings. Certain people who are close to me are supposed to wear them to keep us protected. You don’t need to wear one, because there’ll be plenty of people. But, yeah. You kind of nailed it. Only, this one… I don’t think it’s ever been malicious as far as I’m aware.” he weakly informed Trisha.

”And that’s really all this was supposed to be! I said, I’d spare her the meaning, because… W-well, just like she said! She already saw one that spoke to her, and if we don’t make anything about it, then… I… It’d make me feel so much better, Trisha-”
Lynette’s hand crept nervously toward her own face, near clawing at her chin in anxious motion as she turned her face to Trisha again.
”-if your energy toward him is as strong as I hope it is, then spiritually, the representative will be with us. Y-you kids… Call it vibes. Right?”

“...Right. I understand.” Trisha bit on her lip to stop another fit of laughter over something that was clearly serious. She didn’t get the whole spiritual thing, or any of that. It being compared to vibes? Didn’t make it any clearer. But if it wasn’t magic, it couldn’t track her, and was only meant to be some positive spiritual energy check and protective charm… she could handle that. It was just like when her mom used to make her wear a necklace with the cross on it.
Before she chose one she pointed at Casey with a smile. “I’ll hold you to doing something special for me.”

She then looked back down at the box, kind of thankful for the excuse to look away - Casey already looked unfairly attractive. Her finger moved down to point to one of the rings. It was silver, different from her usual golden jewellery, with a spiral design across the band and a gem that seemed to shift from green to blue to purple. It was the gem she was more drawn to, and the fact it was a bit more delicate than the others.
“That’s the one I choose… Uh, can I just take it, or is there some ceremony to that?”

Lynette looked down at the ring, looked back up at Trisha, and smiled widely.
”Yes! Well, yes, take it for now, but… No, no ceremony or anything. Would you rather put it on a chain? It may not fit your finger well, I believe the woman who wore it was even smaller than you.”

“I am average height,” Trisha said offhandedly, picking up the ring. She held it up to look at the actual size, then compared it to her fingers. She had quite slender hands, but it wouldn’t fit on her index or middle finger… obviously the left ring finger was out. She carefully slipped it onto her right ring finger. It was a bit of a tight fit, but once it was on it fit quite snuggly. While she hadn’t bothered with any today, she was used to wearing rings, so it didn’t particularly bother her.
“This is fine, I prefer rings over too many things around my neck anyway,” she held her right hand up to show that it fit with a slight smile.

“I’m not sure if it goes with all of the gold in our outfits.” She dropped her hand back to her side, wriggling her fingers. It didn’t feel any different from a normal ring. Probably not magic. If it was, the ghost sleeping inside of her would eventually sense it, anyway.
“But it suits me enough that I don’t mind wearing it, if it really is meant to protect us.” Not that she believed that, but it was one thing she could go along with, after confirming that there really wasn’t anything more to it. It was just wearing a ring.

Lynette bowed her head in near reverence.
”Thank you, Trisha. Seriously. It means a lot, and he… Probably won’t tell you, but I know it means a great deal to Casey. He’s…-” she turned her head back to look at her son, who was beginning to blush.
”He’s always been a diligent disciple; and regardless of anything, I know he holds a special place for these seemingly foolish little things we fuss over.”

Casey took a deep breath and nodded.
”Literally, anything you want. Don’t even worry about asking or anything, it’s gonna be so fine.” he refused to confirm his mother’s chiding, causing her to smile.
Mia rose back up, looking at Trisha’s hand.
”Oh, hey… Mal does have a cool story. Like, I try to tell people all the time, even if you take all the faith and worship out, a lot of the stories that are anecdotal are still generally cool. They read like fantasy books.”

She waved her hand forward toward her Mother, who opened the box again and smiled. Mia’s hand instantly reached for a pop-corn colored nodule of amber fixed into an egg shape that topped a rounded frame. She slid it on immediately, and held hers up to Trisha’s. They didn’t do anything besides look old, ornate and pretty.
”Also, see how your dress feels now. I pinned it up a little bit to where I think you’ll like it better. Unless you want to wear heels, but I sure as fuck don’t suggest it.”

Trisha nodded, keeping in the back of her mind to think about what she wanted from Casey… and she would think about it. Though, she had a feeling he’d do something special for her if she ever asked even without something like this.
“I’ll be honest I’ve… not read many fantasy books. They became less interesting when I discovered magic. But I imagine a story that someone with magic finds cool is probably actually interesting.”

She smiled, and twisted her hips around a few times to sway the skirts before taking a few steps to make sure she wasn’t going to trip over it. It was still going to be a bit annoying if she had to walk up any stairs, but that was just the nature of longer dresses.
“That feels much better, no more risk of me falling over in the middle of things- but is it that long? Longer than an unnecessarily boring ceremony and party that lasted for almost twelve hours? Because I’ve survived that in heels before.”
”Oh, you’ll be fine darling. You’re not even going to be participating in the actual ceremony, so you’ll be nice and comfortable while we’re… Passing everything along. The ceremony will be quite a while, but… We do want your supportive energy in the building still, just… Sparing you from the oaths necessary and the madness that can occur within the sanctum.”

Casey was fixing his coat up now, shiny black shoes reflecting the overhead light back upward.
”Which may suck; I would understand you like… Bringing stuff. Like your laptop, or a book or something. But, after that I’m pretty sure we’re going to Andrade’s? And that’ll be really good.”

Trisha was actually quite relieved she wasn’t going to have to participate in the actual ceremony. She’d suffered through her fair share of church sermons that had her wanting to rip her hair out, and there hadn’t been any… madness involved in that. She didn’t think her being in the building for some kind of supportive energy was necessary at all, because it was an energy she rarely brought anywhere, but that was fine. She’d do that for him.
“Don’t worry, I’m used to entertaining myself. I’ll just download some books onto my phone so I don’t even need to worry about bringing anything along. I can suffer through any amount of waiting around if there’s nice food waiting at the end of it.”

Though, she wasn’t sure if food at Andrade’s restaurant counted under what Leon had told her not to eat. She couldn’t exactly ask. And really, it wasn’t about the food. She probably wouldn’t be able to stomach much if they were in a large group. It was about making sure Casey knew she could handle it all.
Once he was done fixing up his coat she stepped towards him, reaching out to take one of his hands in both of her own. She tilted her head back to look up at him with a warm smile, a slight blush tinting her cheeks darker.
“You look really… good in that,” she said softly, both wanting to tell him but feeling embarrassed about his family being around. She glanced down at her own dress, then the matching fabric on his suit. “And it matches really nicely. It’s impossible to miss, so everyone will know we’re together.”
As if that wasn’t always obvious anyway…

Casey gave Trisha a wide grin, knowing how frustrating and annoying dealing with this probably was for her. Of course it meant a great deal to him as well, which he was more than happy to express; just not here. Not in front of everyone like this.
”I think you look incredible.”
His thumbs rubbed against her hands, and the ring she now wore. He also appreciated who it was and where it came from, so seeing the old thing on her finger gave him a great deal of pride.

”And I’m glad everyone will be able to see us as a pair. An item.”
”Ooooh, this is great. You both look fantastic, I can’t believe it…” Lynette interjected, now very close with both hands clasped together at her chest.
”And all that fussing, when she loved it, Caseau… Shame. I hope you consider better next time something like this comes up. Now, does it fit!?”

Casey nodded wordlessly.
”Then I’d say our jobs are done. Casey, we expect you bright and early; Trisha, you’ll be getting picked up around eleven thirty, probably by Furio and Clarissa. I hope you understand, we’ll just need him a little early.”

Trisha turned her head towards Lynette, unable to hide the coldness in her eyes when she not so subtly shamed Casey for making a fuss. Trisha would rather he did, and be wrong, when it came to her and things with the Temple. He'd been wrong this time, but what about the next? What about when it was something more important?
But she managed to cover it back up with a more neutral smile that grew warmer again when she looked back up at Casey.
“That’s fine, I'm not so clingy that I need to be with him all the time… I appreciate the extra sleep."

She squeezed Casey's hands, fingers gently scratching them, before letting go.
“I’ll go take this off so you can get it adjusted." She didn't wait for any confirmation that was needed, because she assumed Mia hadn't used magical pins that magically shortened it. She went back up to the loft. Thankfully, taking it off was much faster than putting it on, and she came back down in the clothes she'd been wearing before, dress carefully folding back in its original bag.

“Here you go," Trisha held it out with a smile, while slotting in against Casey's side and taking his hand again. She was still wearing the ring. She looked up at him, and then at the other three.
“I guess I'll see you tomorrow. It was nice to meet you, Elise, and thank you for the dress and the ring." A not so subtle queue for them to leave, but Trisha didn't feel particularly rude in giving it when Lynette had already implied they would be on their way.

Casey was, once more, stripped down to his boxers as Elise and Mia were slowly and carefully re-packaging the articles of clothing. Lynette was folding the other sample scraps, getting everything that was loose back into the tote she’d brought up.
”Of course, Trisha. It’s nice meeting you too, and hopefully we can get more time together; we can talk about stuff.”
”Ooooh, we’re upgrading to stuff?” Lynette cooed, eyes opening wide and brows rising up her forehead.

It was pretty difficult to tell when she was speaking, as she mostly kept her mouth tight, but Lynette deigned to open in a wide enough expression of shock that Trisha would’ve caught a good look… At what? As Lynette’s mouth gaped, smile crawling an extra inch up her face than it should’ve, the shadows within continued unnaturally across coal black flesh that made up her gums and throat.
The whole inside was dark.

”Hey, I won’t pretend to know what she’s into… But I’m flexible. It’s my job- NOT THAT talking to you is a job, of course. I like making friends, it just happens I get to do it as a job. But, I promise, no recruitment shit, I’ve been…” Elise paused, almost trapped by her understanding of her Mother’s previous orders.
”Well, obviously I had to make sure we didn’t have any more uncomfortable mix-ups, right? I hope that’s alright, Trisha…” Lynette did her best to back her daughter up, being sure to keep the promise on their end.

Trisha's hand holding Casey's tightened, and she flinched slightly. She bit down on her lip to dampen a more extreme reaction to the unnaturalness of Lynette's smile and whatever was inside. It was creepy, and the strangeness of the shadows set off fears that had recently been brought to the surface after years of dormancy.
“Ah," was all Trisha said at first as she processed what was being said to her, far more slowly than she'd like. She kept up a smile, forcing her gaze away from Lynette and towards Elise.

“I’m glad you're making sure there won't be anymore mixups. I'm sure there'll be plenty of opportunities to spend time together in the future, Elise, seeing as I plan to be with Casey for a long time… We can talk about stuff. I'll have decided by then exactly what that is." She laughed, trying to make it appear as a joke, going along with everything. Did she want to spend time with Elise if her job, reading between the lines, was recruitment? Not particularly. As with all things she could do it for Casey. It was better to get to know all of his family members, in some way.
“Of course it's alright. I'm not as difficult as everyone seems to think I am." A half lie, of course. Normally she wasn't willing to put effort in for people she didn't want to, but when it came to someone she did? The people around that person? She could and would.

”Oh, no… You’re absolutely not difficult, Love. We’re well aware that… Well, we’re the weird ones. Which means making adjustments sometimes, for people who have reasonable expectations. Elise… Helped me understand that!”
Beads of sweat began to curl from around Lynette’s hairline. It probably wasn’t the temperature inside, as it wasn’t overly hot…

”It takes different perspectives! Sometimes we get wrapped up into our own little world out here. Of course, that’s the goal! But, right, later later alligators! Come on, Ladies, lets go bring these back down and get them fixed. Casey? We’ll leave both of these in your office when they’re ready! So you have them for the morning!” Elise took up the bag with Casey’s suit, and each of them gave Casey a smooch on the cheek as they funnelled out.

Save for Mia, who frowned and turned her gaze downward.
”Hey, Mimi? You alright?” he asked aloud, a frown forming on his face.
She didn’t turn, simply waving him off with her free hand before the door closed.
It was just the two of them again; quiet, and Casey stood without a shirt or pants. The scars and tattoos all across his body on full display, including a fairly nasty looking scar that looked as if it carved out a section of his chest when it happened on the same side as his heart.

His brow furrowed, and he took a deep breath, looking at Trisha before it turned back upward into a grin.
”Well… I’ve got you back at least!” he turned, his arms opening wide. ”What do you think? Sexy, huh? Like the surface of the moon is sexy?” he laughed, referring to some of the distinct crater mark burns and old wounds dotting his abs and chest.

“Mmm, very, I might jump you if you aren't careful," Trisha smiled, visibly relaxing now that everyone else had left. She meant the first half genuinely, the second half mostly as a joke - she had no problem with scars or tattoos, they were all part of him, and she found him attractive.
“And it means we match just a little bit more, which is very sexy."

She giggled, pulling up her knit top - at first it looked like she was about to take it off, but she stopped just before her bra was visible. On her upper abdomen was a dark, thick and raised scar that stood out against her light brown skin. It curved around almost the entire front, and onto her right side. It being seen by him didn't bother her - most partners would see it on the first night, the few that asked about it got a lie about teenage accidents (Reyna aside). It just seemed right to show, though. She smiled and dropped her top.
“Sexy too, right?" She laughed, finally stepping close to him. Her arms reached up to wrap around his neck loosely and she smiled up at him.

His hands gripped around her waist, sliding up under the cloth. His thumb gently stroked part of where the scar was on her stomach, and he leaned down slightly to kiss her.
”It is sexy. Maybe not where it came from, but that’s usually how these things go.”
He grinned, holding Trisha tightly.
”I’m really glad you liked that fuckin’ dress…”

Trisha smiled warmly up at him, pressed closely against him as she let out another laugh.
“Did you think I was going to throw a fit about it like all the rich girls in movies? Demanding it needs to be perfect and shit?" she teased, reaching up to poke his cheek playfully.
“I don't… have a problem with many clothes. But I've never really had something made specifically for me like that. As kids we all had to match, or it would be whatever Tansy wanted us to wear, or what Sabrina made because she works in fashion. This was a first, and it looked good, so of course I like it."

She pulled her hand away from his cheek and turned it to show the ring as well.
“Things like this too, I don't mind. As long as it doesn't come with magical spying or Temple commitments, it's fine."

”It’s just the bee thing… I didn’t want you getting the wrong idea, I don’t know. I’m paranoid over nothing I guess. Maybe I’m nervous about tomorrow.”
Casey shook his head, looking down at himself.
”But, y’know, it’s not a problem right? So, we can just goof off for the rest of the night…”

“We better be able to, I need the break," Trisha laughed. She leaned up to kiss Casey quickly, before smiling softly at him. “Let’s go cuddle somewhere comfier…"

[AtomicEmperor]

---

Act One-Six

---

Evening rolled into night, and eventually the lights dimmed for sleep. Knowing how full the coming day would be, both Casey and Trisha resolved to head to sleep early. Of course, Casey was ready to catch a nap whenever he could, but going to bed was a bit different. It always felt like a gamble, trying to figure out which nightmare would come next.
Not much of a gamble if every option is a loss, but Trisha had proven to be a wonderful sleeping aid. He thought about it over that Saturday, and came to the obviously logical conclusion that her mere presence was enough to keep him feeling safe.

After all, you always had a Battle Buddy. Solo agents didn’t exist in the structure of the Military; only the Reserve… A joke, frankly. A BB was more than a friend. Mutual bodyguards, brothers and sisters in arms, there for the highs and the lows, and always at your back. He felt like he could trust Trisha, even if she seemed to get flighty. That fact didn’t scream any red flags at him, only implying that she’d need some extra motivation to stay strong.
For now, she was the second body in the hole. Casey held her like an oversized teddy bear, both arms tucked around her stomach and holding her tightly to him. It was another dark, dreamless night. Three o’clock in the morning. Three oh-one… Two…

The buzzer telling them that someone was downstairs waiting to be let in began it’s honking symphony, filling their house with the sounds of Europe all over again. Air raid sirens. The bases.
Without thinking, Casey’s arms automatically tightened around Trisha, squeezing the air out of her as his bellowing voice hollered in her ear.

”FUCK, FUCK, FUUUUUUUUUUCK!”

Conscious only of the weight in his arms, he scooped Trisha and the bedding at the same time, stood, and absolutely crashed through the thin wood bannisters surrounding their bed.

His back hit the wall, and he slid ass first down the stairs up to their room before diving across the hall into their den. At this point, he’d cradled Trisha so tightly in the blankets that she was probably safe, but also finding it difficult to breathe. It was only when the buzzing stopped and they were left in silence that Casey’s panicked body let Trisha loose enough that she’d be able to squirm away.
”Je-J-Jesus… Jesus fucking Christ!” he practically wept, the darkness of the house only now settling in around him as the adrenaline pumped through his heart and brain.

Trisha was panicking. She was woken abruptly by the buzzer, and not given a chance to ignore it when she was simultaneously suffocated and assaulted by yelling right in her ear. She didn’t know what was going on. More sounds, something breaking, but she couldn’t see anything through the blankets. She could hardly breath, anything she might’ve said muffled by the duvet and her need to use every moment to try suck in a breath. It was dark, she was moving, and she felt trapped.

Danger? Danger- fight, flight? Fight. As Trisha managed to squirm out of Casey’s arms, rolling onto her hands and knees on the couch, eyes wide with her own panic. The blankets were thrown away and from them came an overwhelming, harsh banana smell that filled the room. Trisha absolutely bombarded the area with her alarm pheromones. It wasn’t on purpose, it was her own instant fear response, just like a bee that had been attacked and then trapped. But she recognised Casey as safe, even struggling to think, chest heaving up and down with each breath. It wasn’t the flight pheromones that came out this time, instead this type would make anyone who could smell them in the radius much more aggressive. Attack, defend, it didn’t matter - just a surge of adrenaline and need to fight, a dampening of fear. They were strong enough to get through emotional fields (if a bit dampened), even if any paranormal would know they were being hit by them.

But they were in a small space. Trisha couldn’t spread them out fully, and they rebound on her. She shifted to a crouch, arms wrapping around herself, backing away until she was in the corner of the couch. Eyes, still filled with panic, darting about, as if ready to attack anyone that came near. There were no thoughts of comforting Casey, no thoughts on what had happened, only panic and assumptions they were under attack and had to fight something.

In the time it took Trisha to scramble out and get toward the back of the couch, the furious buzzer started up again, drowning any errant thoughts out. Casey felt the whole washing sensation of Trisha’s fight response pheromones as it rattled straight through his emotional field and drove him into a frenzy.
At least he could hear exactly where the buzzing was coming from, and his hand slid under the couch. In the darkness, Trisha would really only be able to see Casey’s massive silhouette as he stepped into the hallway.

And he left her there. A few seconds later, there was a trio of bangs and crashes, followed by the sound of shearing metal and Casey giving another great shout of panic.
”Casey!? Casey, what the fuck!?”
Clarissa’s voice echoed through the house.
”A-auntie!? What!? What’s the fucking problem, why, who… Was that you fucking buzzing us!?”

”No shit! I was try’na not intrude, but then you’re up here shootin’ guns!? What the fuck is going on!?”
Casey seethed, and since Clarissa didn’t know the strong smell was directly correlating to her escalating anger and annoyance, the two of them would only get more heated as they were allowed to argue.
”I’ll tell you what’s going on, you people are fucking nuts! Absolutely demented! What, did Furio put you up to this!? You guys think its funny to install a fucking doorbell that sounds like a raid horn and then give it to the guy who used to have to dodge bomb blasts!? You think it’s fucking funny!?”

It wasn’t difficult to hear the shouting, the aggressive words slamming into her head even though they weren’t directed at her. The intruder was someone they knew, calm down- but she kept bombarding herself with her own pheromones, an everlasting cycle that she couldn’t break free of even as she desperately tried to calm down.

A gentle thud against the window had her head snapping towards it - then another, loads of tiny bodies trying to get in where there was no opening. The bees she called at the same
time, unable to get in the house. Thankfully. But she could sense them, their panic clashing with her own, her aggression turning back to fear and the need to flee to them. The heavy smell in the air reduced just slightly. Trisha jumped up, running across the couch and landing lightly on the floor. The bees, she wasn’t safe without the bees, they need to know she was safe-

Trisha didn’t say anything to either Casey or Clarissa, absolutely single minded in her panic, fleeing out of their den and making straight for the door. It opened and closed just as quickly.
And with the walls separating them, the pheromones reduced, lightly lingering before there weren’t enough to get through emotional fields anymore.

Now phones were ringing, and through the glass outside, Trisha would be able to see Casey and Clarissa pointing and yelling until Clarissa’s hand swept upward and delivered a hard backhand well over her head into Casey’s cheek. They were silent now, and stared at one another for a long moment before Clarissa finally relented.
Her arms and body surged forward, wrapping into him as she buried her face in his chest. Of course, now that they weren’t being blasted by aggression, the whole conflict collapsed into apologies and regret. Things Casey didn’t have time for, especially since Trisha had…

There was a person-shaped mass of bees outside. Casey shook his head, patting Clarissa and seeming to direct her; to which she responded by opening a portal and climbing through. It was now that Trisha would be able to see the pistol in Casey’s hand, and he set it down on the side table closest to him before stepping up to the window and knocking. He wasn’t sure if the bees would sting him if he went outside, so better to play it safe.
”Trisha!? Are you okay Babe!?” he shouted, the glass muffling his voice slightly.
”Do you want me to come out? Or can you come in?”

His phone was ringing again, except it was upstairs. Trisha’s was too…

Trisha had crouched next to the main room window, absolutely covered in bees. There wasn’t enough room for them all to be on her so they doubled up, constantly moving and swapping so each could check that she was alright. She was calming down, waking up, taking deep breaths of the cold, fresh night air. The constricting of her chest finally started to lessen.
“I’m fine,” she said softly, barely audible through the glass. But it was difficult for her to talk with the bees and the panic. But the pheromones she’d let out subconsciously were lessening as she purposefully used them on the bees. Telling them she was safe, and it was fine, combatting the fight ones with calming ones on all of them. Eventually the bees got the message, loud and angry buzzing that nearly drowned out what little she said getting quieter. The process was slow, taking minutes for them to calm down enough to not want to attack anything that came near her.

She stood back up, shaking slightly, and shook one arm. As if that was all it took, the outer layers of bees flew off her. They didn’t go back in the hive but instead up to the canopy outside - close enough to easily be called, but not following her into the house when she came back in. There were still enough bees crawling all over her to cover half of her body. As if that wasn’t the case, she shot right for Casey, practically crashing into him and wrapping her arms around him. The bees moved to her back and messy hair, some starting to crawl onto Casey.

None of them stung him.
“Sorry,” Trisha whispered, hiding her face against him. “I didn’t mean to- I didn’t know what it was.”

Casey didn’t immediately hug Trisha, but he did move very close to her before getting on his knees in front of her. His arms wrapped around her legs, and he pulled her close.
”I’m so fucking sorry… I’m so sorry, Trisha, I… The… The buzzer! Ask Cass or Sal, they’ll tell you those fucking sirens… They make you react, like you’re always fucking worthless when they go off. You know you can’t stop the bombs, and they just fucking…”

He felt the bees crawling around his bare shoulders and back. He looked up at her.
”Are you okay…? I didn’t hurt you, did I, your arms and head and everything, I didn’t… Hit you off anything?!”

“I’m fine,” Trisha shook her head, even though now that she was calming down she could feel a slight, aching pain in her left knee and elbow - clearly less protected by the blankets. She hadn’t even realised they’d hit anything, and why bother him with it? It wasn’t so bad.
“I just… I thought we were under attack… I couldn’t tell what was happening, so reactively, I… well you felt it.”

She bit her lip, curling forward over him.
“You didn’t hurt me, I- if you had it would’ve been different. You would’ve wanted to run. I’m okay, I’m really okay, it’s all okay.”

Standing, he accepted that she was alright enough to not turn and leave. But it didn’t look like the reality made him feel any better about the situation.
”As far as I was concerned, we fucking were under attack. When I sleep with you, its all dark. So I thought at first I was dreaming, and it was one of the bad dreams, but then I broke the fucking bannisters getting out of our room and it fucking…”

Shifting, he showed Trisha a thick piece of treated wood lodged in his arm.
”It really fucking hurts, and now I feel like a fucking idiot and a jerk because I need to-”
Phones were ringing again.
”God fucking dammit!”

He stormed off, heading back up the stairs to answer his phone, which Trisha would be able to hear from above.
”Yeah? What?- No, Gin! Call it off, please, we’re fine.- No, someone just rang the fucking doorbell and it scared the shit out of me is all.- Yeah… She’s okay too. The bees are all just idling right now, waiting for action that’s not coming.”
A couple moments passed, and he came back down before starting toward the bathroom.
”So, apparently when my Mom said early, she meant this kind of early… I won’t apologize again, but you get the message…” he casually commented to Trisha before grabbing ahold of the wood chunk and absolutely ripping it out of his arm.
He moaned in pain, whimpering as he made for a bottle of isopropyl and gauze rolls.

Trisha’s question about him leaving didn’t make it past her lips, lost as she could only watch him pull the wood out of his arm. Her eyes widened, hands clenching and unclenching at her sides. The bees, confused, continued to crawl all over her. She’d seen all sorts of horrible wounds before, ten years ago - had many herself. Everyone did. But certain kinds still made her feel sick to the stomach.

But it was in his arm. How was he supposed to wrap it properly himself?
“L- Let me help.” She managed to move, slipping past him to grab the gauze rolls before he could, gesturing to the isopropyl. She put on a brave face, hands trembling slightly. It wasn’t that bad right? She’d seen worse.
“I can’t do that, don’t know how much to use, but- but I can wrap it. We didn’t have enough healers against the Snake so… we had to do this, sometimes for ourselves, or others. I know how to. I think. It’s been a while. Better than you doing it one handed.”

”Of course, let a bunch of people learn whatever magic they want, they’ll make a stink bomb before they learn how to stitch flesh.”
He soaked a bunch of the gauze wrap in the alcohol, practically stuffing it into the wound and grimacing every step of the way. After a moment of doing so, he held his arm up with the other hand still holding the wound with the alcohol soaked cloth.
”Okay… Go ahead. Just connect it to the stuff thats already in there and wrap it up tight. Doesn’t matter how much you use.” he said with a grunt, moving his hand to let her get an angle without the packing falling out.

As she did, he would give back tiny winces and sighs.
”I fucking… I knew that doorbell was gonna be trouble. I shot the speakers, so now I’ve gotta fuckin’ replace ‘em.” he sadly admitted.

“Oh,” was all Trisha said as she concentrated on wrapping his wound. Once she’d connected it to the stuff already in it, having to force herself to look, it wasn’t so hard. She wrapped it as tightly as she felt was safe to, lips pursed together. It was difficult to stop herself from trying to do it perfectly - there wasn’t the time or need. She used a fair amount of the wrap once she was done, his wound tightly and neatly - if overly - wrapped up.
“There- and that means you can replace it with a more normal sounding one.” Now that she was done, she jumped back to actually responding to what he’d said.

She dropped her hand to lower down his arm, gently rubbing it.
“You… probably wouldn’t have shot it if I didn’t pheromone blast you… Will replacing it be a hassle?”

”Nah.” Casey replied very simply. He inspected the wrap in the mirror, pushed against the wound one last time, wincing and groaning, then kissed Trisha on the top of her head.
”Great job, Babydoll. You’d have made a good field medic.”

His bare arm wrapped around her in a comforting hug, being sure to miss the buzzing feeling of the bees still clinging to her.
”Now, I mean it’ll probably be hard, but like go ahead and get back to sleep if you can. I’ll go shower and get dressed downstairs like I did the other day, and you can just chill and try to relax until later when they come to get you.” he said, now looking down into her eyes.

Trisha looked back at him, frowning for a while, before she nodded. She knew there was very little chance of her getting back to sleep, especially if he was leaving. Generally, if she didn’t wake up properly it was quite easy for her to keep snoozing through minor disturbances. But when she was properly awake? Much harder to get to sleep a second time, especially after something like this.
“Mhm, I’ll try, if the bees let me,” she replied softly, bees now just sitting on her rather than constantly moving about. Most had congregated on her shoulders and chest, and in her hair. She turned and leaned up to lightly kiss him.

“I won’t keep you… Good luck, uh, with the ceremony. I’ll see you after.” She was clearly very reluctant to let him go, but forced through it, stepping away from him and out of the bathroom. She didn’t go much further, however - planning to watch him all the way to the door before she went back up to their bed.

Once Casey was out of the house and out of sight, Trisha traipsed back upstairs via the den to grab the blankets and take them with her. There was a slight hope of falling back asleep that was gone within half an hour of lying with her eyes closed, blankets pulled tight around her with her face buried into the pillow that smelt the most like Casey. It wasn’t really a good enough replacement.

But still, time ticked forward slowly. She spent a few hours in bed, trying to sleep and then just watching mindless videos on her phone. She wasn’t quite fully relaxed but she wasn’t in panic mode anymore, the bees waiting outside and some of the ones with her returning to their hive for the rest of the night. Eventually, her own alarm went off at 7:30am, and she actually rolled back out of bed.

Four hours should give her enough time to get ready. Their outfits from yesterday told her how important and possibly extravagant this ceremony was, and that meant she had to put all of her efforts into it. A proper shower was had, her hair meticulously blow dried into neat waves. She grabbed a hair band to push it out of her face before starting on makeup.

Normally she opted for more simple styles, unless going to a club where she wanted to impress or a fancy gala where she had to fit in. This matched the latter more. Still only a light coating of foundation, some contour, light blush. But where she really put the effort in was her eye makeup. Bright, metallic gold eyeshadow was painted across her inner eyelid, and the inner corner of her eye. It lightly blended into a dark brown then black, extending out past her eyelids in a smoky look she rarely went for. Light flicks of eyeliner, barely visible in the black eyeshadow, were added. Then gold flecks were dashed across her cheeks and nose - interspersed with her own natural freckles, like matching golden ones. Last were her lips, with a darker brown lipstick than normal, smoothly moving into a brighter, more reddish tone towards the centre.

After makeup, it was just her hair to sort. It was pulled back into a french braid that started at the top of her head and ended at her nape, tied off into a ponytail allowing the rest of her hair to fall down her back in long, gentle waves. By the time she was done it was nearing eleven. She pulled on some actual clothes to go down to the office to get her dress, nodding and smiling to Norm when he offered his greetings and congratulations, before quickly escaping back upstairs.

Getting the dress on while trying not to ruin everything else that had been so perfectly done was a struggle, but a struggle she succeeded in. She still couldn’t quite get the zip all the way up the back herself, but it fit much better. A simple, gold chain necklace with a circular charm with an engraved ‘T’ was slipped underneath it - the honeycomb shaped earrings Cass had gotten her put in her front lobe piercing, the other two swapped to simple gold studs. A couple of relatively simple, gold rings were slipped onto her fingers along with the one she’d been gifting - the silver and multi coloured gem standing out amongst the rest. She opted for no bracelets.

By the time she was completely ready and back down in the main living space, it was eleven thirty on the dot… So hopefully she wouldn’t have to wait around long.

It was a few more minutes before a woman arrived, dressed in one of the most elaborate religious garbs that someone could walk around in without falling over. Her hair was pulled up into a cone-like structure, which was fully covered by a long shawl and a gold lace that fell down the front of her face.
It was way taller than the space between one’s head and the roof of a car… One could only beg the question: How’d she get there?

Elise peered into the glass of the house from outside, knocking on the window to get Trisha’s attention. The cloth draped in heaps atop her shoulders made it hard to tell that she was shrugging, and the sleeves on her hands kept them from being seen as they were thrown up in frustration.
She poked her hidden finger, like she was smashing a doorbell, then threw her hands up again as Trisha made her way outside.
”Doorbell broken?” she asked, her voice sounding calm and collected despite her previous physical actions.

Trisha had jumped slightly, almost imperceptibly, when Elise knocked on the window - even though she was expecting someone. She bent down to pick up her handbag - simple and plain black to not draw attention to it - and slipped her phone inside where there was already a small tablet and notebook. She'd considered bringing her laptop to try and get some work done but… she didn't want to deal with the hassle of carrying it around the rest of the evening, or risk leaving it somewhere a Temple member could tamper with it.

“Yeah, it broke this morning - must've been from overuse," Trisha said with a polite smile as she locked the door behind her, key slipped in her bag. With how information went around the Temple, Elise probably already knew what had happened in the early hours of the morning - but she wasn't going to be the one to throw her boyfriend under the bus. After all, it hadn't been their fault.

It was chilly outside, and Trisha shivered slightly as the cold, November air hit her bare arms. She hadn't bothered with a coat - figuring she'd be inside that it wouldn't be much of a problem. The bees she had with her moved from their various positions to her arms, forming pulsating, bee arm warmers. She'd decided to bring about a hundred with her, with plenty of places for them to hide in her hair, skirts and just blending in with the dress design.

“I take it… is it going well?" Trisha asked, as she began to make her way towards the door off the roof. Even wearing heels as she was (which she'd still opted for in the end), boosting her up a good few inches, she was nowhere near Elise's height. The difference only seemed more extreme with the cone of hair making Elise seem even taller. Trisha supposed it was something she'd have to get used to.
“How much longer does the ceremony go on for?" she grasped for some kind of conversation, finding the idea of silence with someone she barely knew uncomfortable, but also having nothing to really talk about. She tilted her head up towards Elise, still smiling politely. Concealer combined with the bright gold eyeshadow was enough to combat and cover the dark bags underneath her eyes, thankfully, and she had enough practice that the tiredness her gaze had held was slowly being pushed away now that she wasn't alone.
“Since it started at 3am…"

Elise took stock of Trisha's questions as they headed toward the bottom of the building and out the side door into the parking lot. There was a car and a driver, a situation Trisha may have been used to at some point. With the rear of the vehicle ending up fairly intimate, and the partition toward the driver’s side completely sealed, Elise felt free to discuss matters as casually as possible.

”Most of our ceremonies are totally narrative. I mean, like, super pointless pageantry shit that we could skip. Stuff from the old days when our little Cult was a noble union of Knights and Soldiers of the Realm.”
Elise, getting into the car, was able to show off that her hair cone compressed. Pushing up against the car's roof, it pressed up into itself and left a mostly flat mound of hair sitting in a tight circle.

She happened to look something like a small battery slotting into the back of a remote, the spring compressed in the compartment as it held the mechanics firmly in place.
”But this one that Casey's doing really takes the fucking cake. Like, it's a historical one, so they're jumping from battlefield to battlefield of old sucking up some kind of knowledge.

She did look a bit sad at that last part as the vehicle began to move in earnest.
”It's in bad taste for him, I feel like… Obviously, some of these fields are the exact same fields he was serving in a year ago. When I was permitted to take my leave in order to prepare for the home ceremony, he looked… Not good. But that doesn't mean the rituals aren't going well. I'm pretty sure he's absorbed a couple of the books already.”

She leaned her head back, taking a deep breath while the frown sat on her face.
”It's funny that he went to war where he did… A lot of the ritual kind of assumes, you know, that you as an individual have been to war? And, it assumes you're European, because that's where our traditions come from, so it literally tells you to fucking just ‘Go to where the Noble Warrior first shed blood, go to where the Noble Warrior first lost men.’ Et cetera. But, yeah, pretty emotional for him considering how raw those feelings are. But, that parts over, just about. Uhhh… I guess if you wanted, it would be really nice if you could receive him? It's not pervy or anything: It's meant to be his heroic return, where his waiting maiden receives him from war and brings him back into his Noble House.”

Elise's slim frown peeled into a grin.
”No pressure, obviously, but if you don't do it, it ends up being Lena's job by default. Again, totally no pressure. At all. Definitely not asking you to so that we can tell her to fuck off together…”

Trisha frowned too when she heard exactly what Casey was having to go through. It sounded horrible… especially after this morning, when he'd already been set off by the doorbell. They'd both been set off. If she was ever forced to jump from supernatural battlefield to supernatural battlefield… Well, she didn't want to think about it. Didn't have to to understand how awful it would all be for him. And to have to see Lena at the end of all of it… of course her feelings towards that weren't entirely selfless. Just the mention of Lena made her feel tense.
“I assume I don't have to take any vows if you're suggesting I do it?" Trisha asked, fiddling with the ring she'd received and trying not to bite her lips like she normally would.

“It wouldn't be fair if he has to go through all of that just to deal with Lena at the end. That'll be like going from one trauma to another," she said very matter of factly, moving to tapping her fingers on her knees. Pretending the whole thing was something she could comfortably do… it was, again, for him. How bad could it be? It would be worse if Lena did it. She'd only feel worse, waiting and knowing that was happening. She turned her head towards Elise rather than facing forward, smiling.
“I’ll do it… For Casey, after he's had to relive all that, it'll be nice for it to be me. And maybe a little bit because it'll be really nice to tell Lena to fuck off."

She laughed at that, able to picture how pissed off Lena would be about it. As if she could ever be anything to Casey… but Trisha didn't want to risk her even having a part in a ceremony like this. There were all those what ifs- when something like this was so important to him, if Tansy had been right about her just being the first woman he'd found after the war… and the trauma of reliving it pushed him to someone else. She wanted to be the one there, even if it meant participating in a ceremony for a cult she wanted minimal part in.
“What do I actually have to do?"

Elise enthusiastically clapped her hands together and pumped a fist into the air. It smashed off the car's roof, and she immediately regretted her outward enthusiasm as she gripped her hand in pain.
”Fffff-ouch… Damn long fucking arms…”

It took her a few moments to pass over the pain, having to subtly reset the knuckle she dislocated on impact. She grunted again slightly, whimpered, and took a deep breath.
”Fuck… Sorry! No oaths, no nothing. Back in the day, women weren't allowed to join the Order, so a ritual like this was meant to include people who didn't know the secrets. The Knight's immediate family, you know, the wife, kids, mother, mistress, indentured servants. He's wearing armor, so you'll basically present him with his clothes, say a couple of words from a script, kiss him, and then send him back to finish the ceremony inside our Sanctum. That's pretty easy, right? Not a lot of dedication required.”

“... so if I don’t do it, Lena would kiss him?” Of course that was what Trisha’s mind ended up fixating on - rather than the past sexism, or how they kept up an antiquated part of the ceremony after allowing women to join… and be in charge. She didn’t really care about all of that. What she cared about was making sure Lena didn’t get anywhere near her boyfriend in any way - especially with her lips. If she wasn’t sure about doing it before she certainly was now.
“If that’s really all there is to it, it does sound easy. I can do all of that. I’ll definitely do it.”

She raised one hand to her mouth, discreetly nibbling on her knuckles as she thought a bit more about it. Why would it go to Lena by default? She didn’t fit into immediate family in the slightest… how did that work? Because his mom wanted her to be? If Elise hadn’t asked, would she have only found out about it after it happened.
“Why would it be Lena’s job by default, rather than one of Casey’s actual family members? She doesn’t fit into any of those categories…” Not that Trisha did either, but girlfriend was slightly closer. Definitely.

Elise laughed aloud at the idea of Casey kissing Lena.
”She'd act as a Page. Much different relationship, way more like a squire, no kissing involved. Truthfully, she and Casey aren't so different; they got along well when they were younger. But I think she never really liked him because he wasn't magical. When he came back with magic the first time, Mom tried to encourage her to get with him. It just… I think it ruined things between them. Like putting two strange animals in a cage and telling them to get along, right?”

Her face returned to solemnity, a hint of regret eating away at her.
”But that's Momma's style. Most things, she just tries to use a hammer to fix it. Sometimes, she'll get the finer tools out, but only after she breaks something… Obviously, she says it's God's Will. But you don't grow up in our household without seeing what's behind the veil occasionally.” she shrugged.

Trisha pressed her lips together as they pulled into a thin line, gaze moving down to her feet. It didn’t surprise her that Lynette tried to ‘fix’ things in that way. She’d already seen a little of it with Casey… but she was surprised that Lena and Casey had gotten along before. Casey hadn’t mentioned that. Did that mean without his mother’s intervention, they might’ve… No, that wasn’t the case. Wouldn’t be, at least. Casey had her now.
“It’s a pretty transparent veil to an outsider,” Trisha shrugged one shoulder, looking back up from her feet.
“But I think it’s just how mothers are. I can count the number of my siblings with moms that ‘delicately’ fixed things on one hand. Yours just has magic and religion to back her up.”

Her hands twisted together in her lap, pushing back the thoughts of her own mom. Had she even tried to fix anything? At first, perhaps. It had always been a hard push. Don’t think about it.
“Either way, what’s ruined is ruined, and Casey’s got someone better now. I’m not fickle enough to only care about his magic.” Faux confidence about being better, always the way for her to go when accidentally going into topics she didn’t want to discuss. Did it make her a bad person that she was glad things were ruined between Casey and Lena? Probaby, but she couldn’t bring herself to care too much.

Elise lingered on the first part of Trisha’s statement… About the thinness of the veil. She wished that was true, as she’d have a lot less people to talk to and interview during her working hours.
”Enemies see no veil, only their blinding hate. Skeptics see no veil, only their burning denial. Typically magical people stop being skeptical, so… I guess you just never lost that feeling, huh? Since, I mean, I know you’re not an enemy…”

“My scepticism of magic? I’m not sceptical of magic… only of those who think it makes them any better than those without it. Magic is just another… talent, or inheritance. Like some of us are born rich, some are born to magical lineage, some acquire it. It doesn’t make anyone-” Trisha cut herself off before she got further, not wanting to start talking negatively about a religion she honestly knew very little about - and was dating into.
“You can place it under being a sceptic if you want to. I’m realistic. Magical people are still people. I didn’t change when a ghost attached herself to me.”

Elise laughed again, smiling at Trisha with a gentle grin.
”Hey, you just aren’t religious. I get it. Some people can see God standing in front of them and still slight it; we have the free will to do so. But, usually, when people get exposed to the fact that there’s another side to our reality, it gets pretty easy to convince people that God never left. That he’s here, with us, just like he was two thousand years ago. Except this time, God chose a Matron. Yadda yadda, we get fresh new blood. Ten percent of them dedicate themselves, then ninety percent live their lives more or less as normal, confident that they’re throwing their lot in with the Messiah. Make sense?”

Trisha bit down on her lip again to hold back what would be a pretty ugly laugh, just nodding at first. Of course it made sense. They took in people who discovered a new world and were confused about their place in it. Vulnerable people who were easily convinced.
“Of course it makes sense. But it requires people to believe in God in the first place, doesn’t it? Just discovering magic doesn’t tend to… make everyone have some religious awakening. For some it's the opposite.”
Certainly when discovering magic lead to things such as the Stygian Snake. She was sure her covenmates who awakened because of it wouldn’t view it in that light at all.

“But you’re right, I’m not religious, unlikely to ever be - no matter how much that all makes sense.” She shrugged.
“I can understand without believing… and I plan to.”

There was a long silence before Elise’s hand swept upward toward the partition. She pushed against it, making sure it was closed tightly. Her other hand gripped onto Mondo, and a White Lux spell washed over the car to check for bugs. Thankfully, they were alone.
”Would you… Lie?” she asked, her face curling into a devious expression. ”I mean, like, about… Taking oaths and other things? Wait, did… Did Leon talk to you?”

“He did,” Trisha narrowed her eyes, glancing around the car before looking back to Elise. She assumed that if Elise was talking like this, Lynette wasn’t listening in… At least she hoped that had some way to figure that out.
“He told me about the food, and some other things… But I would lie about that. To Lynette and the Temple, that is. I’m not sure I could lie to Casey if it would involve that. Maybe. It would be more difficult.”

She could hide things from him, and she possibly could lie to him, but it would make things difficult if it came out.
“But is it possible to lie about planning to take oaths without actually taking them? Wouldn’t I just be pushed to take them as quickly as possible?”

”Yes, but… Well, there’s a bit of a lapse. Thing is, we know Mom’s not actually God. Well, I mean, she fuckin’ could be, but she’s still a human. Like you said. She makes mistakes, she’s not always suited, and… We can’t trust her. Especially not with her current plans. But, now Casey’ll have Divine Authority. That means he can master your Ceremonies, and they can be done privately between the two of you as per her agreement to not… Y’know, spy on you. She’s taking it seriously, and… I think if she knew you were Pacted, you’d have a good chance of just wholesale replacing Lena as a Crone. Which means you’d be with Hari, Clarissa and I a lot more… And we’re all on board for changes.”

Elise’s hands were intertwining, and she was now very openly holding the teddy in her arms as it’s lifeless eyes and head slowly turned to observe Trisha. It looked more like a comfort tick than spellcasting.
”Like… Modernization. Realizing our paradise here on Earth, rather than ruining what’s been built… I don’t want to be some fucking doomsday cultist. And I don’t think God would want that either, if it really did give us the free will to make our own way. She… Takes that. Often. It’s only recently that we’ve been able to start taking control back from her in areas she’s no longer interested in.”

Trisha frowned. It was a lot to think about. A lot to agree on right there too. But she was surprised to hear all of this from Elise when she… hardly knew her. Leon made a bit of sense, they’d fought together years ago. So Trisha was sceptical of it too. Worried about going in deeper accidentally.
“So, assuming Casey agreed, I’d actually be able to ‘fake’ taking the oaths… But would there not be even more intervention and spying if I joined some kind of inner circle?”

She reached up to tap one of the bees on her shoulders, gently stroking it.
“I’m not necessarily against it. I don’t believe in God or paradise at all, but if there’s a way for you to attain that without… well, ruining what’s here, obviously that’s better. And I’ve been around for less than a week and… the spying thing, the lack of freedom you all have- Casey has- is obvious. I don’t like it, and I do want to help. But I’d have to think about it. It’s a lot, suddenly. And I’m not sure if I could agree without talking to Casey about it first…”

”Of course, that makes sense. As far as faking them… Some of the oaths, you can’t really ‘fake’. There are magical binders and things, rituals that involve multiple people. But we can easily fudge them by involving the right people. It’s all complex, but we haven’t brought it up to him yet. So, maybe tonight if he’s feeling okay. If not, soon. And when it comes, we’ll all be there for him. Because I think he’ll take it hard.”
She nodded her head as she spoke, and slowly but surely her hand crept out toward Trisha, a hopeful position for a handshake.
”I… I really respect you. Thank you for considering at the very least.”

Trisha looked at Elise’s hand for a moment, before reaching out to shake it lightly.
“Probably not tonight, I also need time to prepare… but just considering it isn’t much. I’ll, uh, need your support if I see it through.”

”You’ll have the support of all of us…”

---

Temple Main Grounds > Chapel > Inner Sanctum

---

The rest of the ride was spent mostly with Elise giving Trisha some much needed instruction. Going over the essentials that they may have missed yesterday, giving specifics, and a few more reassurances that this particular part of the ceremony was nothing but a very convenient usage of a loophole. General lack of updating policy, it was exactly the kind of thing Elise meant when she didn’t approve of her Mother’s working of the cult.
Of course, she wasn’t going to tell Trisha that they had the chance to ride the chaos together toward power over people and resources. Why show the hand so early?

But as they arrived, there was practically a fair going on in the Temple’s various quad grounds and gathering areas. There were quite a few magical constructs as well, perhaps Apparitions given physical forms by their various artisans. They played with the children, and there seemed to be some smaller rides set up carnival style along with banners and other decorations.
A full blown celebration for those who lived their daily lives as part of the tightly knit community that made up the core of the Temple’s followers. There wasn’t a single Blind person there, and even the air felt thicker with magic as Trisha and Elise were let out of the car in front of the Chapel that centered it all.

Trisha could look into the short distance and see some of the otherworldly animals that Casey had pointed out when they both made their first trip here together. The metal-boned elk, the giant shimmering moths, and plenty of other strange looking things which were being fed, patted and rode by children, looked on by adults who all dressed in black and gold, just like Trisha… Only, there were no real bee patterns. In that sense, she was certainly unique among them.

Elise stretched her long limbs as she stepped from the car, but couldn’t go more than a few moments without some sort of attention. Some ladies immediately approached her, but she openly redirected them thanks to her duties without a hint of shame or empathy. It was as close as one could get to saying “Get bent” without being rude.

”So busy, Girls! Main event stuff, y’know? You keep enjoying, I’ll be here all week so…-”
Some laughter, casual goodbyes, and the followers took the hint that someone important had important things to do. She got close to Trisha.
”Whadd’ya think, huh? I mean, I know everyone dressed the same is kinda weird, but like, it’s still got good vibes, doesn’t it?”

Trisha looked around with slightly wide eyes, though she tried to play off the awe and interest she felt towards what was going on. The open use of magic was part of it, but it was… kind of like a fair. At least, what she’d heard about things like that. It wasn’t something Trisha had experienced - the community or the fun as a child. Though, the almost identical outfits they all wore did a good job at reminding her this was a cult.
“It’s definitely not like anything I’ve ever seen,” Trisha replied quietly, half gesturing towards the various strange creatures.
“It’s like a petting zoo but for… paranormal animals. I didn’t expect them to be so docile. You’re right, aside from the clothes, it’s nice.”

Elise smiled warmly, shrugging her shoulders about them being docile.
”Most animals are pretty good when they’re well fed by people they see every day. None of them can exist here without our express help, so… Project Eden, you know? Most of these people work for the Project specifically. They’re adherents of the faith, and they’re invested in doing what they can to see it come true.”

She swept her hand upward toward the chapel.
”Come on! Before we’re swamped by annoying people.”

Heading up into the warmth of the chapel, the pews and rows were being set up by more members, led by a familiar face with her clipboard in hand. Alena Zöller, Lynette’s doppelganger sans twenty years of age. About her were two massive hands, and a pair of floating eyeballs above her.
The hands themselves tapped impatiently, like they were poised atop an oversized desk in judgement, their armored appearance and metallic clicking gave them a menacing look. One even slipped up slightly, hooking under one of the pews and tugging it just a little more in line with its row.

One eye focused on the motion, but the other focused on the newcomers. As Elise held onto Mondo, she squeezed a little bit in disgust. Her face turned to Trisha, and she cleared her throat.
”Geeze… I didn’t smell sauerkraut from outside, so why’s it stink so bad in here?” she grinned evilly.

Trisha laughed, holding a hand up to her mouth and nose both to cover any ugly expression that might come with it and go along with what Elise was saying.
“That’s a little mean, isn’t it? Some people just can’t cover up how they smell.”

She then turned to Lena, not even bothering with a smile.
“I won’t pretend it's nice to see you again Lena - have you been relegated to manual labour? That seems fitting.”

There was no real love lost. Lena let a wad of spit roll up in her mouth before spitting it at Trisha’s feet.
”Oh, woops. Let that one slip, didn’t I? Gosh, someone come clean this fucking mess up for me?”
One of the other acolytes in the room immediately rushed in, sliding to hands and knees and using their own robes to wipe the spit up off the holy floor. Lena grinned.

”Yeah, Trasha, serious manual labor going on right now. Definitely not trying to create a nice comfortable environment for His Grace to enjoy being showered in affection by his people.”
Her grinning face turned to utter disgust as it shifted to Elise.
”You’re pathetic, Elise. You spend how many years up North, or away from the main Convent, then come here and think you’re just going to nuzzle back into Cronehood? I’ll chop your hands off before I see you in my fucking seat.”

Elise laughed aloud and in Lena’s face.
”That’s absolutely rich coming from Hitler’s favorite niece. Y’know, Casey’s probably in a field right now talking about bashing some German soldier in the head with a stick grenade. Does that make you feel any kind of way?”

”I am an American, God DAMN you… God, I wish I could stuff your face in your own shit and make you understand how it feels to be treated like that.” she growled aggressively, the giant metal clicking hands slowly but surely balling into two spikey fists.

“Aw, does it hurt when people think you’re from somewhere else, what a hard life you have, people suggesting you’re German,” Trisha rolled her eyes, unbothered by the open aggression coming from the other side. Of course, she understood there had been a war - one that had touched the European mainland much more than them. But if Lena wasn’t a raging bitch it wouldn’t even be a problem for her.
“Maybe if you stopped acting like a Nazi, people wouldn’t treat you like one- oh, but then you wouldn’t be able to feel superior, right? Because you don’t have anything else going for you.”

Elise let her fist move out to Trisha for a bump.
”So true, you took her last chance.”
”Last chance? Last chance!? How about we talk about last chances? I mean, y’know it makes a bit more sense for you both to cling to a strong boat, since you’re equally pathetic in the arts of magic. But, I mean, all you can really do is cling to other peoples’ tits, huh? Like babies at the breast, sucking away at whatever you can get?”

Her face turned to Trisha again.
”I can’t even say that for you… You don’t give a shit about power. You’re only here to save your own miserable life, cowering in fear because your silly Coven can’t find one asshole with a knife. Fucking shame.”

Elise shook her head.
”Hey, Trisha, don’t we have, like, a really important ceremony to get to? Why are we chatting with this cockroach?” she said with a great deal of sarcasm in her tone.

Trisha bit down on her lip to stop herself from getting heated at Lena - from letting her words get to her. As if it was just to save her life. If she wanted to save her life, she would’ve found someone with strong magic months ago. She’d spent so long alone expecting the knife to get her next.
“Oh, right, it’s hard not to get distracted by something so annoying… just makes me want to squash it.” She shrugged, narrowing her eyes at Lena, managing a fake smile.
“I have to go receive my boyfriend as part of his very important ceremony. We should get going- you just keep arranging the chairs to make things comfortable for him afterwards.”

Lena bristled, one of the giant hands slapping down on an open piece of floor like it was frustrated.
”Why don’t you make like half of St. Portwell and go receive your Father’s cock.” She barked.
”Or are you too good for a little Necrophilia?”

Elise stopped, looked rather shocked even for the situation, and turned to Trisha as if to ask what should be done in retaliation.

There was a loud buzzing as the bees with Trisha crawled out from their hiding spots, coating her chest and shoulders. They didn’t move from her - but their little bodies vibrated, and their wings fluttered, ready to strike given the command. Trisha’s lips twisted down into a scowl, gaze turning cold and filled with something close to hatred.
“You fucking bitch,” was all Trisha was able to grit out, mind going blank with anger, any more intelligent insults out of reach. After that morning and the lack of sleep she was incredibly touchy. She twisted her head around towards Elise, lips awkwardly forming the words, ‘cover your nose.’

She didn’t know if the message got across - and she didn’t even stop to think about it before she blasted the nearby vicinity with fear pheromones so strong they’d get through emotional fields and make anyone close enough to her that smelt them (namely Lena) panic and get the overwhelming urge to flee.

Lena stood for an uncannily long time in the mire of fear. Her grin left, sure, along with her energy and snark. But she didn’t let her eyes, or the eyes of her guardian spirit, leave Trisha Vanburen until it became overwhelming. At which point, Lena threw her clipboard up into the air as her hands twisted into her hair. With a blood curdling scream, like the banshee had been defeated for now, she stormed off into one of the back rooms.

Elise had plugged up, and seeing the results, she laughed with her nose still plugged. With one hand still holding Mondo, Elise let her aura spell ripple through the room to follow the pheromone trail’s magical signature along the air. It was massive, like a plume of spores or a dust cloud rolling through the open space.
”Impressive, nice job Trisha. Let’s get out of here before she comes back.”

Down the stairs behind the pulpit, down a second flight, and they stood among a great stone reception room covered in banners and statues, other symbols of their faith. Elise was happy that there was a few more minutes before they’d be moving into the Sanctum. It was time enough to catch their breath and recover from lingering frustrations.
”Alright, you did really good. I mean, none of that was good: I’m gonna get in trouble later, but I’ll take it on the nose. But, you did great. Now, did you think about what you wanted to say to receive Casey?”

In the car they had discussed what was expected, and what the original script was. Elise’s only suggestion was to keep it formal, but she expressed that it could wait until a moment like this so long as Trisha was able to hold the memory of what she was supposed to say.

“I thought about it, but…” Trisha trailed off, rubbing the back of her neck with a grimace. She hated admitting something that could be viewed as a flaw. That she did, in a way. If she was smarter she could figure out how to word it perfectly.
“I don’t know how to say it… Well, you said it should be formal. I don’t know how to do it like that, I wasn’t raised in… this.” She gestured to their surroundings.

Elise nodded enthusiastically.
”I don’t think that’s a problem at all. If you don’t want to talk like a crazy person, you really don’t have to. But, if you want to give it a shot? You can tell me what you want to say. I’ll translate into nutjob for you.” she grinned, moving off to one side of the stone room and opening a cabinet to pull Casey’s bagged suit from.

Trisha couldn’t help but laugh at that, tension in her shoulder releasing just slightly.
“It sounds pretty boring in plain speech… Alright. Something like ‘Welcome back from… uh, war, I guess. Let me help you rest and recover…’” She threw up on hand in half frustration, before it came back down to clasp with the other one.
“Pretty crap, isn’t it? This really isn’t my speciality.” What was?

Elise giggled, nodding her head and smiling as Trisha got uncomfortable about letting things go. At this point, she’d been around Elise’s aura enough that the White Lux user’s main ability had time to gestate. She could see the small twitching muscles in the girl’s face, associating them with different levels of discomfort and frustration.
”I don’t think it’s crap… It sounds just like what the usual script would be, but we can tighten it up. How about ‘I welcome you to peace, and in me, seek solace.’?”

Trisha nodded, fingers tangled together and rubbing the back of her hands. It was so simple, but it sounded much nicer than how she’d put it.
“I like that. It’s short, so I can remember it easily and… it’s not too embarrassing, most importantly.” She laughed away her discomfort, smiling.
“Not quite the full blown crazy talk. I’ll use it- thanks for the help.”

It was worth noting that, consciously, Elise had not once tried to be anything other than what appeared to be genuine. Not even the practiced Richoux family smile had shone across her face like some shield against reality.
”It’s no problem, Trisha. I told you, I respect you. Everything you and the other Sycamore went through. From what Leon tells us, it was hellish. As far as I’m concerned, you’re a hero too. So, I’m happy to have you here doing this.”

Trisha’s smile wavered slightly, but she saved it before her discomfort became obvious - through non magical, purely visual means. She definitely didn’t see herself as anything close to a hero. She hadn’t even done that much against the Stygian Snake - the victory had been down to many other members.
“It was. Hellish, that is,” she shrugged one shoulder nonchalantly, as if it wasn’t a big deal - that there was no trauma there. And there really wasn’t. It had been ten years. She was over it.
“It was a… group effort. Start calling all of the Sycamore members heroes and it’ll go to their heads. Thankfully, I’m grounded, but- I’m glad to be here too. Definitely better than Lena doing it.”

”Ten thousand percent.”
There was a chime that echoed around them, and Elise quickly moved to a spot in front of the door closed tightly before them.
”Alright, come on! Remember your lines: They’ll que you when it’s your time to speak.”

She waved her hand to stand next to her.
”I’ll have to walk behind you, but you’ll feel some notches in the floor with your shoes indicating where you should stop.”

”All rise in the presence of Grace, Holy be the name and countenance of Princess of the Outer Wilds, the Ever-Visage, Second of Her Grace, Elise Nouvillette Erden Richoux. Silent Brothers and Sisters, presenting the Consort of The Blade. Recognize, Hero of the Stygian War, Sister of Sycamore, Patricia Malaya Mendoza-Vanburen, and kneel.”

As the long winded introduction sounded out from a formless voice which seemed to speak from right next to one despite filling the Inner Sanctum with dulcet tones. As the doors opened, the black and gold robes filling the small underground chamber were illuminated by flames, casting shadows that blocked their hooded faces from view completely. The further Trisha and Elise walked, the more the crowds on either side of the room rotated, until they were lost behind Trisha’s back.

Then the noise and clatter of two dozen people shuffling and kneeling gave way to eerie silence. A familiar face stood up at the podium, her expression serious and almost dour. Hari, her red hair peeking out from just under her hood, resisted the urge to flash a psychic apology to Trisha for having to introduce her like that.
Casey had already steamed and fumed about that being the introduction, because he felt it was everything Trisha wouldn’t want to be recognized for, but some things weren’t flexible.

”Your Grace-” Hari continued, speaking directly to Elise. ”You bear the garb of the Lord of Blades, with the intention of ushering the Return.”
Elise nodded, her tall figure standing heads over Trisha as she spoke loudly in return.
”Crone Matron, I intend to Recall our Noble Lord.”

”And with you, the Lord’s trusted confidant, who among us stands both outside and in?”
”Who is ready to accept and Receive the Grace of that Noble Lord, recalled to us from battle.”

Hari smashed both of her hands upon the podium.
”Then, by the Grace of Divinity, may God carry this heroic Lord from his tragedy and deliver him into the arms of comfort, that he may experience the greatest of our Holiest Lord’s concession: Love! Come home, Caseau Dumont L’del Hunter-Richoux! With God’s Grace and Guidance, to those who love you, come home!”

As she slammed her hands down on the podium a second time, the sound of ripping, tearing metal sounded as the telltale purple of Clarissa’s portal ripped a hole in reality open. Several figures stepped out of this hole, including Leon and Mia who were both draped in strangely patterned cloth, despite otherwise being bare naked. Then, Lynette herself, draped in gold with several dozen metal spheres orbiting her, and some sort of crazy halo contraption that seemed to infinitely fold in on itself danced just above her head.

She seemed to usher forth Furio, who was dressed entirely in black and gold plated armor that looked fresh from a tenth century battlefield. He was very clearly wounded at some point, his face pale and a massive gash having ripped open the metal armored shell. Clarissa herself immerged, her usually ball of golden hair tucked into tight cornrows that cascaded down her back and gave one an idea of just how dense her hair really was. She didn’t wear a hood, rather a similar halo-like crown piece wobbled over her head as if she were an angel.

Then, he finally came. His face was covered in bruises, one eye swollen shut almost entirely. His armor had been punctured and ripped open half a dozen times in different places, mostly around the gauntlets and shoulder area, though a massive hole had at one point been made in his gut. One arm was tucked against his chest, and he’d hooked it onto a piece of metal that was sticking out like a makeshift sling.
His free arm pulled his helmet from his head, and as he stepped to the fore of the group, magical light seemed to surround him as the dozens of metal spheres orbiting Lynette began to take their places around him instead. One unfurled itself, and it too became a halo of great size.

He tucked his helmet into the crook of his bad arm, and as he did so, his gaze slowly but surely turned to face Trisha. With only one eye working, he still thought she was the most beautiful thing in the room, and he smiled a broken smile at her, so happy that she was the first real thing he got to see.

Trisha had been having a hard time keeping her expression as neutral as possible - starting with the introduction that used not only her full first name, but included her middle one and mother’s surname that weren’t just easily available. Then there was the use of the word love, the near naked Richoux siblings- she should have seen it all coming in a ceremony like this. But it still shocked her, lips pressed firmly together to prevent any other reaction.

But when she saw Casey, she couldn’t hold it, lips parting and eyes widening. Her gaze was filled with primarily concern. He was so badly hurt. When Elise had said they were going through battlefields she’d assumed they were just… observing, rather than participating. It took a lot to not say anything, worrying it would ruin the Ceremony - and who knew what would happen then. She forced a smile in return to his - because how could she not, when he was managing to smile - though the worry was still clear in her eyes. One hand subtly raised in a half wave, and a bee crawled onto her cheek. It wiggled at him. If he was able to sense pheromones, he’d know it was checking if he was alright, like he was an injured member of the hives.
Of course, he couldn’t sense them. Trisha had to respond for him, glancing down at the bee as she did, then back up at him with a more bemused smile.

”Congregation, prostrate thine self before God, Almighty. She whose Grace radiates.”
Those kneeling many wholly spun their bodies toward the front, toward Lynette, and buried their faces into the floor. Noses and foreheads pressed against the cold stone.

”And before Her Grace go We.”

Hari too prostrated herself before Lynette, before an orb took to the girl’s head and unfurled into a halo. She stood again, slowly and purposefully, and spoke once more.
”And with such Grace, we are all crowned in light and knowledge. Present thyself, Lord of Blades, to your people. Bare your scars as proof of thine trials.”

Casey stepped forward, and without hands, his armor began to peel away from his body. Section by section it came away to expose wounds of combat. For the first time, he spoke.
”Hell seeketh I, and through struggle, Salvation. I am risen. I am your Lord, whose Blade shall hang across our mantle as a symbol of peace, or hang across the neck of our enemies who know not of God’s ancient wrath. Let my wounds mark me, that all beneath my Blade recognize that I am that Ancient Wrath.”

”And before His Blade go We.”

And just like his siblings, he was bare. Stripped of all shame, as was part of their creed, he bore no covering. Lynette stepped forward, silently staring first at the crowd, then at her son’s face. She looked proud.

”Your people accept. You have exceeded the expectations of our Order, Lord of Blades. May you reign long and bask in glory.”
Then her face turned toward Trisha again.
”Before us, your life awaits. I ask, do you recognize the Witch before you, and regard her as your Consort?”

Casey, trying his best not to blush, looked down at Trisha.
”Dearest Trisha, I recognize you as my Consort.”
Lynette smiled, and a sphere slowly hovered down to Trisha before also unfurling into a levitating halo. Trisha would be able to feel the subtle vibration of the machine holding itself up by strange means against her head.

”Then, Chosen Consort: Receive thy Lord, that he may be healed from his trials and refreshed to continue his duties. Accept his uniform, and receive him before Me.” she directed, a hand rising up to prompt Elise into turning, holding out the bag with his clothes in it, and bowing directly before Trisha.
”What say you?”

Trisha cleared her throat, a bit thrown off by the distressed pheromones her bees were bombarding her with over the strange vibrations coming from some unknown object (to them). But she managed to ignore it, turning to take the bag from Elise into her arms, before turning back to Casey and looking up at him.
“Casey, I welcome you to peace, and in me, seek solace.” She spoke evenly and calmly, smiling at him, momentarily quenching the anxiety rising in her gut.

A tear fell from Casey’s good eye.
”I accept your reception, Dearest Trisha, in the Eyes of God.”
Lynette clapped her hands together once, and light flooded the chamber.

”Then by my Will, I deign your ascension as legitimate! Be of yourself, and reap the rewards of war!”

The collective group, still prostrated before the stage, began to hum a loud tune, and as they did, Mia and Leon both divested themselves of the cloths that covered them, draping each over Casey to stand bare among the attendants. Casey took a single stride off the stage, stride looking good despite the damage, and claimed the bag from Trisha.
He smiled with the love of ages behind it, and as he shifted the bag to one hand, he grunted. But, he couldn’t deny the urge to wrap the unwounded one into one of her hands, and finally she was being led away as the latin chanting got louder and louder.

A chamber at the side of the room opened up, and as Casey tugged Trisha into it, and it closed behind them. Silence, only Casey’s shuffling feet and Trisha’s shoes tapping off of the rock in the otherwise totally dark place. His breath was a little rattled, but soon there was a crack of light ahead, and Casey pushed the door open to reveal some kind of… Dressing room?
Or, what would’ve been some kind of dressing room, maybe a lounge, but a place that was comfortable and quiet none-the-less, with a table that had all sorts of food and fruit and letters and notes stacked up high. A banner hung across the ceiling that read “Congratulations Casey”, and there was a bathroom with a shower big enough for a giant to use.

But Casey nearly collapsed in the middle of the floor, grunting in pain.
”Do you have… Any idea how… Happy I am to see you…” he panted, having dropped the bag with his suit. The wounded arm that tried to hold it was spasming wildly, wounded muscle looking as if it were trying to wriggle from his skin.

Trisha’s breathing hitched and she reached out for Casey’s uninjured arm, as if she could somehow support someone of his size from properly collapsing. Her eyes quickly darted around the room, biting her lip.
“I’m- I’m happy to see you too, but are there any… healing potions in here? Or that healing cake? There was all that stuff about me healing you, but I haven’t suddenly developed healing magic…”

He shook his head, trying to keep her from panicking.
”Yeah, the cake, exactly. The fridge, check, it needs to stay chilled.” he said, pointing toward a little fridge in the corner of the room.

“Okay, you just stay here- not that you can go anywhere, one moment.” She let go of him, scurrying over to the fridge with surprising speed considering the heels she was wearing. But she was practised enough they weren’t that much more difficult to walk in than normal shoes, ignoring the pain that would eventually come with them. She shifted her long skirts to be able to squat down in front of the fridge, easily finding the cake she’d had when they first met. She pulled it out and hurried right back over to him.

“Here you go.” She held out the cake to him, brow furrowed in worry. She wasn’t going to be able to get rid of the anxiety she was feeling until he was healed. That was definitely the cause.
“When Elise told me what you were doing I didn’t realise you’d come out so hurt.”

”Oh, Babe, this shit was not scheduled.”
He shook his head, taking the little plate with the cake on it and absolutely stuffing it into his face with ravenous hunger. He tilted his head back as the magical custard fell down his throat.
Saliva enzymes were already breaking it down, and he could feel the broken and damaged teeth in his jaw already pushing out the old remnants for fresh new teeth. As it went further and further, there were audible twisting and snapping sounds beneath Casey’s painful moans. For a long while, he was practically limp on his knees, buckled in pain.

But as the swelling left his eye, and the feeling came back into his arm, he started to calm down and loosen up before finally collapsing entirely with a comforting sigh.
”Thank fuck… You’re the only reason I didn’t pass out…” he admitted, voice weak but stable again. ”Can you… Open the clothes and get me some underwear… Unless you don’t mind me being naked.”

“I’m enjoying the sights,” Trisha managed to joke, letting out a sigh of relief that he seemed healed… even if he was lying on the floor. There was still an uncomfortable feeling in her stomach, but she ignored it for now. She made for the clothes bag, opening it and rummaging about carefully.
“I don’t mind, but it doesn’t seem fair for it to just be you, and I’m not stripping outside of the house.”

She came back over to him with the requested underwear, crouching down in front of him, and holding it out with a smile.
“You don’t need help getting dressed, do you? I can do it, but it’ll be less sexy than you’d expect.”

Casey laughed standing up slowly. He didn’t do much about the cloth falling from his body to expose him again.
”Y’know? After the day I’ve had, Trisha? I may just have the guts to ask you for some…” he slyly commented, looking at her without shame.

But still, he managed to slide on some covering, stretching his newly healed limbs. Trisha could watch his eyes and see the blood that had filled the swollen one still inching out of his sclera.
”That Uncle of mine, Babe… Seriously. That wasn’t expected at all, of all the times to challenge me to a duel. Of course I understand why, but I really wasn’t looking to fight today, and it would’ve been really fucking dumb if he killed me.” he complained, as if the vague hint of he and Furio having an all-out magical brawl was some sort of normal happenstance.

“So, if I ever want to move past kissing, I have to get Furio to challenge you to a duel?” Trisha smiled, trying to go along with the flow of the magical fight being… normal. It really wasn’t normal. Well, it had been when she’d been part of the coven, but that was more teenagers with too much power using it to beat each other up.
“It’s a good thing he didn’t kill you, it would’ve really ruined my day to become an attempted murderer- well, maybe I would’ve succeeded.”

Trisha stepped closer to him, carefully hugging him, tilting her head to look up at him. She’d honestly wanted to touch him since they’d come into this room. But there was that worry it would move further in a location she honestly wasn’t comfortable with doing much of anything in… Well, the risk wasn’t entirely negated. But she didn’t know how Lynette’s spying worked, so she didn’t entirely trust she wasn’t doing it. Anywhere in the Temple was a bit uncomfortable for her.
Still, she leaned up to lightly kiss him.
“Did you win the duel, then?”

He didn’t seem to be bothered by the same apprehension, pulling Trisha especially close to grab her in ways he didn’t usually.
”It was supposed to be to the death, Babe. Or, that’s how he made it sound when he issued the challenge. So, I wouldn’t be here if I lost.”
His hands tugged at her dress slightly, almost nervously.

”The entire time, I was thinking about why the fuck he wanted to do it now, when he could’ve done it any other time. Why now that I have you in my life? But, I think… Because he knew I had something waiting for me, Trisha. I won, but only because of you. So, thank you… For making my day bright, and for giving me something that I want to fight for… And no matter how fast or slow we take this relationship, just understand. You saved me.”

Casey leaned down for the kiss, no longer hesitating. He didn’t want to lose a second of the Paradise he’d found on Earth.

Trisha leaned up to meet Casey, parting her lips and pushing aside her apprehensions to lose herself in the feeling.

An hour or so later, they’d ended up on the couch in the room. It was a bit tight, nowhere near the nice size the one they had at home was - though Trisha didn’t particularly mind that she ended up having to lie on top of Casey. She rested her chin on her hands, which rested on his chest, and smiled sweetly at him. It wasn’t quite love in her gaze, but it was certainly strong like, happiness and contentment.
“How much longer do we have alone?” she asked softly, before moving one finger to vaguely gesture towards her hair. It was freely cascading down her back and onto him, completely pulled out of the style she’d had it in before.

“I wouldn’t have bothered putting so much effort into how I looked if I knew we’d have all of this time,” she grumbled good naturedly, still smiling.
“Not- not that I’m unhappy about it.”

Casey took a deep breath, satisfied with the way things had been playing out. The day was one of triumph, and as he held Trisha in his arms, he sighed outward in bliss. Too bad her question stunk. He didn’t want to think about having any less time with her. He just wanted to bask in victory… He could understand why this was the ritual for a warrior.
”Ooof, I mean… I lost track of time. Not sure how I could know with all of this going on, y’know?”

A noiseless giggle escaped from his chest, and he tilted his head up toward the clock on the wall.
”Twenty-five minutes. Not that you have to get dressed or anything right now. You’re all done until we go out later.” he smiled back at her.
”Andrade’s hosting us at the Port Saint around six, so we’ll have another hour or so after that. Did you uh… Want to go home, or something? I can arrange for you to get back, have someone stick around so we know you’re not getting hunted on me?” he asked her sincerely.

“So I can just laze around while you do… whatever you have to do?” Trisha asked, glad to hear there was no rush for her. She’d need to redo her hair and a lot of her makeup… thankfully she’d brought stuff with her, just in case. Good foresight… not that she’d expected anything like this. She was so happy that the extra effort she’d have to go through to look nice again didn’t even matter.
“Like… going home instead of Port Saint? I was planning to stick around. There’s not really much point in going back to an empty house, is there? I’m used to long days and dinner parties. I got through most of those alone, too… I’d rather stay with you, if that’s possible. Where it’s possible.”

Casey nodded.
”I mostly just meant until we were done here. Of course I want you by my side while we’re out, but I figured maybe you would just want to go home and like, game or something in the meanwhile. I’ll be here reading books essentially, interviewing with certain members, there’s another chanting session I think where we lick Mom’s feet. Not… Not literally.” he made a grimacing face, sticking out his tongue.

As he grimaced, his body shifted, and he managed to rotate Trisha onto her back on the couch. His hair draped over her now, and he planted one last kiss on her lips before standing fully. Still in his underwear, he knew he had to get dressed. A shower would’ve been nice, but getting the uniform to regulation was a twenty minute procedure.
”But, otherwise, you’re free to roam about the Temple grounds as you see fit. Did you see all the stuff they did outside? I mean, I assume so, I told Mum to have them do it in my honor since that’s the kind of thing I’d want to be known for. I uh, want people to feel comfortable around me, y’know? That they can trust I’ll keep ‘em safe. So, what’s better than fun?”

As they spoke, he began the process of suiting up starting with unbuttoned, unbelted pants. Perfect for tucking clothing into.

“Oh yeah, I saw on my way in - it was like a magical fair, with all of the creatures letting people pet them and ride them… very cool. It’s fun like you are.” She propped herself up into a half sitting position with her elbows, looking around before she found where she’d dumped her bag.
“I brought my tablet with me with a few books downloaded, since I expected to just be… sitting around the whole time. I don’t really see the point in going home to just do the same thing but… well, I’m happy to do it anywhere, so long as I don’t have to risk bumping into certain Temple members again.”

She moved again, turning around to properly sit with her back against the couch, legs crossed. She held a hand up to her mouth to cover a yawn.
“But I kind of mentally prepared to spend most of the day out… Well, it’s already been pretty different from what I expected. In a good way.”

”Oh yeah?” Casey asked in reply, slowly buttoning up his shirt after having laced up his shimmering black shoes. His socks had honeycomb patterns on them; a little flourish of Mia’s design that matched with his tie he had hanging around his neck.
”Elise was good to you? She didn’t give you any shit?” he asked sincerely.

“She was. She gave me the opposite of shit, really, she was very helpful. What I said during that ceremony would've sounded a lot worse without her help. We just talked about some stuff and… yeah, she was good to me." As she spoke, Trisha stood up, stretching her arms up above her head. She wasn't particularly bothered about her own state of undress - before her dress had even come off she'd asked about the possibility of Lynette spying, and been told that she was expressly forbidden from looking into this room. So it really was just them. It wasn't that she was ashamed of her body, really, but there were the scars she preferred to not show. In a way she was lucky - while there were smaller, pale ones dotted about in visible places, they could only be seen if someone was close enough. The obvious ones were in places she could easily hide - the raised one just below her chest, another less harsh but obvious cut wound at the very base of her spine. A nasty bite wound scar on her left hip, and scars from scratches on her upper thighs. All things she could've gotten removed magically or with expensive surgery but had… chosen not to for reasons she couldn't quite explain.

She padded over to her bag, picking it up and taking it back to the couch with her, going back to the same cross legged sitting position. She rummaged through it and pulled out a small comb. Her gaze went back to Casey as she started to languidly brush out her hair. It was nice to see all the little details of his outfit she'd missed when he first got into it - all the places it matched hers.
“We didn't get Temple married or anything during the Ceremony, did we?" she asked very casually, as if it was just a small thing she'd thought of rather than finally voicing the anxiety that had come back to scratch at her chest now that she was given a moment to think. It was that fear of getting trapped in something she couldn't escape… but also the fear of getting into something too deep, getting too much hope, only to have it pulled out from under her.
“Just that's what Consort normally means… I assume it's because it's an old ceremony?"

Casey couldn't help admiring the aesthetically pleasing sight before him. Though, he was brought away from it as the concept of her concern creeped into it. He wasn't actually sure about the answer to her question, but rather than feel embarrassed, he decided to redouble his efforts in keeping her safe and as insulated as possible.
”Honestly, if that's how you want to take it we can be… But, I'm certain that's the last thing you want. It'd pretty well go against us taking things slow, right?”

Slow… It seemed like a joke to him now that they lived together. Now that this happened. It wasn't a joke like haha, so much as it was the kind of joke two people didn't laugh at. The one that was so old and so well trodden that its usage had become ironic and sarcastic. But, if there was something he knew she was really committed to taking things slow with, it was The Temple.

”But, honestly, I don't care if it did or not. There wasn't any magic, no binding contract, no matching brands or anything. I'm pretty sure the consort word is used pretty loosely these days.”

Trisha let out a slight sigh of relief, anxiety lessening. As much as there was a certain security from something like that, the fears were more overwhelming. How could marriage, of any form, be anything but scary when she’d only seen ones that failed?
“Mhm, it’d be very much not taking things slow… I like where things are. We’ll get there when we want to. I’m just not ready for that jump from girlfriend to wife.”

Her tone turned lightly joking at the end. She knew it was ridiculous to worry about slowness when she’d moved in with him in only a few days. But there were certain things she could do quickly, certain ones she couldn’t. Moving in? Fine, there was an escape. Marriage and strong feelings? It would only hurt more if she lost them.
“But it’s fine if there’s none of that stuff- which isn’t like a normal marriage, by the way. Magic and branding normally… isn’t involved.”

She waved a hand in front of her, deciding to move on from that, because she didn’t particularly want to linger on the topic.
“Oh, if you’re reading books and interviewing members here, does that mean I’ll have to leave? Because I haven’t… taken any vows.” She put down her hair brush and started to braid her hair, from the top of her head, pulling in more strands all the way down to the back. “Will people be coming in right away? Because then I do need to get dressed.”

Casey vaguely pointed back out into the Inner Sanctum behind the door.
”Out there, my love. In the same hallway, there's another door with a more intimate space that Mother, Furio and I will be inside. Supposedly my Dad's magical essence is really strong in there, so it's supposed to be like he's there too.” he said, a slight frown crossing his face.

Not that he registered what he said, or what he called her. It came out of his head and his mouth so naturally that he was more caught by the thought of his missing father than he was by the L word leaving his mouth.

Still totally unconscious of it, he adjusted his coat and rubbed his service award patch to straighten all the commendations out. The actual medals clinked together gently. As he donned the hat finally, it was clear that his outfit was complete. Even the inner part of the hat's rim matched Trisha's honeycombs.

”I was thinking about changing the office animal from the Heron to the Bee. Do you feel like that would put too much more of a highlight on you? Or, would you be flattered?”

Trisha didn’t respond at first. She’d frozen midway through braiding, arms up and hands behind her head as she just stared at him. My love. The two words echoed in her head over and over again, the rest of what he was saying registered but not processed. It… it didn’t mean he loved her already. Right, right, it was just a term of affection that happened to contain the word love. It was just a cute little name.

Would it be so bad if he did? Yes, because if it had happened so fast, he could stop loving her just as quickly. It couldn’t be real.
“Oh, uh, sorry- I was distracted by how handsome you look,” Trisha forcefully snapped out of it, blushing - though more from what he’d called her than what she’d said. He did look very attractive, of course but… that wasn’t where her mind had been. She decided not to bring it up. Put it to the back of her mind, don’t react, concentrate on the good things…

“I think… I’d be flattered?” Trisha said, finishing off her hair by tying the braid at the nape of her neck. She pulled the ponytail over her shoulder, playing with the loose waves. It was another thing she was conflicted on. She would be flattered by it, but it would also bring more attention to her, like Casey had said. Temple attention. She wasn’t sure she wanted it… but if she ended up going through with Elise’s plan, she’d get it anyway. She didn’t know quite what it entailed, but anytime Casey thought about it, he’d think about her, too.
“I’d be flattered. It’s not like changing the animal will suddenly have people coming to me, right? And the bees deserve it.”

She held up a hand, one of the bees that had been relaxing in various places of the room flying over to land on her palm. She smiled.
"I’m glad that you think about them so much." The bee moved away and she stretched out her hands, gesturing for him to come over to her now that he was done getting dressed.

Casey couldn’t help but laugh and smile as he slowly bent his torso. His hands came around her beautiful face, gently holding her and kissing her lips before he sat next to her. The hands automatically listed toward hers, taking them and looking into her eyes.
”They’re a part of you, right? Of course I want to include them in my thoughts.”

He reached for one still listing on top of her head and slid a finger under its little legs to get it up onto his hand. As he brought it down, the little thing flitted about before nestling into his palm. He could feel it’s little stinger, but didn’t feel nervous about it.

”Almost time… I think I heard the door slide open down the hall.”

Trisha smiled as Casey held the bee, feeling its happy little pheromones wash over her. She wasn’t sure why they liked him, beyond the fact she was constantly bathing him in her own pheromones… but they’d been more wary of Reyna, and it had been the same thing. Sometimes she just couldn’t entirely understand them.
“I don’t really want you to go, but I guess I’ll survive,” Trisha sighed, shifting onto her knees so she had enough height to easily lean in for another kiss. She then gestured to the bee in his palm.
“You can take her with you, if you want. She’ll be good, I promise, and she doesn’t understand the human language.”

Casey held her close, a finger rubbing her fuzzy little body as he stared like a kid. He didn’t respond at first.
”Uh… I… Definitely can’t. I want to, but as stupid as it sounds, she’s a bee without oath. She’s just plain not allowed.”
He kept rubbing the little bee until it willingly fell on its side. Just like any animal, he supposed. But their time at that point really was over. The door that they’d entered the room through slid open, and rather than fully come into the room, a voice spoke from outside.

”Boss? It’s time.”

Furio’s voice. Casey tensed slightly, causing the bee to jolt up and take flight. A stray thought about that bee’s personal trust passed through his head as he stood.
”Don’t miss me too much. Go check out the carnival thing, I… Maybe Gin or someone’ll be there, you won’t be so alone. If you want… If not, I’ll come get you when we’re done.” he smiled tenderly, his finger brushing under her chin.

“No promises,” Trisha smiled softly up at him, legs pulled up against her chest reactively from the door opening… even though no one had come in. She wasn’t sure exactly what she wanted to do but checking out the festival was probably the better option… maybe. He was right, she wouldn't be so alone. If she didn’t enjoy it she could just find somewhere to hide away.
“If I do go out, do I just go back down the corridor? Because it’s all… magic…”

”You got it; there’ll be a couple of Sentries posted outside the room we’re in. Friendly faces, so if you need any help just ask and they’ll get you back upstairs; it’s uh, Norm and Theo. So, yeah.” he stuck his thumb up, smiled, then waved.
”Miss you already.”

”And don’t be afraid to come back down either, Trisha, you’re allowed to. Just try and be quiet when you get back into the Sanctum, ‘cuz people are still meditating while they wait for an audience. You did great by the way, sweetie, that was real nice what you said. Reminded me of Clarissa.” Furio commented kindly from outside in hopes that she’d feel a bit more at ease with his input.

“Ah, well, thank you. It wasn’t really much… Just what I’d say to Casey if he came back from anything tough, made fancier.” Trisha replied somewhat awkwardly - after all, it had been Elise who’d worded it for her. She couldn’t really take the credit. But… It was nice to hear that it reminded him of Clarissa, in that those two were still together. Of course what was said in this ceremony probably had very little weight in that, but it was another thing to hold onto.
“And don’t worry, I wasn’t planning to draw any attention to myself when I go out… or come back in. The bees will be quiet too.”

Then she glanced back at Casey.
“I’ll see you later, make sure you don’t learn so much you stop thinking about me, alright?”

”No chance.”
Casey was still looking at her as he backed toward the door and turned. The two men exchanged some pleasantries, and they ended up hugging before walking down the hall and ultimately disappearing from Trisha’s hearable range. It’d be several more hours before Casey was free again.

With Casey gone, Trisha was left alone again. It wasn’t so bad this time. He was just down the corridor, he would be back, they’d spent a really nice hour and a half together. She should at least check out the festival since he’d suggested it and organised it. It wouldn’t be so fun without him, but it could be. Maybe.

Trisha just about managed to drag herself off the sofa to pull back on her underwear, but the dress was another challenge. And with a bit of the stress lifted, in a place that at least wasn't watched, she suddenly felt very tired. Well, there wasn’t any rush. She could take her time getting ready again.

With that in mind, Trisha sat back down on the couch. Then lay down on her side, bees meandering over to her and landing all over her. It didn’t take long for the exhaustion from barely sleeping to take her, her bees contented pheromones washing over her as she fell asleep.

[AtomicEmperor]

Home, at Another Time > Inner Sanctum > Chapel

---

Deep underground, Trisha slept in that stone-walled chamber without physical disturbance for some time. Hours passed, time stretched along its course, and as the Queen's natural magic aura saturated the room, there was another presence looming below.
Like a predator, or a curious dweller of fathoms untouched, its mindful and protective nature pushed up around the room. Slowly, surely, its essence collapsed around the woman, comforting and warm.

Trisha's eyes would've opened to Leon's apartment. Only, it was missing some things. The giant television, the collapsing wall. It was open to a large dining room area that, until now, hadn't been seen by Trisha. People were sitting around it, eating and talking.

Looking closer, Trisha could recognize a face or two, though it was probably obvious who it would be… But they weren't as they are today. Lynette, a child Leon, who couldn't have been over the age of twelve. Little Mia was still in her high chair, settled next to a massive frame whose back was turned to Trisha.
It had short hair, and sat shirtless while massive hands played aeroplane to spoon the food into his toddler's mouth.

Four children were present. Leon, Elise, Mia, and another boy. Obviously it couldn't be Casey, as his little six year old face was too scrunched up and evil to be Casey's. It was instinct that really drove it home.
Not that it took long for him to arrive. Eight years old, the small boy entered the frame from the side. Rather than sit, he prostrated himself upon the floor, tightly pressing his forehead against the tile. There were no voices loud enough for Trisha to hear, but the vibrations seemed to spell everything out.

”Don't beg at my fucking table, Caseau.”
”I didn't mean it…” Casey's tiny voice barely registered. The massive frame rose from the table, and just seemed to keep going until his whole figure consumed Trisha's vision. Everything returned to darkness, until she could see two figures in the short distance of nothingness.

Approaching, it was Casey now. Her Casey, and the same figure from before. It could be none other than their famous father, the Ultra-Heavyweight champion of the world: Gravity Richoux. He was still so impossibly large, so tall, that even with Casey's own height and length, the old pro kept him pinned and at bay with jab after jab.

The two of them were boxing, physically fighting with seemingly all of their might.
”Do more, God damn you! Lazy, lazy, lazy! You have to do more, Casey!”
In a fit of rage, rather than continue the fruitless effort of trying to outjab his father, Casey raged, furiously diving for Gravity's knees. The two men toppled, and Casey scrambled up to his father's chest to press his arms down with his knees before raining elbow after elbow and fist into the flesh-covered watermelon that was the head and face.

Slowly, the body sunk into the ground until Casey was left punching dirt. A headstone replaced it, and all Casey could do was sob and wail as he held onto that headstone in total grief. His bellowing cries echoed through the dream.
Gravity stood behind him, but didn't look down at his son. He stared now, directly at Trisha, with one hand rising to point at her.

”Absolution!”

In the real world, it was just about four in the evening when the final book was passed along to Casey. It was his own to read through at his leisure, rather than a tome that needed to be transferred directly into his head.
He'd learned many secrets in those few hours, contributing now to an overall sense that he had once again jumped into something without fully considering the ramifications.

It was mostly Project Eden that disturbed him, and were it not for the emotional suppression wards forcing that little room into a state of pure logic, he probably would've had quite the problem. But now he'd practically grown in mental years, the process of intaking those tomes stretching his mental perception to the slowest kind of Hyperbolic Time Chamber he could imagine. A few hours had become weeks and months spent having things placed directly into his head by helpful spirits trapped within books.

Memories of people no longer living.

The entire thing finished with Furio officially passing the buck back to Lynette, who in turn symbolically handed the reins to her son. And just like that, they were free once more, expecting dinner for six at Port Saint. Casey waited for Lynette and Furio to take their leave with the tomes before he finally made way back down the hall. Theo had informed him that she hadn't once left.

He opened the door to see a mass of blackness crouched before Trisha, both of its ethereal hands gripping one of hers in desperate prayer.
Its mass shifted, as if it turned to see who came in before it took to rising up. It stood taller and taller, back brushed against the ceiling as it buckled to look down. Palms still pressed against the floor, and two great cyan eyes opened to stare down at Casey.

”C-a-s-eeeeeeau…”
A hand slowly reached out, and the whole scene ended. Trisha would open her eyes to an empty room, and loud knocking at the door before it slid open a crack.

“Miss Trisha? It's Norm! Casey's almost done, he asked me to check and see if you were ready to leave, and to make sure that if you didn't want a bunch of attention from the crowds outside I got you to the car before he came out. You hadn't left yet, so… I figured I'd ask?”

Trisha was incredibly disoriented. She sat up, hands clenching in the fabric of the couch beneath her. She looked down at her hands, then up at the door. Was she actually awake this time? What… what was the dream? Had the last part been a dream? Or did it actually happen… no, that didn’t make sense. Norm just said that he was almost done, which meant he wasn’t out yet. Oh, right, Norm.

“I’m not ready, so I’ll just go out with Casey,” Trisha said, managing to keep her voice steady. She didn’t particularly want the attention, but she also wasn’t dressed and had no idea what her state was like. She didn’t want to be seen by anyone like this, which meant taking a while to get ready. She’d rather go with Casey, anyway. Make sure there was still a real Casey.

That all of this hadn’t been some long dream.

“Uh, let him know that I’ll be ready by the time he’s out!”
Trisha grimaced, forcing herself to stand up. She hadn’t meant to fall asleep, and after that dream… she’d only woken up feeling worse. Confused. Had she seen memories? The younger Casey seemed to be… him crying at the grave? But then the last bit. Was it… well, it was obviously his father. Had he-

He was there. The Queen’s voice echoed in her head, louder than normal. More agitated. The bees felt it too, making themselves a nuisance as Trisha tried to get dressed. He drew all over our Emotional Field while you were dreaming.

Trisha wrinkled her nose, having a difficult time with all the pheromones. It didn’t help that her own body was giving off multiple, the Queen herself leaking out in her agitation. What do you mean drawing on our Emotional Field? How does that work?
Exactly as you’d expect. He drew on it. Some can draw protective symbols, or get through an Emotional Field in this way.
Did he?
No. He just drew a fish.

Trisha snorted. Right. She was slowly managing to come out of the trance-like state she’d been in upon waking up, brain slowly becoming more functional. The Queen was unhappy and awake inside her, and she wasn’t really sure how to deal with it. So she ignored it for now, managing to pull back on her dress. She took a few moments to smooth out her skirts, before going over to the bathroom. Her makeup wasn’t… as much of a mess as she’d expected. Fixable in the time she had. So she set about doing that.
You should think about leaving. He was trying to protect you. This place is dangerous.
You think I don’t know that? It’s a cult.
Yes, but-

”I don’t want to hear it,” Trisha said out loud, gesturing with her free hand. She knew that. She’d seen the same dream the Queen had, even if she couldn’t sense the apparition - presumably that was what Casey’s father now was - that had caused it. She suddenly knew so much, but she only felt more out of her depth because of it.
She didn’t want to let it come between something that felt like an actual chance at happiness.

“Why don’t you just go back to sleep?” Trisha suggested, brandishing the makeup brush she was holding as she reapplied some contour along the side she’d slept on. The Queen grumbled inside of her, but seemed to be slowly calming down about it. With it, the pheromones in the air turned sweet and warm, a calming embrace over Trisha, the Queen herself, and the bees.
She had a lot to think about, but now wasn’t the time.
We’ll talk later. Figure it out.

She was almost ready, makeup reapplied enough for her to be happy with how she looked. She took a deep breath, put her shoes on, then looked at the door. There was a moment where she considered going out, seeing if she could still sneak out and avoid the attention, but- she’d said to Norm that she’d wait for Casey. She didn’t want to disappoint him.
So she’d wait. Trisha sat back down, bees once again crowding her, pressing against her neck in an act of clinginess that she couldn’t bring herself to be annoyed about.

It wasn’t long after she’d finished getting dressed that Casey entered the room. He wasn’t smiling, he wasn’t happy; though seeing her still brightened him, and a subtle grin curved his lips ever so slightly upward. He leaned against the doorframe, one foot lifting to sit overtop of the other. Noteworthy, his eyes shimmered that same deep blue that Elise’s sometimes did, and the hand wearing his channeler was balled into a tight, gloved fist.

”Do you have many regrets in your life, Trisha?” he asked solemnly, trying to release the tension in his posture as best he could. He’d not developed his White Lux beyond simple life-detection, or the occasional use in an otherwise orange-heavy enchantment.
It wasn’t weak, of course, so much as it was underutilized. It had to be sharp, or things like remote manipulation would never be possible. He’d simply not had the impetus to develop things further.

So reading his Mother’s spellbook, having the chance to absorb what he could based off of the reading, had left him feeling strange. Like there’d been so much he was ignorant of. It was like opening a floodgate of shit he felt like he never should’ve known.
And that had nothing to do with all the secrets that now also lived in his head. All the Temple’s dirtiest laundry. Every fiber of his being wanted to draw battle plans and rip the place they were standing in out of the ground to show all the people what was underneath.

It was Casey’s single biggest regret, and leaped into the lead very quickly: The knowledge of his position. No wonder Furio was always so on edge.

Trisha looked up when Casey spoke, tilting her head. For a moment, she wasn’t sure if she actually was still in the dream. Between such a seriously asked question and him just standing there, it didn’t feel quite real. But she couldn’t be dreaming anymore.

“Not really,” Trisha lied, standing up and approaching him. She was strangely hesitant, stopping in front of him before reaching out to take his hands in her own.
Did she have many regrets? She did. There was so much she wished she’d done, so much she wished she hadn’t. All those years she’d spent inside studying, practically cutting herself off from the world, with nothing to show for it. Her dad dying before she even had a chance to repair their relationship, if she’d wanted to. Not being able to save the two friends she’d been with when she was saved by the Coven. Ma- No. Not thinking about that.

“Just small things. Stygian Snake aside, my lifes been boring enough there’s not much I regret.” Another lie. She believed her life had been boring, sure, but there were still plenty of regrets. But she was unaware there was even the possibility Casey could tell that she was lying, and they weren’t things she wanted to get into with anyone. Her regrets were just flaws. Things she could’ve done better. Like her whole life.
“Why?”

Casey let Trisha’s hands go, only to wrap his arms tighter around her. He did the same kind of shaking she’d become familiar with, and when she could see his face again, they were runny with tears.
”I think I know mine… My biggest regret. That one day, you’re going to trust me. You’re going to trust me to the point where you’re not able to lie to me anymore… And I may have to break that trust to protect you. To keep you safe from all the things in my head… And I don’t know if you’ll forgive me.”

His aura reading, the facial recognition, the patterns, the little motions that her vocal chords made when she was unsure of what she was saying: It was instantaneous. It was painful. Casey sunk to his knees in front of Trisha, hands gripping into her dress as the hat fell from his head.
”God, fuck… What have I fucking done, Trisha… What have I fucking done?!” he cracked up from below her. Theo stood just down the hall watching. Casey’s hand rose up into a fist, his face never leaving the bottom of Trisha’s dress.

”BE GONE.”
Theo’s face became grim, and he only nodded at Trisha.
“O-of course, Sir! I’ll get the car, Your Grace!”

Trisha looked at Theo, then his disappearing back, then back down at Casey. He regretted something that hadn’t happened? But he already thought he might break her trust? For what? The Temple. She- yes, that could happen. But would her truly trusting him like that ever happen? It was something she’d never achieved with anyone. But would it really be breaking her trust if it kept her safe? She didn’t know.
“You don’t know that’ll happen. You can’t know that’ll happen.” Her voice came out hushed and hoarse, not quite sure what to say. Because she knew, somehow, that he’d learned things he didn’t want to. That he’d jumped into this without fully thinking it through. Because of the dream, she just knew.

And she felt that somehow, it might be her fault. A horrible guilt gnawing at her that she shoved down and down like she always did. It wasn’t her fault, couldn’t be.
“Hey, it’s going to be okay, Casey,” she whispered.
“We’ll get through this.”

Her hands found his face, cupping his cheeks and trying to tilt it up towards her. Then she leaned down, kissing him gently, trying to comfort him, to express feelings she didn’t have words for. Things she couldn’t say. Sorry. Her thumbs swiped at the tears on his cheeks as she kissed him.

He looked so devastated. Absolutely ripped asunder. But his eyes met hers, and the gentle glow visibly faded into dullness, just like Elise’s had when Trisha had first met her. But they still shimmered, and stared longingly into hers as he tried to find his footing.
”Trisha… I’m going to need you. You are the only person not wrapped up in all of this somehow… You’re my beacon. My light in the night. My North Star.” he muttered, doing his best to get ahold of himself as he tried to stand again. He was dizzy, and he couldn’t think without associating it back to a spell that gave him way more stimulation than he needed in the moment.

So he got hands on the door frame, pushing himself up until he was on one knee. His gaze turned to his cap, which he plucked from the ground with a whimper. Still, he could turn back and look up to see the brightest star. Her. So he had to rise himself, and to be the warrior he knew he was. To put on his bravest face again, and to lie to protect her.
”We have so much to talk about… Next time it’s quiet. I can tell now, Babe… When it’s not quiet. When the ears don’t surround us.”
Up from the knee, his hands reached for hers and held them with one, the other then moving to wipe away the moisture from his face more fully.

”They’re gonna want me to say some things to the crowd outside. You’ll stand with me?”

Trisha knew, from when Casey said she was the only person not wrapped up in this, that she couldn’t do what Elise had suggested earlier. She couldn’t lie her way deeper into the Temple. Not for the lying, but she couldn’t get deeper. Not if he didn’t want her to. One of them had to be out. She had to be.

“I’ll stand with you,” she said, squeezing his hand with both of hers. She smiled at him, like there wasn’t a turbulent mess of emotions inside her. The dream, Casey’s words… all of it. But she was good at pushing her way through things as if they didn’t affect her.
“For all of it. For this, and anything you need me to in the future- well, maybe not anything. Most things. I’ll be there. For you.”

The bees buzzed gently as she spoke, and a couple of them detached themselves from her neck to go to his shoulder. As if to confirm her words. The bees were an extension of herself, and understood her feelings far more than anyone else did. The subtle pheromones she gave out without even realising it.
“The bees too, I guess. They’re showing their support... Or maybe they just want to be higher up.”

Casey leaned against her, nodding his head gently as the bees landed on him. They were so innocent… The very concept was a bastion to his psyche. That there were things in this world without ulterior motive, or malicious intent or hidden desire. They were bees: They wanted pollen for the hive. They just happened to have a strange Queen situation. It actually brightened his smile a little bit.

”My head’s so full… I don’t understand how they expect me to go out tonight.” he spoke, taking her hands to pull her just slightly forward. His arm swung behind her back, holding her close to him by the shoulder. He rubbed gently, lovingly.
”Nobody else is in a great mood either. Well, at least Mom and Mia. It’s probably got something to do with their Lux levels. You said earlier that Elise didn’t seem like she was too bad off, right? Maybe there’s fucking hope.” he giggled to himself.

”So? What’d you get up to?” he tried to start a casual conversation, taking as much time as possible to leave. On purpose, obviously. He couldn’t see every celebrating face out there without resetting a little bit.

“Elise seemed quite… spirited, I guess? So there is some hope, it won’t be a load of unhappy people at dinner,” Trisha laughed, shrugging.
“Though that’s the dinner situation I’m most used to! That, and constant fights.”

She leaned into him, slotted in so perfectly to his side, and looked up with a smile. What did she get up to? Dreaming of his dad… but she couldn’t say that. What she’d seen was so strange and intimate. She wasn’t sure if she should’ve seen it.
“Literally nothing. I was planning to read, I even downloaded this book Rey recommended, but I just lay down and… fell asleep. Guess I was pretty tired. It did mean I didn’t have to suffer through all those hours without you.”

Casey’s hand tensed a little bit. He knew the moment she said she slept. He’d felt it. He’d wanted to run into the room, not knowing what happened until it was too late. He wished he’d caught the thing.
”Did you dream about fishes?” he asked, voice kind of casual with a hint of something behind it.

Trisha’s eyes widened slightly - not because she’d dreamt about them, but she knew that it had been drawn across her emotional field. Could he… see that? He did have white lux, it made sense.
“No, I didn’t,” Trisha laughed as if it was a ridiculous ask. It wasn’t even a lie. “That would’ve been nice, honestly. Sounds peaceful. I don’t think I dreamt, really. I certainly didn’t remember anything when I woke up.”

Casey nodded to himself. His hand in his pocket gripped his glove, and he planted a kiss to her forehead. In an instant, the full shape of her emotional field was in full highlight. It was honeycombed, thanks to the Queen within providing it.
The Ichthus had been intricately carved into the outside, and as he captured the image in his brain, he could see the very tiny print within the line. It wasn’t solid, rather words written so thinly and in such frequency that it appeared as solid lines.

It all formed the fish.
It all repeated again and again.

PEACE. INNOCENCE. ABSOLUTION.

It was a quick kiss, but Trisha would’ve felt something. Something small ripple across her Emotional Field. His head brushed against hers gently as he leaned in for a little more affection.

”It’s funny. Today was supposed to be the first day where my Faith would be my life. Now I’ve never been less sure of it.” he offered the thought to Trisha as an olive branch.

Trisha’s brow furrowed slightly at the ripple she didn’t quite recognise. But the Queen was asleep again, and she didn’t have much experience with that stuff. She could recognise Greyson’s prodding, and Reyna’s when it got strong. Maybe it was just her being sensitive?

“Really?” Trisha tilted head up, nose rubbing against his as she smiled. She didn’t really understand why he was telling her, but she was certainly glad his Faith wasn’t becoming his life. Then where was her place?
She didn’t even realise it was an olive branch, or anything close to it.
“Because of what you read? Was it that bad? All those… secrets?”

Casey simply nodded his head.
”Lots of things nobody warned me about. Things I wish I didn’t know.”
He shook his head.
”Like, y’know, some cultures… Or like, other cults, you’ll raise a dog or something. Something you love, you’ll keep it alive and get to know it and keep it healthy and love it. Why? So you can sacrifice it. To step into adulthood. To put the childish toys away. Even the Bible says shit like that. I thought I already made enough sacrifices, y’know, going to war and shit. Leading troops. Killing others in the name of international peace. Kill one murderer, you replace him, but if you kill two murderers, you’re doing the world a favor.-”

He was rambling. He knew he was. It was trauma unfurling inch by sacred inch within the folds of his mind. And it was all awful.
”-I’m fuckin’ cooked. Gotta go and fuckin’ stare at people through a screen. Figure out what they’re thinking without them saying. I gotta know everything now, y’know? Like, everything.”

Trisha’s eyes narrowed slightly, her chest clenching. She… wasn’t surprised. Shouldn’t be, at least. Furio had said about it making him paranoid. She’d seen the screens when she went into the office. The spying from Lynette. The control she had over all the Temple members.
It was horrible, and it made her skin crawl. What else was he going to sacrifice? Himself? Her? The discomfort across her body only increased.
But not enough to want out. Not enough to lose Casey, who she could already see a future with. Hope that would only hurt her but she couldn’t stop herself from having.
“Because everything and everyone could be a threat? You have to spy on people to keep them in line, and beat them up if they’re not?”

Questions she already knew the answer to, really. She frowned, leaning her face even closer to his. There was one thing she didn’t know… hadn’t been able to ask. But she found herself able to know.
“Why did you take the job?” she whispered.
“Why when you didn’t have to?”

Casey’s face turned, and he looked at her with a genuine smile. Like, the one she’d gotten used to. It was warm, it had the real feeling. He wanted so badly to give her everything he had.
”Well, the question is flawed. It assumes I didn’t have to.”
His head looked around, and he sent a ripple to feel where the next bug was. It wasn’t active, but it was always recording, and just took her fishing for one night.

So he did what he never could have before. He squeezed the bug, summoning White Lux to crimp it’s magical supply and deactivate it temporarily.
”But, I knew it’d have certain perks. And it already does. Like her little tricks… She’ll never listen to me talk without me knowing again. She handed me the fucking keys, Trisha… I’m driving the car.” he gritted his teeth. At this point Trisha would certainly be able to feel the effort as he affected his Mother’s embedded listening ward.

”All that talk about trust between her and I. Y’know, I think I get why she’s acting so melancholy. She’s worried that I’m gonna call her on all her bullshit now, and that she’s gonna have to kill me. She’s worried I’m the threat. And I fucking beat Furio… But I don’t think I’d be able to beat him, and the rest of her loyalists. Not at the same time. So I’ll play ball, Trisha. We’ll play. But, she’s not gonna walk on me. And I won’t ever let her use you to get to me. I swear to you.”

The bees buzzed in confusion, little bodies pressing close to Trisha’s shoulders. The magical fluctuations, the sheer effort, shifting the magical pheromones in the air to a degree they could all sense somewhat. They calmed down once it was done.
“I won’t let her use me either. I’m not someone that can be used. Not by her, not by anyone. I’m willing to play too so that she can’t.” She bit her lip, considering whether to bring this up now. But wasn’t it the perfect opportunity, if they weren’t being listened to? If he was already talking about it.

“It wouldn’t just be you, I don’t think. You’re not the only one who doesn’t believe in her bullshit, or whatever it is. Elise talked to me on the way here about possible… plans. I don’t know her well enough to trust her, but Leon too. He talked about getting us out, and working together for it.” It was all things she’d wanted to talk to him about, but been worried to. There was his Faith, and there was the listening. But not right now.

“But if she even thinks about killing you, I’ll kill her first.” Her tone turned cold, gaze hardening. She was deadly serious. Would it be possible? Probably not, but she didn’t care. Bees could get in places so easily.
“I’ll do it.”

Casey’s face twisted up at the mention of his siblings, and became stern when she suggested that she’d have some kind of hand in his mother’s demise. He’d never let something like that happen either, but he’d let her have her flame. Her own confidence. She’d need it just as much as he would. He needed his own Emancipation, like his sister…

”Be careful talking to them. Duplicity, Trisha. Nobody has less than two plans. That’s why we’ll make two thousand.” he spoke confidently.
But the image of the fish. The presence.
”Like, now there’s things I don’t know if they know. And I have to try and figure out if they do before I can even talk to them about it. Even then, they could hand me over to her the moment that they get caught in their little scheme. Nobody wants to be spanked, Trisha.”
The Sanctum had been cleared out, and so had the chapel as they ascended.

At least, until they got to the very top and looked out toward the door to the outside. There she was. The woman of the hour. She had a wide, glassy smile spread across her face as she tilted her head slightly. She was still dressed head to toe in that golden outfit she’d been wearing all day.
”You two look so fuckin’ cute together, Case. Trisha? How are you, Honey? You did fantastic earlier!” she spoke with warmth, and sounded like she had nothing going on besides what was in front of her.
She’d been standing by the door, looking out at the crowd. Walking forward, Lynette made her way to the edge of the stage.

”Very nice to bring him home after such a hard time. We had a few cries, didn’t we sweetheart?”
It was easy to forget Casey was a Richoux. The Smile cracked across his face, and widened until it was a warm grin at his mother. He didn’t feel her magic ebbing or flowing, but she wasn’t the master for nothing. Pure White Lux was nothing to play with.

”We did, Mumma. I was tellin’ Trisha about it, and now about how I’m just so exhausted I don’t really wanna go out and eat.” he played them off, smiling at Trisha.

”Well, y’know, we can get things started a little early. No need for you to show up early or anything, it’s… Not like it’s a party for you or anything, right?” Lynette chided, narrowing her eyes at Casey with the wide grin shrinking to a playful smirk.
”I damn well know Trisha wants to go out. Get some drinks? Have a free meal at a really nice restaurant? Get to know your boyfriend’s family more? That sounds like fun I’m sure.”

She was very clearly playing tongue-in-cheek, but was that how honesty was supposed to go? Just acknowledging the duplicity of it all and letting it roll over? Casey knew for certain, and knew that if he wanted to protect Trisha, he couldn’t automatically get defensive in her stead. He could never know whether or not she was able to fully follow the second conversation happening beneath the first.

”You guys’ve all done a pretty good job introducing yourselves, I think. But, we’ll be there. Don’t worry. Right T?” he looked down at Trisha, nodding at her with his most genuine smile.

Trisha had been wearing a fake smile directed towards Lynette the whole time, just like Casey had. While she was someone who often didn’t care about covering up her true emotions, a grumpy scowl almost perpetual on her lips in the Vanburen manor, she was well able to do it. Well practiced from time spent with her own mom.
“Of course we will,” Trisha tilted her head up towards him, smile turning more warm.

Obviously, it was the last thing she wanted to do. She wanted to go home. But there was more to it than that - layers to Lynette’s words that she couldn’t quite understand. Places she felt she shouldn’t push.
“I wouldn’t want to miss out on trying the menu at Port Saint. My sister took me to Cantina Farrow just after it opened, and it was really nice. I can’t wait to see how they differ.” She spoke as if she was just telling a fond memory with a sibling, rather than making it clear she wasn’t dependent on them at all. Of course, it was the opposite of a fond memory, as anything involving Tansy was. But it had its uses.
“I feel like I already know you all so well, as if you’ve been in my life the whole time, but I suppose can’t spend too much time together, right?”

Lynette’s smile went from that still fake plastic kind of playful grin she’d been wearing to something completely different. This was, as far as Trisha had seen, the same grin that Casey gave her when he was especially pleased.
It wasn’t fake. It wasn’t hollow. It was warm, and tender, and absolutely gushing with emotion that overflowed from the center of her. Her hands clasped together, as if she were about to faint, before her arms opened widely.

”There. It. Is! The spirit! The absolute spirit of it! The game is on! Trisha, seriously, you’ll love Port. Got really nice bar vibes, all homestyle meals, but you can definitely feel his influence. It’s obviously best when he’s in charge, but his sous chef Mario is great too.”
She threw her hands up in a little celebration.
”We’re gettin’ drunk!” she cheered, heading toward the door. ”Get ready, babes! The adoring public. Casey, you’ve got fiiiiive minutes, then they’ll pull you.”

Casey was a little stunned, but at this point all he could do was treat it like a boxing match and keep swinging. This is what life was going to be. Cheeky at the best of times. The door opened, the chapel flooded with people, and a few minutes later the two of them were whisked away to a waiting car and brought back to their home. The two of them spent the time practically wordless, letting their physical affection speak the volumes that the two of them simply couldn’t give.

Home > St. Port's

---

Two empty social batteries, one entirely drained of any emergency cache left in it and the other teased by forces beyond it’s control. They were interrupted by a small crowd of Richouxs waltzing up onto their roof and knocking on the door. Still out any sort of doorbell, they simply skipped it and opted for the direct approach.
Casey, not wanting to constantly channel White Lux to know where everyone was at all times, was scared out of his mind by the rapid knocking of five people at once. Mia, Hari, Ed, Elise, and another man who looked a bit like Casey were all standing around in fine clothes of black and gold.

Casey opened the door for them, letting them flood into the house. Hari and Elise both stuck around Casey, while Mia, Ed and the fabled Junior mingled a bit more toward Trisha. All three of the girls were still looking and smelling fresh, like they’d managed to avoid any recycling factories on the way back home.
”Hey Trishaaaaaa… How’s the dress treating you dude?”
”Yeah, dude, you’re really rockin’ it. You looked good at the ceremony, standin’ and talkin’ like us.”

”Oh, gee, thank’s Mia! Thanks for introducing me, that’s great.” Junior piped up, annoyed expression oozing from between his lips. He held out a hand to Trisha.
”Trisha, my name is Maxwell. You can just call me Junior, unless you want me flattered… Then, by all means, call me whatever you want.” he said slyly, a grin forming on his face.
”Did you like your halo during the ceremony? I made those, y’know, they’re totally independent drones. Well, usually, I can give them direct input.”

He sounded utterly snide and self aggrandizing as he mentioned his mastery over balls that turned into hoops. As if he should be praised.
”Oh, Junie… Are you seriously trying to impress a girl by talking about your shiny gold balls again?” Elise prodded from across the room.

Junior’s face turned a little red.
”Hurr hurr, I’m Elise, I play with fleshy balls because the gold ones have too many moving parts.” he pushed back, making fake gagging sounds as he mimed out sucking on a pair of testicles.
”Is that really your technique, Cuz? I can show you some pointers…” Ed laughed.

Trisha gave Junior the briefest handshake she could - just like she had when meeting anyone, but just the brief touch made her uncomfortable. It was the feeling she’d got from the dream, and just how familiar the way he acted immediately was. Like so many of the men she’d dated before - full of themselves, and bragging about it to attractive women. She’d jumped on it so often without recognising the pattern but now that she was with someone else, she could see it. It only took a few sentences to see it.
“Nice to meet you, Junior,” Trisha flashed him a polite smile.
“The halos were pretty, but the way they moved was uncomfortable. It threw off my bees, so it wasn’t my favourite experience.”

Her smile turned a bit more genuine as she turned towards Mia and Ed. She was quickly getting comfortable with them which was… both nice and scary.
“Eddy’s right, awful technique, you should take her up on her offer,” Trisha laughed slightly, hand coming up to cover her mouth as she smiled. At the same time, she stepped more towards Mia and Ed, and away from Junior.
“I don’t know much about orange lux, is it really that hard?” Considering what she’d seen Casey do, it didn’t seem like it would be…

”Hard how, like the moving parts thing?” Mia asked, but Elise stepped in to comment on Trisha’s question a bit more.
”It’s only hard if you’re less oriented toward it. There’s so many different ways to Artifice that any kind of specialization is impressive. One of the hallmark of Richoux Orange magic is Automation: The idea that you can get objects to move without you paying attention to them is pretty difficult.” she offered her vast knowledge up freely.

Casey grinned.
”Like when I played air hockey with Leon at the arcade…”
Mia spun.
”Oh so fucking typical, you and Leon would go to the arcade and not invite me…” she responded, a bit of lemony tartness in her voice. Hard to tell if she was fake mad, or real mad.
Casey tossed his hands up.

”Hey, Leon only came because someone asked about him, and I think they were both satisfied with the arrangement.”
”Classic, Casey hug’s Leon’s taint and Leon gives him headpats like a good little Blind.”

Casey’s eyes went cold and dead.
”Why are you here?” he asked simply, coldly to his younger brother.
Junior grinned, stretching with his arms a bit as he spoke, pushing air out to tighten his voice up into a sarcastic joking manner.
”Just to make you sufferrrrrrr.” he giggled to himself.

Ed wasn’t particularly fond of when Casey and Junior were together, and she usually made that known by letting a more nervous part of herself come out.
”Alright, come on now… Casey, Trisha? Mom said you guys were good for dinner, so we figured we’d come and get you…”
”Yeah, we actually still technically have reservations, so… Maybe we can not start a fight?” Hari’s voice cut between everyone, a little rougher and more hoarse than Mia or Elise. She sounded a bit like Janis Joplin, especially after having done so much talking earlier in the day.

Casey held out his hand.
”Yep, sounds great. C’mon Trisha…”

Trisha was immediately at Casey’s side, taking the offering hand, fingers threading through his before she squeezed it comfortingly. Her eyes were also slightly cold as they moved towards Junior, narrowing.
Magical elitism. Just one of the many things that rubbed her the wrong way. But she lightened up, gaze softening as she tilted her head up towards Casey.
“Let’s go. I don’t want my promised free, fancy meal ruined, after all.”

She swung their joined hand and stepped towards the door, at the same time as using her free one to gesture everyone out of their home.
“Also, Mia,” she turned to look at the younger woman, offering her own explanation. “We went to the Arcade with my friends… one’s just a big boxing fan. Wasn’t really planned, I just never would’ve heard the end of it if I didn’t let him come along.”

It didn’t really lighten the girl’s mood. The group shuffled out of the apartment and back into the cold November evening, making their way back down to the ground floor before splitting up into a couple of cars. Elise volunteered for Junior duty, taking him in her car. It left the back seat of Casey’s free for the trio, who piled their skinny asses into the back seat before Mia pulled a bottle of whiskey from seemingly nowhere.

”Fuckin’ horseshit…” Mia mumbled under her breath, popping the top and taking a swig from the neck.
”Mimi, what the fuck…” Hari chided, moving her hand up to grab the bottle. But Mia pulled it away, leaving it in Ed’s range. She opened her mouth around the bottle head and tilted it with her jaw, forcing it to spill into her mouth and down her throat.

”Haaaaa, Baby Cow stole the nipple.” she laughed, then took another swig before Mia pulled it away from her too.
”Heyyyyy! Fuckin’ don’t!” Mia whined back.

As they started driving, Casey looked supremely annoyed. His hand reached across the center console, just to rest on Trisha’s leg. Just a little more peace and comfort.
”Mia, what’s the problem… Why’s there an open bottle of booze in my car? You want me to get arrested.”
”Oh, you mean you don’t get police immunity now, Mister Blade Man?”

Hari threw her head back in mental anguish.
”What the fuck has gotten into you these last twenty-four hours!?”

“How long is the journey?” Trisha muttered, hand covering Casey’s on her leg. She could easily feel his tension, which made her tense. She twisted around in her seat to look at the three in the back, eyes narrowing at Mia specifically in what she hoped was a stern older sister look. She didn’t know, she’d never tried it.
“If you spill that- or worse, throw up- in the car, we’re kicking you to the curb, literally.”

”Oh, cool. Glad you’re fitting in well, Trisha. I’m happy you liked the dress, now you can just kick me out of your life.”
Hari’s hands clapped together.
”Oh. My. God. Mia Renee… There’s no way.” Hari snapped, her hand lashing out and grabbing the bottle.
”How dare you act like that to her!” she continued.

”How dare I? The fucking loser Richoux?”
Casey took a long, deep sigh.
”You’re not a loser Mia!” he pleaded.
”Oh, I mean, she kind of is being a loser right now. What the fuck, Mia!?”

Ed had a stern look on her face as she lipped something in French to Hari, who shook her head.
”No, not happening.”
”I just can’t think of anything else.”
Mia’s face twisted into anger.
”Oh, yeah, great. Two idiots no waiting, lets try and be vague about getting high in the Security chief’s car. Smart.”

Casey tucked his face into his hands as they came to a stoplight.
”To answer your question, its literally right down the road. Only faster to drive because we won’t have to walk home or get a cab later.” he groaned, muffled but still trying to answer Trisha’s question.

“Oh,” was all Trisha said at first. Her expression was annoyed, hiding her confusion. Why the fuck would she want to kick Mia out of her life? Where had she said that- how would she, when she was dating Casey? Was Mia suggesting that they were going to break up? No, now she was jumping ahead.
“Then all three of them can walk?” She pointed a finger between each of them. “Cool off, bicker where we don’t have to hear it?”

Hari looked very sad immediately.
”You fuckin’ see, Mia? Stop! Just stop. Save it for now, we’ll talk about it later, Baby…”
”How fucking noble, you just don’t want to get kicked out of the car. Lazy ass… Casey, let me out!” Mia barked.

”With a fucking open bottle? No. you’re just gonna run off into some fucking pit. Trisha, please… It’s just a little while longer, we’re not kicking anyone out. Nobody’s getting fuckin’ kicked out.” Casey’s voice was stern without being loud or rude.

Ed shook her head.
”I’m gonna tell ‘em, Mia.”
Mia’s eyes went wide, and she immediately slapped the cork back into her booze before shutting her mouth. She simply pouted. But that didn’t stop Ed. She figured it was important.
”I… She’s sad. I guess yesterday, you said something like you didn’t want her as your sister, Trisha. Or something, she-”

”STOP! OH MY GOD, STOP, LET ME OOOOOOOUT!”

Trisha, just like Mia, was grumpily pouting. She’d folded her arms and gone to looking out the window, prepared to suffer through the rest of the short car journey… but her head snapped back round when Ed started talking. Had she said that? She didn’t remember saying that… oh. The joke she’d made to Elise?
“What the fuck? I didn’t mean it like that… I mean fuck, I don’t want you as my sister, but not because of you. I hate most of my sisters. I don’t have a single good memory with any of them! I’d much rather- assumed we’d be- well, y’know, friends.”

She let out a frustrated breath, hands scrunching in her dress. She hated talking about stuff like this, but she hated being misunderstood more.
“Casey’s seen how I am with someone I don’t want to be my sister. It’s very different. Family is very different for me, so… I really didn’t mean it like that.”

By the time Trisha was done explaining herself, Mia had buried her face into her dress, pulling it up over her head so that nobody could see her shame anymore. Hari tenderly held onto one of her long, dainty hands, and played with it by running her free fingers across the back, tracing the veins along Mia’s knuckles.
Ed was paying attention, however, and nodded.
”And none of us expect you to be our… Our sister. Y’know? It’s not realistic. But she wants to be close to you. Just like everyone, she does her best.”

”Lil’ Mimi… Don’t you feel silly yet, girl? Overreading into things?”Hari chided, trying to get her dear partner back out of her shell.
”Elise said ’I fuckin’ guess she’s my sister.’ And then… You just joked back… I don’t know, of course I feel stupid, but like it never feels like a joke!”

”But it is Mia… It’s all just jokes, Miss Sensitive! God, do you really think-”
No. He couldn’t. He knew too much. He knew that their Emancipation was all staged, and that they’d never been abandoned. He saw the plan, all the recordings in memory, it all flooded across him.

But they were also pulling into the parking lot of Port Saint’s. There was a big banner outside that said “Congratulations Casey!” in big gold letters on a black background. People were gathered in the parking lot from the Temple; mostly mundane Adepts or Blinds who often accompanied them.
They all wanted to taste a little greatness.

He stopped the car out front, knowing there was a valet service, turning his body to look at the girls.
”Mia Renee, if you think for one second any of us would abandon you, I think you should really consider how Junior and I treat each other first. Think about how nobody is ever actively aggressive toward you, or how everyone puts up with the fact that sometimes you guys let your hygiene slip. Nobody says anything. Because we love you, and we don’t want you hurt. Like this. So, let's put the cat back in the bag for now, and go eat dinner like adults. Come on.”

“And,” Trisha looked directly at Mia, forcing her lips to twitch back up towards a smile. “I like you better than basically all of my actual siblings, alright?”

Ed pointed at Trisha excitedly.
”See!? See!?”
Mia lifted her head, letting her dress cascade down to once more sit across her almost non-existent cleavage. Her face was still annoyed, though amazingly her makeup hadn’t faltered in spite of the tears.

Casey was already on Trisha’s side of the car, opening the door and taking her hand to help her out as he waved off his quickly mounting fan club of older women. A lot of the Temple’s Blind members were people Elise’s various healthy living clinics brought into the fold. Addicts, people looking to change their lives, often people who were convinced that God would be there for them. Their true nature was hidden under the many mundane layers, and left them so open and exposed on the face of the organization that people didn’t question what was inside.

It was the only way to make it as a Doomsday Cult: Letting people decide what their level of involvement was, and never giving them so much that they couldn’t be allowed to back out. Problems only arose when families of the disenfranchised membership began kicking stones over to look for their long lost loved ones.

So, the occasional untrained Adept, or non-kindled Potent, would find their way in, and the core would expand underneath the covered skin, and nobody would ever ask questions.

Ed helped Mia out, who helped Hari in turn. The three girls were familiar with a lot of the local members, and made it a point to chat about with them as if nothing had happened. It let Trisha and Casey escape to a small private moment.
”Mother of God, if it isn’t one thing, it's another…” Casey grunted as they shuffled into the entryway of the restaurant.

Immediately, the vibe was a cozy ocean-side cabin: the wood was warm, benches were roughly hewn logs lacquered to a shine stuffed into one another and bolted in with the most rustic looking accents. Casey took whatever coat Trisha had decided to wear, sliding it off of her like a gentleman would before hugging her from behind and kissing the top of her head.
”Thank you for not freaking out…”

“I’m used to worse,” Trisha replied half jokingly, leaning back against him. She was used to siblings who purposefully misread things, who acted hurt, who got genuinely hurt… and to herself. As much as she wanted to, she couldn’t lie to herself that she’d act any different. Pretend to others, sure, but not to herself.
“At least there’s only six- counting Hari and Ed- it’s practically child’s play!”

As if she hadn’t been entirely ready to kick them all out of the car, or just get out herself. Like it didn’t just take one person to completely set her off.
“But no promises if we have to take them back later, and they’re more drunk.”

”I mean, if your performance the other night is any indicator of how you usually are when you’re drunk, I condone and encourage you to drink as much as you’d like tonight. I believe we’ve got a personal bar in the event space, so no waiting.” he smiled, opening the door into the restaurant.

The two of them were met by immediate cheers as the whole place erupted. Casey looked out and saw plenty of familiar faces, and smiled to himself as he thought of a reason why it wouldn’t be some kind of Temple banquet. He figured a few tables, maybe they’d open up the patio and put a few space heaters for the Temple parties, but…
”Woah, holy shit! I guess Andrade’s breakin’ the bank tonight huh!?” he called across the crowded establishment. Not a single person spared a laugh.

It could’ve easily been one of those creepy cult things where they were forced to laugh, but… Was it so hard to imagine that on the surface, they all recognized the same sorts of qualities that Trisha did? That, more than his chiselled features as the most stark member of the Richoux siblings, he had a certain air about him. A tender charm, in the same way a friendly dog had a magnetic quality. You wanted to smile at it and pet it.

Trisha was a bit overwhelmed, holding onto Casey’s hand like it was a lifeline. It wasn’t the amount of people - she’d attended so many banquets and galas thrown by her family, or other rich families. It was the attention. While it was on Casey most of all, she was right by his side. She really wasn’t used to it and tried her best not to feel too uncomfortable. Too worried about fucking up as she straightened her spine and smiled.
“Where’s that personal bar, then, might as well get started with that?” she looked up at Casey, talking at a normal level - mostly to him, but loud enough others could hear her.

Clarissa, hair still pinned tightly to her head in neat little rows, bounded across the restaurant as Casey was shaking babies and kissing hands- Or, the opposite.
”There they aaaaaare! Casey, Baby, I’m so glad you made it. And you, Trisha, oh my LORD you were so cute today. I was so happy to come home and see your little face lookin’ back up at us.” she said just loudly enough for them both to hear under the drone of the bustling restaurant.
”C’mon! Lets get you guys comfy, gimmie those coats! And your hat, God damn you, it’s rude to keep it on inside, c’mon now!”

She snatched the coats out of Casey’s arms and the hat off his head. As they were ushered into the function hall near the back of the facility, they were greeted by a great big table made of wood, which could easily sit at least twenty people. At the head were double seats; one with a C sign hanging on it, and one with a T. There were plates of fruits and bottles of champaign set out among the glassware, and a golden fountain in the middle that sprayed water into a basin below the top, and slowly froze the water into ice that gently fell into a bigger bottom basin.

Ultimately, the ice would melt and recirculate through the fountain, creating a constant three-tier liquid-to-solid gradient effect.
Lynette, Furio and Andrade all stood around the bar with drinks in their hands, as it flanked one side of the table where nobody in particular was meant to sit. Lynette was still dressed in that same crazy gold dress, her skin painted gold well into her ears and eyelids. She was laughing, mouth agape to show off the uncanny darkness of the flesh within.

She matched the theme color well, at least.
Seeing the two of them, she shouted incoherently, raising her arms and rushing to hug around the both of them. Amazingly, whatever gold she was painted in didn’t rub off on either of them. In fact, to the touch, it seemed like there was no paint at all… Whether or not it was magic, or just really well sealed, was still up for debate.

It didn’t take long to realize she was babbling away in French.
”Ma… Momma, please… English: I can’t follow you when you’re sloppy like this, and I damn well know Trisha doesn’t speak French.”
”I SAID… I’m so excited to HAVE YOU HERE CASEY!” she spoke loudly, laughing and leaning into Casey. ”And I’m happier that you’re here with someone you love.”

Casey blushed.
”Oh yeah, you’ve been hittin’ the Screwdriver since you got here, haven’t you?”
Lynette giggled, smiled, and threw her thumb backward toward the bar.
”I’ss Wendy. I swear. She’s… She’s a peddler!”
Casey laughed again, doing his best to redirect as best he could from what his Mom had drunkenly said.

”Jesus, yeah… I’m sure. Trisha? Babe? How about you get yourself set up at the bar with what you want, get some fruit and stuff too if you’re a little hungry. I don’t want you drinkin’ on an empty stomach; I’m just gonna make sure Lady Grace here doesn’t make a fool of our group in front of the Blinds…”

There was a moment before Trisha responded, staring at Lynette, then at Casey. It was difficult to just ignore the word love being used. But it was just a drunken mother thing, right? Not that Trisha would know with that… but it was definitely the alcohol that had Lynette saying that, Who’d assume they were there after less than a week.
“Alright, I’ll do that… I’ll not start with shots so that I’m still sober by the time you get back.” She squeezed his hand before letting go, so that he could do whatever he needed to.

She went and straight up snatched one of the plates of fruit from the table, before going to the bar. She smiled at Furio and Andrade, but didn’t say anything, just quickly ordering a light beer after some internal back and forth about whether it was even appropriate for the function. But she wanted something with less alcohol to start… It was fine. Definitely fine, she forced herself to munch on a few pieces of fruit as the bottle was quickly obtained and poured into a glass placed in front of her.
Trisha immediately took a long drink, before turning to Furio and Andrade. She couldn’t exactly just ignore them now that she had her drink.
“How’re you, Furio? All… healed?”

Furio was grinning ear to ear, lifting up his hand to show Trisha a bandage. It looked like it was fully encompassing his hand, though three fingers still jutted out from the bandage.
”Doin’ just fine, Honey. He got me just like I hoped he would, so I figured I’d keep the wound. Not like I’m gonna be workin’ as hard anymore, after all. Why not have the trophy?
Two fingers and a thumb. That was all that remained of his right hand.
”How about you, no hard feelings? I know it’s probably not… Not something that is normal, right? For your Boyfriend’s uncle to try and kill him, then hug him a couple hours later?”

Andrade couldn’t help but laugh, his black and gold chef’s jacket shimmering in the comfortable low light.
”Blunt doesn’t even begin to describe you, Fu.”
Furio also laughed and shook his head.
”What, I’m not playin’ dumb. I don’t want the girl fuckin’ hatin’ me, I don’t know how I’d have lived with myself if I seriously hurt that boy.” he frowned.
”I told you, acknowledge you made a stupid decision, and move on. Don’t you think, Trisha? It would be better to forget it happened!”

“Well, he wouldn’t have to live with himself if he’d seriously hurt him,” Trisha said, before laughing to play it off as a joke. It was hard to tell, really, and the bees blending in with her dress were so still there was no obvious aggression from them.
“You’d also know if I hated you, believe me, I can be blunt too. But yes, pretty stupid decision, let’s not dwell on it. I watched too many hot headed people fight each other to near death as a teen to be anything but bored with it.”

It had certainly felt like coven members were trying to kill each other whenever they fought. Trisha was surprised none of the many casualties had been from infighting. She ate another bit of fruit, trying to force her appetite to appear in preparation for the meal. She then raised her glass with a slight smile.
“To no hard feelings and just forgetting it happened.”

The two men looked between one another, both smiling widely as they began to giggle. Furio opened his arms.
”You’re a keeper, Trisha. C’mere.”
His arms wrapped around her slightly, body bumping the plate of fruit just out of the way. Andrade rolled his eyes, giving a sarcastic grin. When he pulled back, Andrade figured he’d take over.

”That aside, I’ve been using your honey the last few days, Trisha! You’ve got some fantastic variety in between the different batches, it’s actually been pretty fascinating to try them out. Do you want to come see what we’ve been doing?” he asked, throwing a thumb back toward the door that led directly between the kitchen and the banquet room.

“Really? I’ve never really noticed the difference, but I wasn’t trying to.” She followed his thumb, one hand automatically going to one of the bees on her bodice, stroking its little body. She could sense the slight stir of the Queen inside of her, though she wasn’t quite awake. Casey had said to set herself up at the bar, but it wouldn’t be going far, and he’d probably notice, right? She did want to see what they were doing with her honey. The bees’ honey.
“Yeah, I’d really like to see that, actually. After all that time it's been sitting around… I want to see it being used.”

Andrade’s eyes lit up. If there was one true love in his life, it was his food.
”Shit, give me this then-” he plucked the beer from her hand, turning to the bartender.
”Wendy? A toddy for our dearest guest.” he grinned and pointed to direct Trisha’s attention. Even Furio turned his head to look at what was going on. Wendy smiled and nodded, making way for a little electric kettle and a jar that Trisha would recognize immediately as her own honey. She took an old fashioned comb-shaped dipper and spun it into the jar, pulling out a glob and letting the stick sit in the shaker for a moment.
Pouring hot tea over it loosened the honey, letting it slough away and dissolve into the warmth. Nutmeg, a splash of cognac, and finally a spritz of lemon. The dipper muddled it all together before she finally pulled it out to thoroughly mix the drink, then poured into a wide mouthed cup.

It was warm in Trisha’s hand, and the perfect thing to drink on a cold November night.
”It’s a traditional Hot Toddy, but if we put it on the menu with your honey, I’d love to call it a Hot Trisha. We’ll start branding it, we can get your name on a couple other menu items involving the honey. Once people start asking who you are and why you’re attached to the product, we can push your stuff more directly. They’ll want it in their homes.” he grinned widely, encouraging her to take a sip.

Trisha was glad she had gone for a drink immediately, choking out a mixture of a laugh and a sharp breath at the name suggestion. There was absolutely no way she was agreeing to that. The word combination… Hot Trisha… well it certainly wasn’t false, but she didn’t want it to be a drink.
Before she got into that, she raised the cup to her mouth, gently blowing on it before taking a sip. Her eyebrows raised slightly. It was nice… like tea, which she always drank with a lot of honey anyway. She’d never been that fond of the flavour of cognac either, but it was balanced here by the honey.

“It’s really nice.” She took another sip, smiling.
“Really, really nice. If I hadn’t seen it I wouldn’t believe it’s my honey… but you definitely can’t call it that. Literally anything but that. Do you know how many family members I have in St Portwell? Well, not that it’d be a good name anyway…”
She awkwardly raised the glass to her lips for another long drink. At least give a better suggestion… but one didn’t come to mind.
“Maybe… Tee instead of Trisha. Like bee with a T. Still me, just not my actual name.”

Andrade smiled, waving his hand in the air slightly. He looked like he was trying to conjure something out of thin air.
”Tea-Bee. One syllable doesn’t work for the drink, since it’s meant to have the same ring as the normal drink. So, a Hot Toddy becomes a Hot Tea-Bee. I hate to obfuscate it so much, since it just becomes more annoying for the servers to tell a snappy story about it. A name’s usually easier…” he paused, ruminating for a moment more.
”You and your fuckin’ marketing shit… Just call it a Honeydrop and be done with it… Fuckin’ Hot Toddy, Hot Trisha, I think they’re both stupid fuckin’ names.”
”And a Honeydrop gets dropped from your memory as quick as you drink it.”
”Then are you really give the ingredients any sort of respect?”

Andrade sat stunned for a moment, and around the same time, Elise and Junior made their way in. Accompanied by the girls, who had found Gin and a few other members of Project Eden. Gin happily waved to Trisha, despite her facial expression never reading anything other than discomfort.
She did seem a little compelled to move toward Trisha, but her attending companions kept her where she was; right by Lynette and Casey.

She even clung to Lynette the way a little child does, and in turn the gilded woman patted Gin’s head and stroked her shoulders in the way one would caress and care for a pet.
”Anyway, come on…”
Andrade waved Trisha on toward the kitchen, taking strides without looking back, only to disappear behind the swinging door.

Trisha made sure to wave back to Gin, before staring after Andrade’s quickly disappearing back, swiftly finishing her drink.
“Uh, if Casey comes over and didn’t notice where I went, can you let him know?” she asked Furio. “So he doesn’t worry.”

She didn’t really wait for an answer, assuming that he would… After all, duel to the death aside, Furio had been pretty reasonable. She put down her empty glass, grimacing at the telltale warmth settling in her chest. She drank too quickly… She’d have to pace herself. It was fine. She followed where Andrade had gone as quickly as her heels would allow her, pushing through it and into the kitchen. She wasn’t quite sure what to expect. She’d hardly been in a normal kitchen.

What came next was a full breakdown of all the things humanly possible with the natural sugar known as honey. An obvious sweetening agent, the tour began with desserts and things one would typically ascribe to the syrup’s wheelhouse. There were plenty of pastries, between challah breads and cookies, crackers almost caramelised with honey throughout.
Then a talk about textures, exploring the idea that honey with moisture could only be used for so much. There were a lot of little jars being infused with different herbs and spices, and under one of the metal cabinets was a jar of fermenting mead that obviously had to be made.

”Whatever batch it was that we chose for the mead? We’re looking at almost sixteen percent alcohol. You don’t usually touch numbers like that in the mead market.”

He was clearly proud, and talked about different sauces they’d tried making with the honey before they settled on trying to mass infuse different flavors and see what came out best.
But what he was most impressed with was a trick he’d pulled from a different Chef, whom he admired and respected in the short time they worked together. She’d shown him that you could always caramelise the honey and dehydrate it like that, grinding down the candy into powder.

But the cooked honey never tasted the same; so they began to dehydrate it mechanically, using a constantly circulating ventilator to wick any bit of moisture out of the raw honey.
Pure granulated and processed honey sugar could be used in so many places that the liquid honey simply couldn’t, and he showed off a piece of steak that was dry-aging in a crust of the stuff an inch thick.

By the time he’d shown her everything, it was getting close to showtime.
”So, I mean… I know we can’t rush perfection, but I’d say we’ve got a lot that can be done and not a lot of raw product left to do it. Obviously, this experimentation has taken up a good chunk of what you had. We kept the grade three stuff out of the food, just storing it for stuff like your drink, or spreading directly.”

Trisha’s head was practically spinning with everything she’d been shown and told. She hadn’t realised there was so much food that could include honey, or so many different uses outside of that. She’d never thought to try or look into it until now. She was impressed. If it was her working with her honey… she couldn’t have done any of it.

But of course, there was the matter of honey production. If they’d already gone through a couple years stockpiling… she would definitely need more bees. Which came with its own issues she didn’t want to think about tonight.
“Well, they’ve gotten set up in their new hive and started making honey again. It’s… not something that can be sped up without numbers. It’s already faster than a normal hive, because they don’t have any brood to tend. With the amount I have in a week they’ll have made enough for…” she frowned, quickly calculating it. “Just over three jars of honey, assuming they adapt well to the new environment. When I checked yesterday they seemed to have.”

She smiled, looking down at the fairly still bees dotted all over her dress.
“I know three a week doesn’t seem like much, but it’s a lot of work for them.”
”My dear, they live and breathe, do they not? We can’t rush what must come naturally; we can only get people addicted to it now so that by the time it comes around again, it sells out instantly.” he held out his hand to shake.
”Now, go enjoy your party: I promise, we’re not going to make you eat all honey tonight. Just dessert, and it's a surprise.” he grinned.

“I couldn’t rush them even if I wanted to,” Trisha laughed, smiling brightly as she shook his hand. She was genuinely excited about it in a way she hadn’t been for a long time. Excited about something that could build her future that wasn’t a partner.
“Good, I don’t want to get sick of something I have to work with… but I’ll look forward to dessert.”

She raised her hand in a half wave before going back out the way she’d come.

”Oh, and Trisha!?” Andrade called to her, just before she managed to scramble off. ”Feel free to eat tonight… Our friends have made sure you’ve got nothing to worry about. Even if it leaves us all a bit more hungry.”

Trisha paused in the door to look back at him, smile faltering, confusion clear across her eyes. Not at what he was saying - she understood it perfectly - but she hadn’t expected it.
“Alright, I’ll eat as much as I can then… Thanks, Andrade.” She’d try her hardest to not let their effort go to waste, even if eating at a large dinner was always a challenge for her.

She turned back around and through the kitchen door, back into the function hall. She immediately looked around for Casey, hoping he wasn’t surrounded by too many people. Even if he was, she’d probably still go over to him.

At that point, he was actually sat in his big chair at the head of the table. It almost made him look little despite his own stature. As Trisha came out, he lept up to his feet and moved to her, grabbing her hands.
”Hello my baby, hello my HONEY-” he laughed aloud, smiling at her and dancing a little bit.
”How was it, how’s the food look? Furio said you guys were talkin’ about the honey?” he asked curiously. It was hard to not notice Gin very quickly sneaking up on their flank.

While most of the room was now full of people talking and chatting, they seemed to congregate mostly around Lynette at the other end of the table. Whether it was just because that’s how important she was, or if they were somehow told to give Casey some space, wasn’t clear.
The clearest thing was that Gin either didn’t care enough, or cared too much about Trisha to care about anything else. She didn’t speak, but she did hover in their direct vicinity, enough that Casey wordlessly placed a hand on her head and pulled her in to a one armed embrace while he listened to Trisha.

Trisha was in a good mood after seeing all the honey products, even if it’d been a bit exhausting, and she smiled warmly at Casey. Her eyes creased cutely and shone in a way they normally only did when it was just the two of them. She even smiled genuinely at Gin, though it didn’t have that same gooey warmness to it.
“Honestly? No idea about the food for tonight. Andrade was showing me everything they’re doing with my honey… It's a lot. I didn’t know you could do so much with honey. Not even just in sweet things… They even had this steak dry aging with honey sugar around it. Also, the mead they’re making is looking like it’ll be much more alcoholic than normal. I’m a bit concerned that some of the girls have been going out drinking without me knowing for that to happen…” She laughed.

“Oh, I tried a drink first with it, a Hot Toddy? But y’know what Andrade wanted to call it…” she trailed off, grinning playfully, voice lowering. “A Hot Trisha… can you imagine?”

Casey grinned, Gin grinned. But he caught his counterpart in his periphery and turned to face her fully. He didn’t stop smiling, but he did wait quite a bit longer than he had to before he shook her.
”What’s so funny!?” he laughed playfully.
She looked back at him, and didn’t really understand if he was mad or not, since he was still laughing. She decided she’d just keep laughing too.
”It’s a fuckin’ pun…”
In turn, Casey cracked up. His free hand lifted up to smack his own face, resting in his eyes.

”Y’know, Babe? You are a pretty hot Trisha.” he laughed again, eventually letting himself calm enough to redirect Gin’s energy off of it.
”But, yeah… I hope you guys work on it a bit more; I know how he gets about shit like that.”
And then he looked back down at the still lightly giggling Ginara.
”Now, what brings the Director of Eden to this side of the table?”

”Ooh, T-trisha mostly. Pretty good, the alarm works… I mean, for the bees. Did you know that fifteen thousand of them swarmed out at one point all in one go?”
She was dressed in something that at least wasn’t her usual lab coat and sweatpants; opting for a formally masculine suit complete with a long coat and haptic finger gloves to be able to touch her screen without actually touching her screen.

She pulled up a little application that showed some vital data about the bees in real time, holding it up for Trisha to look at.
”The Hive-House is full of sensors too, so we can see how the comb is developing between the sections.”

Trisha had to laugh along with them. It was pretty funny all around.
Still, she couldn’t resist moving to Casey’s other side, going up on her tiptoes to get as close as possible to his ear.
“Hot Trisha is a one of a kind, completely exclusive, only for you, Babe. I wouldn’t want any others to exist.”

She lowered herself back to her heels, wobbling a bit when she forgot they were higher than normal. She then leaned a bit forward to look at the application Gin was showing her, eyes narrowing in concentration as she deciphered what it was telling her. It was… impressive. All things that she could glean off her bees made much easier to access. Really, it made her redundant… no, that wasn’t the case. Without her there weren’t any bees at all.
“Swarmed out… today? Without me calling them? Do you get an alarm when any of them leave?” She wasn’t sure how she felt about that. She wouldn’t be able to call the bees without someone in the Temple knowing. There was a cold anxiety in her chest that she tried to ignore thinking about that. Instead, she concentrated on the data.

“Is there any way for me to get something like this?” Trisha asked as she looked at it.
“I can read their pheromones, but I need to be around enough bees who were in the hive recently. Something like this would make things much easier for me.”

Gin nodded, sliding to another screen to show Trisha the influx of bees moving out of the hive. The time: two forty-nine that morning. The wakeup call.
”White Lux sensors indicate a high-level magical current that starts the event. There's a rapid surge of apparitional Lux after that, and within five seconds the massive chunk of the hive uproots to go on the warpath. I get notifications for every little dude coming and going…”

She grinned, pushing her glasses tighter to her face with a smugness.
”I'll send you the QR code for the download later on. Do you want me to pre-make your login creds?” she asked very seriously.

Trisha grimaced when she saw when it was. This morning, of course. When she’d called all the bees in panic. It was embarrassing how that happened, the pheromones she’d given off in panic too…
“Every single one? Won’t that get annoying? I swap out the ones with me multiple times a day. Sometimes they just come over because they want to…”

Well, it wasn’t like she was the one getting the notifications. She could see its use if her life was in danger… but it was also a type of tracking. That made her uncomfortable. Something to talk with Casey about later.
“Yeah, please do. I’d just like access to the Hive sensors, really. I know when they come and go, obviously.” She was still looking at the screen, clearly impressed.
“Did you guys also make this whole application in a few days?”

”Junior and I made it in a few hours. You can skip a lot of steps when it's held together by magic; don't worry.”
Junior had a sensor of his own: Some considered it a magical power, that he could hear his name mentioned anytime, anywhere.
”Oooh, shit yeah. The bees…"

Looming over Trisha’s shoulder, Junior looked down at the application screen before looking up at his big brother and grinning.
”It’s pretty great, isn’t it? It’s like I’m always in your hands. Flattering, really.”

Gin laughed at what was an innocuous comment to her.
”Oh, me too. You’re carrying us around, Trisha… And it's like you’re carrying the bees, but twice.”
But of course, Casey wasn’t about to make a point out of admonishing Junior for the current creeping. Not with Gin there; not with them all gathered to be happy. Trisha had, intentionally or not, ended up pumping his confidence a bit. Thanks to the “Hot Trisha” comment, he felt like he could at least take on the challenge without feeling like he was less than.
”Oh, so there’s nut in the code?” he asked casually.

Junior was about to answer, but Gin laughed and spoke first.
”Bees don’t do nuts, dude. Maybe there’s flowers in the code?”
”Definitely pollen… Lots of… Pollen… Speaking of sticky reproductive proteins; Casey, are you gonna get the bull balls again?”

Casey grinned.
”I know it scares you, but they’ve still got more texture than that shar pei you call a brain.”

Trisha flinched slightly as Junior just appeared over her shoulder, something she played off as stumbling in her heels with a step closer to Casey. She didn’t like the sudden appearance right behind her, and a few bees crawled out from hiding spots in the braid along the top of her head in reaction.

She tilted her head, trying to keep up with the conversation and all of the hidden shit underneath it. Sure, she was used to it when it came to certain members of her family, but it meant it wasn’t just as easy as listening and understanding.
“Oh, well, I planned to put it on my tablet rather than my phone. I only need it when I’m at home.” She didn’t particularly want to carry around a Temple created app, and the idea was even less appealing after what Junior had said. Something she decided to just ignore otherwise.

“Like you ate them, Case? Is that what he means?” Trisha tilted her head up to Casey, before laughing.
“Like Lanciao- The one time my mom took me back to the Philippines with her my cousins gave me it without telling me what it was. It’s kind of worse, though, it’s got everything. I’ll take you there one day and you can try it.” She grinned, before her gaze moved to Junior, smile getting a lot less genuine.
“It’s not bad, really. But I’m sure your brain is plenty textured - when I tried tuslob buwa, that’s pig’s brains, it had something of a texture to it.”

Junior’s face twisted into the most evil kind of grin he could give Casey. In turn, there was a shift in his own demeanor as he furrowed his brow to look at Junior.

”Don’t do it…” Casey asserted.
”It?” Junior questioned, practically rolling his shoulders with it like the Cheshire Cat.
”Whatever you thought. Don’t say it.”
”Casey…” Junior still grinned, hands slipping into the pockets of his slacks.
”Be disrespectful in your own head, or you won’t be eating here.” Casey growled. His gaze turned down slightly to Gin, who was messing about on her phone with nary a clue as to the tensions mounting.

”You’re assuming, right? Like, assuming I’m being… Disrespectful? The only thing that passed through my head is-”
”Maaaaaax…” Casey growled again.
”-is that I’m so happy the both of you are adventurous eaters! That’s all! I think it’s great that you’ll both just…-”

Casey patted Gin’s shoulder, letting her go before launching at his brother with both hands. He gripped him by the collar, one hand flicked up and smacked him across the face, and the other spun him before shoving the wiry Junior back toward the wall.
”Ough! Dude! I didn’t even say anything!”
”I. Don’t. Care. Go bother other people if you really feel like you need to be here.”
”I saw you guys talking about something I worked hard on, the least I can do is fuckin’ joke around a little bit!”

“Casey, calm down.” Trisha jumped forward, hands going up to grip his bicep. Her thumbs rubbed circles against it, and she looked around, worried that people were going to start looking over, and it would become a massive thing. She didn’t know anyone here well enough to know how that would go, but she knew when it was her own family it just made things worse. More annoying to deal with. She stopped looking around to look up at Casey pleadingly.
“Just let him go, it’s not worth it.” It was true that he hadn’t really said anything, but she wasn’t going to say that, because she got it.

”Oh, actually, I’d like another drink, why don’t we go over to the bar? Just the two of us.” She looked past Casey at Junior.
“Jokes are supposed to be funny, by the way. I get it, you’re in Tech, but learn to read the room.”

Funnily enough, nobody paid it much attention; save for Furio who was apparently glued to the bar. But he really only laughed, and as Casey turned to see him doing so, he started to laugh too. It was ridiculous, and if anyone knew, it was Furio.

”I get it, you’re in Tech? What’s that supposed to mean?” Junior asked before blowing air out from between his lips and swinging his arm as if to wipe it all away.
”Never mind, forget I asked. I’ll go hang out with people who like me: Gin, good luck keepin’ that app held together with shoestring.”

Being acclimated enough to this scenario, Gin was easily able to keep her own anxiety low by simply dissociating. She didn’t even hear Junior say anything when he left. She didn’t even really see Casey getting physical. By the time she looked up, Casey and Trisha had already moved off to the bar, and she was standing by nothing… So she found a comfortable seat near the head, where Trisha would be sitting, and planted herself down.

Casey didn’t bother looking to see if Junior left or not, and was still laughing as Furio cleared away for the two of them. He patted Casey on the shoulder as he slipped off.
”He knows just how far to push, the little fuck…” he groaned at Trisha. ”And I’m not dealing with it anymore. I swear!”

“And you shouldn’t,” Trisha said. She turned around towards Casey rather than the bar, arms slipping around him and leaning into his body.
“All that stuff people say about putting up with family is bullshit, anyway. Next time properly beat him up… I just didn’t want my appetite ruined tonight.”

She looked over at the bar, then back up at Casey, deciding to move on from that shitshow… She didn’t want to think about Junior, or the discomfort she felt just by being in his presence. There wasn’t even a reason for it.
“Hey, want to try a Hot Trisha?” she asked, trying to use a flirty tone but breaking down into laughter half way through it.

Even Wendy, the bartender, started laughing.
“Fucking Hot Trisha coming up, Your Grace!”

Casey gave a genuine smile to Trisha, quickly wrapping her around his side and cuddling her tightly.
”You’re so cool… Thanks. And thank you, Wendy… Do you have any clue about how we can fix that?”
Wendy snorted as she tried to muddle the honey into the warm tea.
“Oh, God… Nah, honestly I’m not that creative. Give me the booze, I get it. But, words? Fuck that.”

He shrugged as he finally received his drink, taking a sip and nodding.
”Why not a Queen Tea? Like Green Tea, or Queen Bee…” he offered, shrugging his shoulders.
“Oh, see? You always do that… I’m so glad you’re back for good, C-L… Lord Grace!”

“I suggested Tee instead of using my name, and Andrade started going on about marketing and it being a snappy story, so… you’re welcome to suggest that and listen to the same rant? I like it, but he’s the fussy one.” Trisha said, looking at Wendy with a smile, then back up at Casey.
“Does everyone have to call you that? Bit awkward… I’m not going to get shit for using your name, am I?”

Casey looked a bit dazed and confused at the second part of what Trisha said. His brow narrowed, and his lips turned down into a considerate frown. The young woman was probably close to the same age as them, blonde, and dressed in a black and gold uniform that matched Andrade’s. It was clearly for the event tonight, special for one night only.

As she washed away at a glass, she simply smiled.
“Well, no… We don’t have to, so you won’t have a problem. It’s… Well, we were asked to for tonight, but honestly? I think I like it. When we were kids, nobody really thought Casey was gonna do much. So, him doing this now? Pretty cool to me.”
Casey’s confusion turned into surprise. He knew that a lot of the other kids in the Coven at his age didn’t think much of him. But, hearing her say that he was welcome in his position made him happy.
”Well shit… I mean I won’t argue with that; thanks, Wendy!”

She smiled back.
“Of course… Now, should I keep ‘em comin’? Do you want another, Miss Trisha? Or something stronger?”

“I’ll just be sticking to your name, but it doesn’t mean I think you’re any less cool,” Trisha smiled, one hand moving away from hugging Casey to wave in front of her.
“Another of the beer I had earlier, please. I don’t want to drink too much before eating… and I didn’t get to finish it. Andrade stole it from me.” She pouted slightly, but wasn’t all that upset about it, obviously.

“Do you like it?” she then asked Casey, gesturing to the drink.
“Pretty nice, right? I was surprised… I think they’re using my honey in the dessert tonight too? It’s really…” she trailed off, head moving from side to side in an embarrassed motion.
“Weird. Something I helped make being used.”

Casey absolutely slurped the warm tea beverage down until there wasn’t a single drop left in the cup. It was like watching someone pour it directly into a can. His lid tilted shut, and he had a smile on his face.
”Oh, that’s fuckin’ great. Definitely not something to drink with dinner though… Vodka and tonic?”
“Mint?” she asked him, swiping everything up.
”Why not?”

He grinned back down at Trisha.
”So you said… The dessert? I wonder how, because he promised me he was making… Well… I guess there’s a bunch of ways? Are you flattered by it? Or is it weird in a bad way?” he asked Trisha directly, not so much concerned as he was curious.
Wendy handed over the beer and the V/T, and Casey nodded them off as he turned Trisha back toward the table.

“Flattered, I think,” Trisha nodded with a smile, taking a sip of the beer. Maybe not the type of drink for a fancy meal, but she’d never been fond of the drinks that did go with something like that.
“I’m just not used to it. I have a large family, so there was always someone doing something that everyone else paid attention to… Even if it wasn’t actually impressive. I didn’t really experience that.” She said it all so nonchalantly, shrugging one shoulder, as if it was just a novel new experience and that past lack of attention had never bothered her. Her voice got much, much quieter.
“Now I have something to show for it all.”

She shook her head, not sure why she’d actually given that answer rather than the various half truths she could’ve gone with. So stupid. She awkwardly tried to move the conversation on before he could actually say anything about it.
“Does everyone else have assigned seats, or is it just us?”

Casey heard what Trisha said about being lost in the crowd and internalized it. He’d felt the same thing in a smaller setting; but it was hard to ignore what sorts of feelings that conjured up in him. But he felt her redirection actively, like a ripple in his White Lux that was so ready and active now around him. It was hard for it not to talk to the reality around one, and he imagined this is how his mother and sister always knew whatever he was thinking… It wasn’t just for remote viewing.

”Just us. Kinda funny, right? My day, my event, I can’t pick my seat! ‘Cuz they want all eyes forward. Mom’ll be at the other end, and an empty seat for my…”
A little light left his eyes.
”That's… So… Fucked up…” he muttered to himself, eyes now glanced down the table toward the other large seat. Maxwell…

“So we could be sitting next to anyone. No choice? That's a bit unfair.” Trisha said, before her eyes followed his towards the other end of the table. For his dad. She could practically see that black, ghostly outline… but it wasn’t there, of course. She visibly tensed. It was fucked up. Her lips pressed together into a thin line as she remembered the dream again. She still didn’t understand it, and she hated that. She leaned more into Casey.
“Let’s make sure to die at the same time,” she whispered, so quietly it would be difficult even for Casey to hear.

“At least we get to sit together,” she continued as if she hadn’t even said anything. It was a thought that had just slipped out accidentally, and she was going to pretend it hadn’t. She should've eaten more of that fruit before she had a drink…
“I’m very good at ignoring everyone else at large dinner parties if I have to. Or just pretending to listen, the old routine of nodding and smiling. When we were younger it pissed Tansy off more than me actually getting annoyed at her.”

”I’ll leave your decision to you, of course… But I’d love it if you chose to listen. Someday, what you hear could come in handy.” Casey replied, either ignoring or not hearing Trisha’s comment about dying.
In truth, he had missed it for the echoing of a hundred voices. Inside and outside, they were talking about each and every little thing going on in their lives. He was acutely aware of things he’d never been aware of before… Like how warm the room was, or how everyone’s voices sounded just a little sharper than they should at a place like this.

And then he was still thinking about Junior, and about his Father. Max was on his mind, and he hated that particularly. But the drink was good, and Trisha was good, and he turned his head to look across that long table at his Mother. She was being spoken to, and replying, but still managed to convey some emotion in his direction. Her hand was resting on the armrest of his Father’s reserved seat, and her thumb rolled down in a particular fashion.
He knew instantly that it was knowing, and that it was purposeful. As if to tell him that Maxwell the Forth would be proud of him. As if he didn’t know, and didn’t hate every bit.

Casey didn’t let his gaze linter on his Mother long, passing her off a sullen smile before snagging an apple off the table. As he did so, wait staff were beginning to pull those fruity offerings from the table. It was clearly some sort of que, some visual notification to let the engaged party know that mingling was safe to be done at the table.
Andrade slinked out from the rear, holding up his hands and clapping to capture everyone’s attention in the room.
”Alright, get comfortable now! Get sat, come on, we’ve got food coming, first course in fifteen minutes! Understand? Get your drinks, get your seats, get your appetites ready like I know they are…”

”Hungry Temple stomachs!” Lynette shouted, raising her wine to the air and hearing the entirety of the open dining room cheer in unison for the prospect of food.
”Eat, drink, and be merry under the protection of the Lord of Blades!”
More cheers, even from the attending patrons of the private area. As people began taking their seats, it became clear as to what the night had for company. Something like a protective barrier between the more Temple-oriented individuals and the Couple of the Hour formed.

With Gin having claimed a spot early, she remained near the head closest to Trisha, and she wound up flanked by Ed. Naturally, across from her, Mia settled in closest to Casey, with Hari on her side. It was about as far as conversation would go without things getting uncomfortable, however, and beyond them were the likes of some of Project Eden’s finest, close staff, and then more of the family before ending off with Lynette.

Another cheer rose up from the dining room as Casey and Trisha sat, with Leon making it into the dining room with an incredibly gaudy, almost vampire count-like outfit on. He took his seat on the end, but not before coming to the head and leaning over Casey’s chair to plant a solid kiss atop his head.
As he pulled away, he came up with two Jewellery boxes which were handed off to Trisha and Casey.
”These are from Dear Nonnat, Casey. I asked if she could spare something to match for Trisha.”
The boxes were unmarked, and opening them revealed two pendants with massive center gemstones cut from what appeared to be some kind of crystal grown in a golden striped pattern. The fixtures were pure gold, and heavy as could be, with little black and yellow stones surrounding the centerpieces.

Casey gave his brother a wide-eyed look, then looked back at Trisha.
”Jesus, Man!? You… She…”
His gaze turned again, and locked on Trisha.
”Our Nonnat! Our Grandmother in New York, she… Is very sick, and I haven’t even thought to go visit her.”

Trisha stared at the pendants with wide eyes. She was used to opulence, but this was really on another level. It honestly looked like it would hurt her neck to wear.
“I’d look like a gold digger if I wasn't already rich…" she half joked, gesturing to the silver ring on her right hand. She honestly wasn't sure how to react. It clearly had some meaning. She just didn't know what, and she didn't understand family in that way. A gift from family for her was a poor apology for not giving her the time of day. That clearly wasn't the case here.

She turned her body towards Casey, smiling at him.
“Then we'll just have to go visit and thank her when you have time. Maybe go to a few places along the East coast? But primarily go and visit her." She then looked back down at the pendant, towards Leon, then at Casey again.
“Should we… put them on now?" Her voice lowered enough that only those close enough to her could hear. “I don't really know what they mean."

Leon laughed and shook his head, patting Trisha gently on the shoulder.
”They don’t really mean anything. Just a congratulation, and she was honestly thrilled to hear that he’s dating someone so I don’t think she was troubled by a two-for-one.”
Casey laughed aloud.
”Nonnat’s an Artificer, she makes magical artifacts. Or, used to. I assume the Casket made these.”

Leon nodded.
”Yeah, the components were a few pieces of her older works. I’m fairly certain it was the Caden collection.”
Nodding, Casey held the pendant up again, bringing it closer to Trisha’s. His had a thicker necklace and a bulkier centerpiece, while Trisha’s certainly looked a bit more fragile. The metal of the pendant was slimmer, creating the illusion that her center stone was even bigger like a wide open eye.
”She’s got this machine; it’s a recycler, basically. Dump shit into it, feed intent through magic, and it’ll spit out what you want. Like artificial intelligence-shit.”

Leon kissed his brother’s head again, patting both of them gently.
”Enjoy ‘em. And don’t worry, they’re not bugged or anything.”
Casey half grinned up at Leon, neck almost creaking.
”Oh, I’d know…”
The wolfman could only nod his head and accept his brother’s ominous statement, retreating to the bar before making way for a seat near his Mother at the other end of the table.

Casey’s attention returned to Trisha.
”We putting them away?”

“Yes, as nice as they are…" she touched the back of her neck and laughed.
“I’m not sure my neck is prepared for something so heavy. Especially if it's magical."

She closed the box hers had come in, looking towards the bag she'd brought. It was small, just enough to fit her phone and purse, so she turned to Casey and held it out to him.
“I assume you have somewhere to put them?" She was relieved it was just a gift, though a genuine one it seemed - something that still made her feel a bit uncomfortable.
“Now we have something else that matches. These outfits, the pendants… soon we'll have a whole matching collection. What should we get next? Halloween is a while away, so not costumes… watches? Earrings? Rings-" oh shit not rings, matching rings normally imply marriage, shit- “Oh, maybe matching outfits for a date?”
Saved. Perfectly played off.

”Probably start with matching outfits. Save the rings for when we’re married.”
Casey said it with such smooth casualness that it probably didn’t even sound like anything. He imagined the joke coming out like Charlie Brown’s parents’ voices.
”Hari’s purse.” Mia commented, holding out her hand across the table toward Trisha and Casey.
”We keep everything in there, and it’s always safe.”
”So fuckin’ true, like anything we need? Goes in her bag.” Ed piped up, laughing a bit as the both of them looked at Hari.

Sighing, the young woman reached down.
”What the hell am I getting?” she asked, coming up with her purse.

For when they were married… like it was a definite. Like with all of these things, it made Trisha feel conflicted. All she wanted was to be with Casey forever, but there was also that ever present fear that it would be pulled away from her when she was in too deep. Was she already in too deep? No, no, just surface level. And really, he said it like it was nothing, it wasn't even serious. But then did that mean he wasn't thinking about it seriously?
“I like the sound of matching outfits first, let's do that," she laughed lightly, also playing it off.

She then handed the pendant over to Mia, looking at Hari with a smile.
“Thanks, Hari. Some really elaborate, magical-?" She glanced at Casey for that, “pendants."
She shuffled slightly in her seat so she was closer to Casey, one leg moving towards him to press against his. She was glad with who’d ended up at their end of the table, but she still wasn't comfortable with the whole large meal scenario.
“So, I have to ask, what are the portions like here? Is it normal portions with three courses, or is it fancy restaurant eight tiny portions?"

”Not magic, Babe! Just uh… Magically made.”
”We’re doing Family style, I’m pretty sure. We’ll have a few serving dishes of whatever’s brought out, so you can take as much or as little as you want.” Mia practically spoke over Casey, slipping the two pendants to Hari.
The searingly red haired girl popped one of the boxes open, ogling at the contents before snapping it shut and tossing them gently into her purse. She gave Trisha some eye contact and a playful salute.

”Ugh, God please no…” Gin quietly protested, still mostly fixed to her phone. She was fiddling with something before swinging it around to show to Trisha.
”Yo, check it out. Sensors can lidar the fuckin’ hive… They’re building a new section, see?”

Trisha was relieved to hear that the food was a self serve style thing, probably, so she didn't have to worry about being rude when she couldn't eat a whole plate put in front of her. She could probably force herself through it but… it wouldn't be enjoyable. But she still smiled back at Hari before her attention was taken by Gin.
“Really? Huh, you're right," she leaned over to look at Gin's phone screen, looking at the grainy, laser created images of the bees. It wasn't something she normally got to see - she could sense it, but she only looked inside the hive when she was pulling out sections to collect the honey. She nudged Casey, bringing his attention to the phone.
“Look at that, babe, the girls are hard at work… We'll need to go in and give them loads of fruit later."

She reached down to gently stroke one of the bees on her bodice, and it gently buzzed before crawling on her finger.
“That’s really cool, Gin. I can keep up with them without having to call a whole swarm… which nobody wants."

Looking over, Casey’s face turned into a wide grin.
”Oh, no shit! I’ll have Andrade bag up a bunch of that fruit and we’ll give ‘em a nice feast for all their effort.” he exclaimed, looking down the table toward one of the other Project Eden members.
”Fuckin’ bees, dude! Lookin’ great, man!”
”Oooh, let’s see!” Mia went to stand, but Gin wholesale shoved herself halfway across the table.

”Ginara!?” Lynette’s stern face stared down the table at her. Pretty hard to take her seriously when she was literally golden, but it seemed to work on Gin. Sheepishly, the girl slumped back into her seat. Mia laughed, pushing up and standing to come around and look as their manners dictated.
”Oooh, wow… I… Don’t know what I’m looking at.” Mia finally admitted in a flat, almost disappointed tone.
”Like a million little lasers making a picture of a dark place.” Gin explained. Mia’s face made an o-shape before she began nodding.
”Oh, so, like… The comb, and then where they’re building?” her long fingers prodded at the screen, causing it to change to another screen which Gin gasped at.
”Oops…” Mia shrugged, spinning finally and without much ceremony to hit the bar. Long island iced tea, as tall of a glass as Wendy would give her, and she hit her seat with renewed enthusiasm.

”So, what do you think, Trisha? You’ve got pretty much everyone who's anyone in the Temple at a table with you. Shit’s like the Last Supper except you’re like a guest…” she laughed, joking just low enough that they maintained volume with the din of the table.

Trisha tilted her head, smiling even when there was some confusion in her eyes, a dull brown in the current lighting. Was she supposed to feel anything special over that? Intimidated, honoured? If anything, she just felt how she always did in any large dining situations - a constant, niggling want to flee.
“I think I could run St Portwell if I really wanted to," she joked back, also quiet enough to keep it among people at their end of the table.
“Mundane scene with my family, magical from the Temple… haha, the city’s at my fingertips."

It was a joke, of course. She'd very purposefully never gone for anything using her family name… membership of a certain, barely functioning group aside. She shrugged.
“With how I grew up I learned not to think about how important someone sitting at a table with me was. Dad always had someone round… Some of the people he married were famous, and my sister now too. But it'd be pretty exciting and new if it did turn out like the Last Supper. Haven't experienced that. There isn't any special, magical Temple table manners I need to know, are there?"

”Oh, nah. We’re such apostates, the table comes pre-blessed so we don’t even bother with saying Grace.” Hari responded, happy to give any bit of info she could.
”Carved right into the bitch.” Gin let her leg swing up under the table, kicking it and making the cups rattle from below.
”Please don’t kick the hand-carved blessing?” Mia asked, despite her tone very clearly being a commanding one.

Gin frowned, tilting her head back again.
”Stiff, stiff… Killing meeeeee-”
”Listen, we’re all stuck here. Don’t be rude, Ginara.” Mia did her best to hide how frustrated she was, but in the end it only served to make her lash out in other areas.
”Mimi…” Ed frowned, looking at Mia across the table. The response was a long sigh and hands being tossed into the air.
”Okay, sure. Just let her kick the table, but when she tries to stand on the table-”

Gin turned her head to Trisha, a frown on her face.
”Can we talk about games or something, Trisha?”
Mia scoffed, snagged her drink and took it down entirely before shoving off to get another.
”And I’m the jerk…-” her voice trailed off.

Trisha was doing her best to stay cool about everything. Her hands dropped to her lap, clenching and unclenching in her skirts, scrunching up the fabric in them. She looked from Gin, to Mia, to Gin as they went back and forth, trying not to frown about it. Just about maintaining that same, not quite genuine smile. It wasn't the company. It wasn't even the clashing, really. It was just too like all those family dinners she has to suffer through, and she was just waiting for it to turn on her. It always did.
Normally this was the point where she'd leave and lock herself in her room. Once she hit a certain age she stopped suffering through it, and later on didn't even show up in the first place. But she couldn't leave. There was nowhere to go, and it would just upset Casey.

She wasn't normally a mediator. Wasn't good at it. One hand came up from her lap just to grab her beer, and she quickly downed the whole bottle.
“Alright, we can talk about games, but Mia's right, Gin. You shouldn't kick or stand on the table… it'll disturb everyone else. It might disturb the bees." She gestured to the ones that were visible. A couple had even crawled onto the glass in front of her. Hopefully she'd put it in a way that would get through to Gin.
“I’m quite boring with games, though. I've mostly just been playing… Left for Dead Two with some friends. Really, I play whatever they want to. One is really good at them, but the other two of us who always play too… aren't. I just can't get aiming with a mouse and by the time I shoot it's too late and there's a zombie in my face. But maybe you can recommend something to me so I can branch out more?"

”Oh, dude you need something slower right? If you’re casually gaming, you don’t wanna keep up with some asshole bunnyhopping through your map. Do you like having stuff to kill and fight? Or do you think that it doesn’t matter and you could be cool like… Looking at spreadsheets or something?”
Hari had gotten up with Mia, but Ed was keyed in and listening to the conversation at hand.
”I play phone games… You guys use your computers?” she asked, looking at Gin.
”Eddy’s what you call a “whale” in the game she plays.” Gin laughed, nodding at Ed’s question.

“I definitely need something slower," Trisha laughed, managing to relax slightly now that Mia wasn't there going at Gin, thinking about what she actually liked. What did she like? Probably much slower games. She wasn't much bothered about the killing things, that was just what Sal and Cass enjoyed (even if Cass was bad at it).
“I think I'd prefer games without the stress of killing or being killed. When I play alone I normally just spin up stardew valley, honestly… relaxing stuff. I'm happy to do spreadsheets, but I don't really see what they have to do with games? Like the spreadsheets are the game, or games where you use spreadsheets to keep track of stuff?"

Trisha then looked at Ed with a smile.
“Only on the computer for me. A friend tried to get me to play some mobile game with her, but I just couldn't enjoy it…" She wasn't entirely sure what Gin meant by a whale, but it would be too embarrassing to ask, so didn't bother, just nodding as if she understood.
“I’m actually on my phone a lot less than people expect me to be… and I figured when I have a proper desktop why not use it?"

Ed nodded, a thoughtful look on her face that turned to Gin. She felt the look, and her head turned to look at Ed with a grin.
”I mean, it’s still there for you.”
Ed’s head tilted back and she groaned.
”I’m gonna be so lost though, and like, it’ll take me away from the girls…”
”Bros before hoes, Slaaaaag… Trisha’s gonna fuckin’ love when we mod the fuck out of Minecraft and go on a peaceful adventure of science and technology.”

“Oh, I never actually got to play Minecraft," Trisha's eyes lit up slightly at the prospect. The gamers in her friend group played it growing up and had grown out of it by the time they got to university - or had stranger things to take up their time, like emulating an entire new console.
“I’ll be lost too but Gin's right, that sounds pretty great. Why can't Mia and Hari play too? I'm up for it and I've got Casey to think about too."

Ed shrugged.
”The Polycule gets what the Polycule wants, y’know? I’m pretty in-demand for cuddle puddle time.”
Gin gagged. Ed laughed.
”But, they’re not really gamers like that. I’m mostly not, but… I’ve kind of always wanted to be.”

”You spend like three grand a month pulling PNG files on your phone. We all know you’re just worried you’ll get sucked into a new life that you’ll never get out of.”
Gin wasn’t stupid. Sometimes her acuity, however, managed to be surprising regardless. It was that terse, snappy kind of observation that cut through Ed’s barrier of good humor. She didn’t voice it, but Trisha would be able to see Ed’s despair as it flashed across her face.
”How do you do this every time, Gin?” Ed grunted, a slightly defeated tone in her voice.
”Do what? Cut the crap? That’s why I’m the Project Director, and why Auntie L trusts me.” she nodded along, looking back at Trisha.

”This gumbo-dumbo had me build her a legitimate gaming PC, paid for it, then never picked it up. Still hasn’t. There’s not even any crazy Junior-type Lux Board in it… It’s nice, all Japanese parts. We paid a fuckin’ mint ‘cuz of the Sanction Tax.”

Trisha narrowed her eyes, once again thrown into a situation she'd rather avoid. They weren't her problems, and as soon as she put her foot in it there was someone else to blame. But she was stuck here, for now.
“Gin… Don't-" she grimaced, waving a hand in front of her face, really struggling to not snap. She didn't want to look bad. She didn't want to set off things more, but she really couldn't just let it go…
“You can't just say shit like that. 'Cut the crap' or whatever, most people don't like it." she wouldn't like it, but she wasn't pushed enough to bring that into it. But if it had been her instead of Ed, and Gin just bluntly said some harsh truth, Trisha would've snapped. She was close to it anyway. The whole situation, the location, was getting to her. She had a short fuse at the best of times.

“But if there's already a gaming PC for you…" she turned towards Ed, forcing a slight smile.
“Maybe you could try playing with us, just a bit, when you have time?"
Then she thought of something else, furrowing her eyebrows and lowering her voice.
“That computer I was provided doesn't have a Junior-Type lux board in it, does it?"

Casey, who had been silent in his judgement in order to observe the interaction as it went, finally cleared his throat.
”Uh, no… And if it did, I’d be very upset. Now, Gin-”
The woman had her head in her hand.
”Please, don’t…”
Casey frowned, taking a slightly deeper breath.
”Just hear me out: You’re okay, and we’re okay. Alright? You know damn well what to say and what not to, and sometimes the brain just can’t stop itself. Own it, don’t cower, but recognize that it’s wrong and apologize when you do. Don’t hide, we’re not kids anymore.”

Gin looked vaguely displeased, especially having her talk about games derailed. She was still facing Trisha with most of her body, but leaned back and allower Ed to grab around her shoulders as she slowly tilted backward. It wasn’t a vocal apology, but a physical one: A kind of communication that many of the Temple Members seemed to share with one another.
Lynette was well trained in the art of listening to everything at once, and while she didn’t openly say anything, she did shoot a glance between Trisha and Casey, eyes warm and almost cat-like in their satisfied narrowing.

”I will… Thanks, Trisha. Maybe you guys can help me regulate it too…”
”Regulate my baaaaaaaalls… What are we regulating?”
”Mount up, Bitcheeeeees!”
"It was a clear black night, a clear light moon! Warren G was on the streets, try'n to consume-"
The three girls, sans Gin, began to rap in unison like they’d done it a billion times before. They had, and loved it.

There was a long moment where they were all absolutely vibing together, with Gin still in Ed’s arms as she bobbed them both side to side with the music. Mia must’ve sucked down a few drinks in the time her and Hari were at the bar, because she’d switched to something clear and was very openly starting to wobble.
And the first course hadn’t even come yet.

[AtomicEmperor]

Le Tournesol:A Companion Post

---

The dinner party only got more strange and alcohol-filled as the courses went on. Bottles of wine were shared among the Temple members, strangely or not almost never making it to the couple of the hour. But it seemed like everyone at the table had a massive goblet or glass to go along with whatever else they were drinking.
Breads and soups, homestyle pastas, a cake made of donuts for dessert, the meal itself was carb central, and not a single plate left the grand table with food on it as they ate everything available. A compliment to the gluttonous, bacchanalian consumption of the near black wines they drank. Squabbles seemed to bubble up and sweep away, people tossing comments up and down the dinner table. One conversation seemed to run into the next as a neighbor previously uninvolved in the discussion only tuned in to drop a bomb and leave again.

Casey’s brothers managed to make the moment about themselves during the main course, leading to Junior’s self ejection from the dinner party altogether. A dour mood swept across the gathering for a long while before Leon gave into the mounting social pressure and apologized for his own behavior.
The wine flowed less freely after that, and while people didn’t stop being a hassle to one another, they did seem to cool down. Until an offer for free drinks at a nearby bar. Hari had, in the brief time between the two locations, offered to sort Trisha out with a spell she called “Condition Green”, which played with the brain to induce temporary sobriety.

It was enough to get those who had too much from point A to B, and many of the attendees accepted the safe passage knowing that their drunken revelry would be more welcomed at a hangout like Le Tournesol. The owner, a mid-level Temple Adept, was a strong community player. Everyone valued Andre’s heart and soul going into his faith and his business, with Lynette herself citing a great deal of her favorite memories in that bar alongside her late Husband.

Now, Casey too found himself there, among the people who remained from dinner. Clarissa had stayed, half to insure that Lynette remained safe, but half to enjoy herself in a loose moment. She, the Polycurse, Lynette herself, Elise…
It was typical that Casey found himself, alongside Leon, to be the only males present in the group. But, they’d been brought here on the grounds of Sycamore Tree Coven business; and so Casey found himself alone, were it not for Andre’s presence. Condition Green had already worn off for some, mostly Mia, but Lynette had very quickly demanded chicken tenders and mozzarella sticks: A clear sign that she was drunk to anyone who really knew her.

Fried foods were in the almost never category. Casey felt an invisible timer ticking away as he brought Trisha to the big table they sat down at. It was really just a few tables slid together, and plenty of booth space for people like Hari and Clarissa to ensure their deific boss’s safety by physically trapping her. Casey took a seat on the outside edge, starting to feel the buzz coming back after playing it cool in front of the Sycamore members…
Unlike his little sister, making out with the Shifter Leon had introduced… He draped his coat over the chair, still standing and reaching out for Trisha before she had the chance to sit down.

He hugged into her, taking a deep breath as he did.
”I give it an hour… I’m fucking beat!” he spoke to her sweetly, shuffling side to side slightly like he was trying to dance with Trisha.

“A whole hour?” Trisha giggled, beginning to feel a bit light headed again. She’d tried to pace herself during the meal, but alcohol had been the only way she could force herself to have a bit of every course. Even now she felt like she really couldn’t face another plate of food ever again. She swayed with Casey, arms loosely wrapping around his waist as she properly leaned into him.
“Maybe you can survive an hour. I already want to go to bed… or maybe I just need another drink.”

Noticeably, she’d managed to finish her drink on the walk from bar to table. Mainly to cope with Mia’s… weird baby bird behaviour, and then having to be in the presence of three Sycamore members grossly flirting. Just being around them was bad enough. Both Linqian and Aryin weren’t people she’d gotten along with. At all.

”Another drink? What would you like? Any orders for this table, give them directly to me.” Andre popped up as if out of nowhere - though it wasn’t so much out of nowhere as it was talking to Lynette with one, magically enhanced ear always listening out. ”Seeing as I’m about to lose my most capable employee for the night.”

Trisha’s brow furrowed, and she twisted around in Casey’s arms. Did she actually want another drink? If she kept drinking then she would get properly drunk, rather than just pleasantly tipsy. Then she might say things she wouldn’t normally… Did she really want that?
“Are you really willing to carry me home if I drink more?” she looked back up at Casey with a soft smile, before continuing in a much quieter tone.
“And I really wasn’t… that bad the other night when I got drunk? Honestly?”

Casey had to hear everything. Literally everything, as he got Trisha in one ear and Andrade and his Mother talking in the other.
”Oh, SCREW me Andre, you know the deal. Driver, driver, driver.” Lynette laughed, her love of citrus and vodka well known by her closest; especially the people she trusted handling her food.

Casey himself couldn’t help but laugh and lean in.
”You drink as much as you want, Honey Bee. I’m here to catch you.”
He didn’t exactly have plans of staying sober at this point. Theo and Norm were both on page, and had cars ready to get people back to where they needed to go.
”Y’know, Andre, we can get someone from Andrade’s place tonight for you. Hell, we can probably fill the bar for staff. My treat?” he asked, casually shifting focus to something polite before barking out for drinks.

”Ain’t really a problem, Your Grace, I already called in my useless son,” Andre snorted, craning his neck as his enhanced eyes scanned across the bar. It was beginning to fill up again, especially with that terrible pun focused ‘comedian’ (in the loosest sense of the term) kicked out. For now.
”Well, perhaps another set of hands would help things. For now, one Screwdriver for Her Grace, anything else?”

Trisha had been pondering over it as they spoke, content just being in Casey’s arms. If he said she could drink as much as she wanted, she might as well drink as much as she wanted. It’d make it easier to get through without getting more tense about things, hopefully. Because she really did want to go home but… this day was about celebration of Casey, with his family. She had to stick it out.
“Double rum and coke?” She was on the spirits now, might as well continue on the spirits for now. She definitely didn’t feel like going back to beer after all that food.
“I need something stronger to catch up with everyone else,” she continued with a grin, glancing towards the girls, then Lynette.

The two older women both started laughing like two old friends tend to. Obnoxiously, like they had an inside joke for everything… Or maybe that was just who they were? If you weren’t one of them, chances were you’d never know. But Lynette did raise a fist in the air.
”No shame! Just dive in, Babe!”
It was easy to see the breakdown of Lynette Hunter. The Lynette Hunter who came from St. Portwell, who went to New York with a bar crawling habit, and who never really lost her love of the party. Twenty years ago, there probably would’ve been drugs involved… But she never wondered why her children struggled. She only knew that she couldn’t let them dwell on it. And if they had the chance to get a little closer as a group? Why not let the alcohol flow, she believed.

But she gave up a lot of that regality for what could only be described as Eu de Refuse. The trailer didn’t stray far from the cauldron, and in certain parts of the surrounding area, there were still echoes of the old ways.
Casey knew it all at a glance, or at least believed he knew. He’d tucked his channeler into his underwear, not quite used to casting from anywhere but the hand. It was enough to utilize a great deal of the passive observational abilities Lynette had passed onto him.

Enough to give him a false sense of knowing everything. He’d not had long enough to understand that the folly in cheap tricks was that one had to be spot on in determining their judgement based upon so many small factors. Like a piece of overclocked technology, there was going to be a bottleneck somewhere that determined maximum performance.
And so was the battle, as even drunk, Lynette felt the weight of her own channeler in its custom strap. White Lux poured from her with such subtlety that Casey couldn’t yet hope to see the glint in his Mother’s eye.

Whether she was even drunk, or if it was all an act, was lost down the void darkness of the maw that opened up every time she tilted back her head to snort out a laugh.
”I’ll absolutely have what she’s having, Andre. And a Last Round for everyone.”
”There wouldn’t be any chance I could get something frozen? Hari asked, almost sounding like a burden.
”Oh, Dude! Mudslides! Andre? I’ll come, I’ll help, fuck I’ll make ‘em, just please tell me you still have that chocolate brownie ice cream?!?”
At Ed’s interjection, Hari gasped in a longing manner and leaned back, her tongue popping out of her mouth as she imagined the concoction.

”Oh, fuck… The bar food! Andre, I… Is the… Are the cooks in?! One of those fuckin’ hamburgers! With that crazy sauce! And extra mayo for the Mozzarella sticks!” Lynette excitedly included, unable to stop herself from bouncing up and down in the comfortable booth as she swung her arm forward.
”Go easy, Ly… He’s only one man! Andre, do you want me to help you until we get some more people in, Sweetheart?” Clarissa offered herself up for the good of the situation, as usual.

”You tryna get my license revoked by gettin’ behind my bar without the proper shit, Etiennette?” Andre chuckled, shaking his head. He took it all in stride, not looking overwhelmed at all.
”Be glad I’m lettin’ you drink at all, miss. But I got it, I got it. Screwdriver, two double rum cokes, Last Round for all, Mudslides- yeah I still got the brownie ice cream for em- and plenty of food. Kitchen’s still open another hour.”

Then he smiled at Clarissa, with a nod.
”Would be great if you could come to the bar to bring over the drinks, at least. Just till Louis gets here- what’s the point'a bein’ part purple if you’re always fucking late. But ya know, table service ain’t normally offered, only for the likes of you all.”
With all the orders in, and not wanting to open up for more, he gestured to Clarissa to follow him and headed over to the busy bar.

“I didn’t think mudslides had ice cream in them?” Trisha said, in slight confusion, mind having buffered from the sheer quantity of drinks verbally thrown around. She’d had one before, but it’d just been a bunch of liqueurs and cream… She shrugged, looking up at Casey again.
“Are we sitting down? You can keep hugging me… I’m happy to sit in your lap.” She smiled cutely, offering it very genuinely - she was more than tipsy enough to not really care about being so close in public.

Casey, not ever concerned about a bit of PDA, was happy to snag Trisha up a little tighter, spinning her and planting them both in the seat he’d intended to sit in. Clarissa rubbed Casey’s head as she passed, playfully messing up his otherwise neatly re-braided hair.
Hari had her phone out, texting Andrade to send Wendy over. That girl was certainly going to earn her pay and the tips that went along with them.
”Oh, I mean… Really they’re just like boozy milkshakes. He made them for Mom on her fortieth birthday, and we all had to have what she was having, so he had to make it good enough for all of us. Which meant no booze at the time…”

”Awww, Harietta, I love when you call me Mom…” Lynette cooed, swooning close to the youngest of the Crones as Clarissa was off for their order.
Hari smiled, letting their heads rest against one another.
”Well, who else has been there?” Hari retorted, a deep breath washing over her as she tried to relax a bit.

Mia’s body shifted, and she sloppily pushed up and away from the table. Her steps landed her directly in between the two women, who both laughed and smiled before letting Mia slide into a newly formed gap.
”Alriiiiight fine… I guess you can sit between us.”
Instantly, Hari and Ed shot each other a glance.
”God fucking dammit…”

Casey could see the slightest wobble in his Mother’s facial features as she let the words echo out of her mouth. The quiver of a smile unshone.
”What?” Lynette groaned, as if she was asking her daughter what she’d done wrong. What was, after all, so wrong with a little joke?
”God fucking dammit!” Mia smacked her fists against her knees. ”Why can’t you ever just say you’re fucking happy to have me next to you!? Am I seriously a fucking… Why…”

Mia wasn’t looking at Lynette, nor did she have the array of abilities that were hidden away from her on the White spectrum. She’d not notice her Mother’s slight grin. Only Casey could see the drunken pleasure she got from the action. The administration of drip-fed pain.

Trisha had practically gone limp against Casey, back pressed against his chest and letting his arms around her do the work in stopping her sliding off his legs. But, that very quickly changed as Mia started up again. She tensed up, legs automatically curling inwards at the knee, and hands moving from languidly fiddling with her hair to gripping it tightly. Her lips pressed together into a thin line, looking over at Mia.

Just like her, Trisha had no White Lux to speak of to notice any of the subtle undercurrents. Sure, she logically knew that Lynette wasn’t a good mother overall - it was so painfully obvious. But she was there. In their lives, as toxic as it might be. There was that jealousy, the feeling that always pushed Trisha to her worst, bubbling up in her chest without the normal sobriety to keep it down. Jealousy of something she shouldn’t be jealous of in the first place.

A poorly made joke required someone to be present in the first place to make it.
“At least she’s next to you in the first place.” What was supposed to be a thought, maybe a whisper to only herself, came out a lot louder than Trisha intended. Loud enough for everyone at the table to hear it, at least.

Lynette didn’t let her daughter get enough breathing room to come up with a logical argument to the presented sentiment. No matter how loud or soft it came out, it was enough that the whole table heard it and she needed to wrangle that momentum.
”And lo, presenteth thine most serendipitous interjection! That! That, Mia, is a reason for you to really consider things and stop being so worked up over them. We both literally moved our asses for you to get between us. Read the actions between the words, my little love…”

"Read the actions between the words!" Mia mocked her Mother’s expression and inflection.

Hari quickly put her arms around Mia and slid her up onto her lap.
”Hey, listen! You’re embarrassing me a little bit, okay? Now, I love you- And nobody here or there thinks anything but loving thoughts about you! You are causing problems that shouldn’t be happening right now, and we would probably all appreciate it if you could chill out for now.”
Her hands gripped Mia by the belly, or what little was there, and gently rubbed like a cat would paw at a bit of cushion or rug. Mia’s eyes were leaking, and Lynette was looking up at her daughter with a playful frown.

”Mummy won’t tell jokes like that anymore, Baby. If it hurts you so badly, we’ll insulate you. Just like we always have.”
Trisha could feel Casey’s fingers wriggle with discomfort. His head spun around, praying to see Andre and Clarissa coming back with drinks. What he saw was something totally different.

”Ma? Hey, I’m gonna be leavin’ soon… But, I was wondering if you wanted to do that thing…”
Leon’s frame loomed over them, and he put a comforting hand on Casey’s shoulder.
”Or are you too busy tormenting your Baby Girl?”
Lynette grinned at her eldest Son, then turned that grin to Casey with Trisha in his arms.
”Gettin’ your freak on, Hound Dog?” Lynette giggled, a terribly strange way to ask one’s son about their plans for exploits in the near future.

She held her hand out to him.
”Sure, sure… That lazy hack comedian’s gone. May as well entertain the people.”
Mia and Hari had retracted into some sort of wordless conversation, and clearly checked out of the moment. Ed, on the other side of Hari from Lynette, curled in close in an attempt to make the moment a little easier on her partners.
Leon knew, obviously, that his Mother was being troublesome. Like the both of them, his senses were beyond keen. But unlike them, it was all processed through the mind of a sex-crazed wolf demon. He couldn’t listen to it without a great deal of aggression and desire to fix it. Or at least give others the chance…

Taking his Mother by the hand, Leon led Lynette off toward the front stage. There were some instruments, thankfully an acoustic guitar.
Still bathed in gold, Lynette grinned at the crowd and spoke into the microphone.
”Testing… DiffiCult to the beautiful people of Le Tournesol, come in?” she laughed.
Leon made the guitar look like a ukulele in his massive hands, but as Lynette tested the microphone and got people’s attention, he plucked away and tuned as needed until he was satisfied.

”Fuck… I’m part thankful, part horrified.” he spoke quietly to Trisha.

Trisha was still pretty tense. The whole thing made her feel tense, and the Screwdriver she’d practically downed a bit earlier was really beginning to affect her. She was still fixated on a problem she didn’t understand - Mia’s problem, that was. Why? She had present family, who loved her, twisted as it was. Two girlfriends… It just had Trisha thinking about what she didn’t have.

But she forced herself a bit out of it, moving from still staring at Mia, Hari and Ed to twisting in Casey’s arms so that she could more easily look at him and over at the stage by sitting sideways.
“Why, is she bad at singing?” Trisha asked pretty bluntly, but quietly. She shuffled a bit, slipping her heels off under the table, pulling up her legs so they were bent underneath her skirts and her tight clad feet rested on his legs.
“I’m…” she trailed off, face scrunching up, before relaxing again.

“Didn’t mean to say that earlier,” she muttered, just to Casey. She really didn’t - but not so much because of the fuel it had given Lynette, but the insight it might’ve given about her. Her own relationship with her mother.

Casey looked down at Trisha with a bright, warm smile as he rubbed her arms.
”Don’t… Seriously. She’s drunk, she’s a grown woman, she’s got a warm, supportive group of people around her.”
There was a preemptive knock at Trisha’s Emotional Field before Hari gave her signature Pink Lux style over to Trisha for examination. It was like a little pre-recorded message that flashed on the table in front of Trisha, with its words reading “Only You can Hear.”

And then it started playing.
Casey is unfortunately right… Mia radiates pain. We’re like the heat sinks. One day, we’ll be coming down, and I’m sure she’ll want to apologize to you then.
The little hallucination puffed out of existence in a cloud of smoke. Casey didn’t react, even though he felt Hari’s Lux flush out of her body and into Trisha. It did catch him slightly, and he almost thought he heard Hari without her ever talking…

But like most hallucinations, the mind's eye captured the moment and extrapolated it, overlapping Casey’s follow-up sentence.
”Now, Mom being drunk, she’s liable to say anything. Nice, mean, this song could be vulgar it, could be a nursery rhyme; she’s just as likely to pull out her own book of poe-”

” It’s a very special day for the DiffiCult… One of my favorite Groundskeepers retired today. He was in charge of the whole operation, and he’s my darling Max’s best friend in the whole world. But I managed to hook the best man to follow in his footsteps: My middle Baby, my Late Bloomer. The Autumn Flower, my sweet sweet Caseau.”
Lynette’s voice seemed to get raspier, as if she had managed some time to smoke half a dozen cigarettes to really rough things up. It was… Sultry. Like Joplin, she had an aggression that belied the softness within.

”Ma, don’t…” Casey almost wordlessly whispered, the plea only passing through Trisha’s ear because she was so damn close. Lynette’s gaze was set squarely on her son, and she grinned ear to ear. Her voice was crystal clear through the venue speakers.
”Now, I’ve got a lot of kids. And I know for a fact each one is incredibly special. Truly worthy of Charm and Grace. My blood, my fosters, my sweet pets, everything that exists in my life: It radiates with Charm, and with Grace. And I know you’ll continue to honor our name, Casey… So, this song is for you. After that? I don’t care if you run away with your spoils and your glory. You deserve your night.”

Lynette spun to look at Leon, who looked lost until she did so, and he quickly moved the drumset to her front as she kicked her fancy shoes off to reveal still absolutely golden feet: nails and all. The full coverage was inexplicable, but the dedication was crazy.

Lynette’s Promise

For the fact that she was constantly moving, her chest bouncing up and down as her foot continuously slapped into the drum set’s floor pedal. It was clear that she knew what she was doing, and Leon backed her with crispy, flowing guitar play that let his long hair flow around his shoulders to cast his face in a dark portrait.
But ultimately, she was drunk. With each chorus, she grew a bit more passionate and convicted in her delivery until the end of the song, when the music stopped. She wasn’t crying, but her eyes were welled with moisture. Even the trio had come out of their bubble, knowing each that despite the situation, she wasn’t just singing to Casey. Or, every selfish child likes to imagine that their mother’s love isn’t always so evenly spread.
”And I… Will always love you.”

Not that any of it was particularly comforting for Casey. It was the last thing he wanted to hear, a funny code buried in a song that had prior significance. Seemed like it was meant to be, but it didn’t make Casey any less tense. He had his head buried in Trisha’s shoulder, and his hand was gripping hers tightly as they sat there.
Leon didn’t stick around, helping his Mother out of the drummer’s seat and back to her spot on the bench before giving Casey another kiss on the head. By that time, Wendy was there to relieve Linqian, and Leon absconded with his fellow Sycamites into the relative comfort of his own bedroom for a change.

Trisha tried her best to keep up with everything. Hari's message, overlapped with what Casey had said, then everything Lynette spoke about afterwards. And the song. She wasn't stupid enough to just take it at face value.
Except she was drunk. She could vaguely figure it out, but it was all just fuzzy ideas she couldn’t quite reach. Casey’s tension and strong grip on her hand told her a lot more than any thinking she was trying to do.

Then there was that stupid, horrible jealousy. It hadn’t quite been buried by what Hari said about Mia, and it was pulled back up where she didn’t want it to be. Casey was unhappy about the song - because Lynette would always love him? She would never… let him go? Of course, it made sense. She was controlling, the Temple was a cult. As of today, he'd gotten in deeper. Trapped, maybe. No, not trapped. But that was what she wanted?
But again. She was there. She stood up on a stage and said that all of her children were special. Loved, even if it wasn’t a good kind of love. Trisha had never even experienced that from a parent.

But it wasn’t about her. Couldn’t be, shouldn’t be. Bury it down, hide it deep. She turned her head towards Casey’s pressed into her shoulder, kissing it. She tilted her head down to kiss his earlobe too, before whispering into his ear.
“You hiding there for the rest of the night?” She didn’t know what to say as an actual comfort. What could she say? She didn’t even fully understand the situation.
“Just… think about it…” Being us. No, that’s not right. Love. Not there yet. Definitely not. “Less? Or not at all. Think about me instead.”

Casey shook his head in his imagination, being so close to her that she’d feel if he did it in reality. Drunk people almost always had pearls of wisdom, gems, little mental bugs that they could scratch out and let loose atop the corpse of existence. So, why was Trisha’s advice shit? Think about her? Casey found himself thinking about her constantly, and about how utterly fucked his situation was quickly becoming. How he didn’t want her involved in it like he was involved in it.

He was thinking about what he’d said before, crying at Trisha’s feet like a pathetic dog. The worry of having to cut her out, or keep secrets. Disappoint her, betray her trust, maybe hurt her to try and insulate her. Protect her. Back in the day, insulation was something he wished he had: He’d always wanted to feel safe and protected, and always wound up feeling like a beaten animal.
Now he wanted to take charge, and to give others the feeling he never had. Would they even want that? And then there was his Mother… He couldn’t tell whether or not she knew what he was thinking… But she was still looking over toward them when he looked back up.

His face was red. His eyes met Lynette’s directly, and she gave a cat-like smile, once more gently squinting her eyes. But the girls were back, somewhat… Mia had wound up pulling away from her partners, and from there Casey found a slight relief as Lynette’s attention was once more taken up by her daughter.
Ed took the chance to relax, stretch out, and take a long sip of her alcohol-forward milkshake, her head swiveling to eye Mia and Lynette’s somewhat private moment before her arm wrapped around Hari and pulled her tight.

”Y’know, Case… Seeing you and Trisha makes me think about when Big G was still around.” Ed commented gently.
Clarissa, having swapped seats with Mia to let those two have their time, tilted her head back in exasperation.
”Don’t it though? I swear, you two just keep looking more and more alike the older you get, Casey. Trisha? Have you ever seen a real picture of Gravity Richoux? I don’t really remember Casey having many pictures…”

Trisha twisted her position again slightly, legs swinging back around to dangle over Casey's rather than being curled up against herself. She leaned forward to pick up her thankfully existent drink, downing half the double rum coke in one go before answering. She looked at Ed first, then Clarissa.
“What, cause we look so perfect together? And depends what you mean by a real picture. One of my friends has posters with him on them, technically, so I have seen him. Didn't pay much attention to them, though, and haven't seen any pictures from Casey."

Her lips pressed together, turning her head to look at him without actually looking at him. Hiding the shift in her expression - because she had seen Gravity Richoux. In the dream, going from what he'd been in life to what he was now. She hadn't wanted to, and she couldn't exactly say that. She shrugged.
“So not really, I guess." One hand wriggled out from underneath Casey's, reaching up to caress his cheek with a smile. Drunk as she was, not helped by continuing to drink, she wasn't sure where to push the conversation. She could tell Casey was still uncomfortable but… from the song? From what was being said now?
“Don’t most people look like their parents? That's kind of the point… I can start pulling out pictures of mine if we want to compare?"

”Oh my God yes!” Clarissa excitedly jazz-handed before making for her small handbag and pulling out a big wallet. It was absolutely full of what seemed to be everything: Business cards, credit and debit cards, cash, but the bulkiest section was the now rapidly unfolding spool of little pictures she kept with her.
”I’m obsessed with capturing the moment, so… I’ve got plenty.” she grinned, scooting her chair right next to Casey and Trisha.

Casey groaned.
”I’m so not toasted enough for this…”
One of his hands left Trisha to grab his drink, which he quickly finished behind her back and smacked the empty glass back on the table.
His hand swung outward toward Hari, who he knew had taken the bottle of booze Mia was dipping into when they’d been headed to dinner. She gave it up pretty willingly, letting the weight of it dip slightly as she passed it along to him.

Clarissa had pulled a photo out of its place, handing it off to Trisha.
”Look, see!? Same age, same face, same hair…” she said, holding up a picture of the same man Trisha had seen in her dreams earlier. The effect on her Emotional Field would be noticeable, in that it seemed to highlight Gravity Richoux in the picture as if he had some sort of aura.

Trisha took the picture from Clarissa to look at it properly, moving it properly close to her face, eyes narrowing as she just stared at it for a moment. Mostly, the strange aura. Could everyone else see it? Was she so drunk that she was starting to see a fuzzy light around people in pictures? No, no, this was definitely magical. Was it because of the dream earlier? What else would cause that?
“Honestly…" Trisha held the picture back out to Clarissa, turning to look at Casey. She squinted as if assessing him, head tilting slightly from side to side.
“Oh, I see the similarities, but Casey is definitely more handsome. Maybe I'm biased, but it's definitely the case."

She then reached out for her drink again, and finished it off. A cute pout formed on her lips when she realized by finishing it so quickly she didn't have anything else to drink but… she'd sort that out in a moment.
“My dad's side always say I look like my mom, and my mom's say I look like my dad. Guess that means I don't look like either? Or both. That's the normal thing, isn't it. I think I look more like mom…" She rambled a bit, trying to decide whether to pull out a photo or not. Not that she had any physical ones. Or any of her parents when they were young. Or, actually, many of them at all.
“But my brother? Spitting image of dad. Or maybe it's just cause he took over the business…"

Hari laughed aloud.
”Oh my God, you mean uh… Fuckin’...-” she snapped her fingers.
”Ed-ed… Edward? Edgeword? Last year! There was this community outreach thing, and he was on the board of Trustees with Mom! He’s got that skeezy kind of look, right? Like he’s always hiding something?” Hari asked, clearly trying to parse out the name Ezra without actually remembering it.

“Ezra," Trisha laughed. Once she started, it was difficult to stop, a fit of giggling overcoming her until she leaned back and pressed her face against Casey's chest to stop it. Just… Hari was so right, he did always look like he was hiding something.
“That’s the one. You're right he does always look like that! That and like he's always judging you for whatever you say… like he's so much smarter cause dad chose him to take over, as if it wasn't just cause he was born first… oh man, everyone's always licking his feet cause of his money, but fuck, you're right."
She giggled again.

“But y'know, he cares about looking good more than anything. Enough to keep the rest of us quiet by throwing money at us, at least. Last time I went to visit I didn't even get past reception before I got a text saying he'd put a whole bunch of money in my account, like he didn't even want to see me-" Trisha paused, eyes widening and frozen with her mouth half open. Shit. She didn't want to say that. Play it off, play it off.
“He was just really busy that day, business, you know."

”That sounds exactly like my Birth parents. My birth Mom tried to reach out to me like, two years ago? Asking questions, telling me she regretted me leaving, yadda yadda… But, uh, Dad’s big on brainwash. When I started asking questions, I must’ve tripped like… Some stupid failsafe?”
Hari’s face went from sullen to frustrated, then back to sullen.
”I feel so bad for my Mom being a Blind… And my Siblings. He plays with them like puppets… He’s this politician in the Midwest, and he controls their lives like a crazy fucking architect.”

Ed couldn’t help but start up with a drunken laugh.
”My Baby?” Ed’s head turned to face Hari’s, who looked back at Ed with a questioning gaze.
”Whaaat?…” she questioned expectantly in reply. Ed just kept laughing, having to speak through little wheezing giggles.
”I love you… But those aren’t the same at all!”

Even Casey started shaking with laughter as he tried to hold it in. Trisha could feel him gently press his forehead into the back of her neck to hide his face.

“It's… really not…" Trisha snorted, holding a hand over her mouth for a moment, not moving much otherwise so that Casey could keep hiding against her neck. It was nothing like Hari's parents, but it gave her an amazing out. A Trisha special. Play down her own problems, play up someone else.
“There’s no magic in my family… Well, dad must've had a bunch of artifacts. Some of my sisters have it too, but nothing like that. No mind control- Not that I know of. Most are blind. Ezra too, he's just… a businessman. Typical, rich businessman. Only manipulation in my family is my sister trying to get everyone to love her- very mundanely."

She shook her head.
“If my dad or brother could brainwash people, I'm pretty sure it would've been a lot more peaceful growing up- uh, sorry. Sounds like shit. But yeah, not the same. That's… that’s much worse."

Even Hari started laughing at herself, shaking her head.
”Well, there wasn’t like thirty of us running around! I feel like at that point, the whole mind control thing is necessary… I’ve got two blood siblings, but Dad and I are the only magical ones between us. Mom, my Sister, my Brother… I mean, I was a puppet too, until I Kindled… Then, y’know, he… Just tried to kill me. At least, last time I heard him talking through my Mom, he didn’t threaten to come here.”

Clarissa snorted.
”That’s ‘cuz Von Voletta knows that it’s a quiet exit, left stage… You’re right where you should be, Baby. Ain’t nobody gonna get our Velvet Crone.”
Hari smiled at Clarissa.
”Oooooh, Sister Veil… Aren’t we blessed for that?”
Hari’s and Clarissa’s hands met together, clasping palm to palm as fingers entwined. They released a moment later, with laughter and smiles.

”But, I guess… No, not the same. But I do get… Uh… Not being wanted by someone who thinks they’re super fucking important. I know it seems pretty weird, but I do love my folks. Even if Dad… Has a hard time. But if it’s any consolation, I didn’t know Mr. Maxwell either. Their Dad…” Hari added, taking a sip of her drink and nodding back toward Casey.

Casey, who had sucked most of his little sisters’ backup booze dry, took a deep breath before speaking.
”Dude… He’d have loved you. I said it before, but… You’re just like Elise, and he fuckin’ loved Elise. Like, I remember he’d be fuckin’ yelling at me and Lee, and then Elise would come in to watch us training and he’d fuckin’… Like, stiffen up. And he’d get quieter, and more instructional. Less expecting us to just do shit on instinct. I bet he’d love that.”

Ed perked up, nodding in agreement.
”What about Trisha, Casey? You think they would’ve gotten along?”
Casey took a deep breath, craning his neck to look directly at Trisha’s face. He tried to smile, but his expression seemed to die off. Like he felt bad.
”Something tells me Dad would’ve loved you… I don’t know why.” he almost whispered, to the point that Ed leaned in.

”Mumble-Mouth! What?!” she asked him to repeat.
Trisha would be able to see the light come back to his eyes, and he gave her a weak smirk before twisting back to look at Ed.
”Gotten along!? Probably not, I think that Dad would’ve looked for reasons to argue with her once he got to know her.”

Clarissa laughed aloud again, covering her face after a rogue snort made it out from between her nostrils.
”How can you be so right!? He used to brutalize me some nights! We’d be sitting at the dinner table, I could feel Furio’s blood get hot as hell every time Max opened his mouth: He always had some question about why I wasn’t doing something, or why it wasn’t getting done better.” she seemed to remember fondly.

Trisha was still looking at Casey, even though he'd looked past her to Ed. Why did he think that his dad would've loved her? He said he didn't know why… there was no reason for it, was it just to be nice? No, he hadn't seemed happy about it. She knew that whatever Max was now, he'd drawn all across her emotional field - something the Queen said was supposed to be protective, even though it didn't do anything. But Casey didn't know about that…
She was a bit tense again. She hadn't said to Hari that she wasn't wanted. Not explicitly. Was it the case? Probably, unfortunately.

“Why would you sit at a table with someone like that?" she asked bluntly, as if it wasn't something she'd ever experienced - as if she wouldn't sit through dinner after dinner with her own mother breaking her down.
“If he was still around, and he did try to argue with me, I'd just leave. It wouldn't be anything I hadn't heard because, with my siblings and mo-" she shook her head, reaching for her empty glass, frowning when she realised it hadn't been magically refilled.
“Twenty siblings and someone's always got a problem. I'm not going to sit around and take something as an adult I wouldn't take as a teenager either."

”Oh, see? That’s exactly the kind of person Big G liked. He didn’t want you to talk back ever, he just wanted you to know he was displeased.” Ed explained, remembering plenty of dinners with Maxwell and the family.
”Whether you sat there and took it or walked away, he didn’t care. Just don’t explain and don’t fight back!”

Clarissa’s hand slapped Trisha’s knee in a friendly way as she cackled again.
”And I knew that shit too: So he’d jab at me and I’d jab back. He’d get more and more frustrated, and then he’d get up and head off back to the gym! We’d get a quiet dinner after that.” she grinned.
”Yeah… He was always a little miserable being Dad. He always wanted to be Gravity. It was the lineage, and the glory for him. Expectations, yadda yadda. Didn’t always know how to show that he cared.”

Food… It began to roll out from the kitchen and fill up the tables as Lynette’s many orders arrived. The two Richoux women broke their concentration from the discussion to begin inhaling french fries and chicken fingers.
”We talkin’ about Daddy?” Mia asked, looking and sounding like she’d been crying a bit. Lynette’s face was also a little wet, but that gold was holding so strong.

”Seems like we were kinda talking about dads. But, right now, yeah.”
Mia tried to look past Trisha, but couldn’t. She just looked directly into Trisha’s eyes and smiled solemnly.
”I wish you got to meet him, Trisha.”
”We was sayin’ the same, Dolly. Trisha was askin’ why we would ever eat dinner with him the way he was.”

Lynette instantly cracked up.
”Mmm! For a guy who ate so much food, he fuckin’ hated the dinner table! Give him his food while he’s walking around or something, he was fine! Like nothing! Then, you put him in a chair at a table, he turns into a prick!” she explained before starting to laugh even louder.

Trisha met Mia's gaze, eyes narrowing slightly in obvious displeasure that she couldn't hide now that she'd had even more to drink. Of course, it was further set off by the father discussion - Mia calling her own ‘daddy’, which was only ever used for James Vanburen by Tansy. His favorite, everyone else's least favorite.
“Well, I get that. Being stuck at a table when you want to be literally anywhere else is shit." Trisha shrugged - obviously to her talking about her own feelings, all those dinners at home she'd rather not be at.
“Not that it excuses being a dick… Why not just exclude someone like that from eating at the table at all? Guess it doesn't matter since he's gone now."
Drunk, bluntly honest Trisha was very much beginning to come out.

Mia’s head tilted backward. Lynette’s mouth dropped in shock, and Clarissa began to laugh with discomfort in an almost immediate gut reaction.
”Trisha!?!” Casey chided her from below, immediately taking her hands and holding them in his. He looked directly into her eyes.
”Baby!... That’s… A fucked up thing to say, Dude… Please apologize?” he did his best to ask her gently without trying to make her feel like she was being targeted.

”Noooo waaaay, let her cook dude! I always was curious as to why he bothered showing up at all!” Ed spoke up, eyes wide and her hand gripped tightly around her frozen drink.
”ETIENNETTE!?” Hari gasped.

Lynette, her dark black mouth almost lost in the half-light of the bar’s booths as it hung open in shock. Her body started to shake, and her eyes almost lit up as laughter overtook her. Mia’s face was incredulous, looking between Ed, Trisha and her Mother. With Clarissa also nervously laughing, she and Lynette seemed to goad one another ever closer to a climax of cackling that only two drunk sorority sisters could muster.

Trisha frowned, head tilting back to not quite meet Casey's gaze. She didn't really understand. She hadn't said anything that bad, had she?
“Apologize for what? For suggesting you excluded him? It's not that bad when you get used to it. For saying he's gone? My dad's dead too, it's just a fact." It was pretty obvious that last drink had been enough to push Trisha over some edge, from some ability to filter what she said to absolutely none at all. The filter that kept all the deeper things about herself inside… but also the shittier thoughts she had from company she didn't want to piss off.
“Fine, I'm sorry, okay?"

She turned her head around to look at everyone but Casey. The moment the words formed on her lips she knew she shouldn't say them, but it was already too late.
“At least my dad didn't bother pretending to care, and just didn't show up in the first place."

Casey almost fully spun Trisha in his arms to avoid her looking at his family any more than she already was. He wanted her back into their own little space, where he could tell her why it mattered that she didn’t talk like that. He wanted to lecture her like she was a kid, or like it was supposed to matter that Maxwell Richoux IV was a touchy subject. She wasn’t going to understand how Mia idolized their father, or how even he had stinging feelings about the situation.
But he truly didn’t want the scenario invoked any further. It was arduous, and in a fell swoop, Casey imagined that Trisha had ruined the mood of whatever this little afterparty was supposed to be. The Temple hierarchy who didn’t have lives. Leon had been here, but…

He stared into Trisha’s eyes, trying to find an ounce of brutality to hand back to her, to make her think again. He didn’t find anything but a tired ache for home.
”I said you could get as drunk as you want; but that doesn’t mean you can just go saying whatever. So lets get past this subject, and maybe tomorrow we can talk about making actual apologies.”

”Why the fuck would we want her apologies, Casey? Like she sounded so fucking caring a second ago?”
”Oh no…” Hari groaned, starting to get up from her seat.
”Stoooop, Mimi!” Ed’s hand fell away from Hari as she stood, causing her to shift focus toward Mia.
”No! Fuck that! Yeah, of course it's cool for her to ask that question, like why wouldn’t it be when your Dad doesn’t love you. I know my Dad loved me!”

Lynette couldn’t contain herself, leaning back in her seat with laughter as she threw some more food in. It didn’t even look like she was chewing it, just tossing it in and swallowing. Clarissa had since scooted her chair out of the direct blast radius in case anything started to happen.

Trisha had almost, almost, been willing to move past it. The part of her that needed to not be abandoned, that feared Casey turning around and dropping her, was almost enough for her to just nod sullenly at what he'd suggested and agree to talking about it again the next day (something she wouldn't actually do).
But then Mia opened her mouth.
“What the fuck do you mean?" She snapped, tone going from near monotonous to ice cold. It was difficult for her to actually look at the other woman, held by Casey as she was, but she tried her hardest by bending to the side over his arms and uncomfortably twisting her neck.

“My dad loved me too" He didn't. “What do you know? You can't even appreciate what's right in front of you, how would you know anything?” Jealousy. What Mia said touched one of Trisha's sorest spots, and set off the jealousy that had been burning underneath the surface all night. The hurt that came with it. All the fears she denied. And jealousy that Mia had all of these people still around her, when Trisha didn't.
“I’m not apologizing for nothing to someone who thinks my dad didn’t even love me. Just- just because someone isn't present doesn't mean they don't- fuck. It must be so nice to have everyone there all the time no matter what problems you cause."

Mia: Stunned fury. Ed and Hari: Anxious anticipation. Clarissa: Enraptured.
Lynette Richoux continued to laugh as if she was watching some sort of comedy production playing out in front of her. Like it was Saturday Night Live and she was the only live audience member. By the time she was able to speak, she was wiping her nose and eyes with a napkin included with her food.
”Oh, oh!- Oh, my sides! Mimi!? Oh, Mimi, Mummy’s so sorry… But I really don’t know how many times I’ve had to tell you that someone’s gonna come into your life one day and not care about how sensitive you are… We’re trying to build heaven, Baby: That means taking whatever love you can get!”

Casey wasn’t interested in letting his Mother goad his girlfriend and little sister into a catfight; especially not after he assumed his blood had just finished reconciling one thing.
”No way! Mum, you said we’re free to go? Cuz we’re fuckin’ going. Trisha, Babe, come on!” he said, trying to scoop the significantly smaller woman into his arms so he could forcibly eject them both out of the situation. Clearly he’d made a poor decision in letting her get drunk thinking that she was always going to be sweet about it.

”Awwww, Casey! This is healthy, Baby, you have to let people argue!” Lynette goaded again, a smile peeled across her face.
”Oh my God, both of you can seriously fuck yourselves! Lynette!-” Mia yelled, ”-Since you’re so fucking in love with Trisha! Why not tell her about how excited you are to try and get some money out of her!?”

”I mean, I’m thrilled, but… That’s kind of the point of business, isn’t it? I buy the honey, we mark it up, sell it to people like Mr. Devola for more… Legitimate good exchange is evil somehow?” Lynette retorted, stuffing a cheeseburger half into her mouth to rip out a chunk.

Trisha physically rolled out of Casey's arms before he could probably scoop her up, landing clumsily on her feet, almost tripping over her skirts. With surprising speed for someone so drunk, she got up in Mia's face - at least, as much as possible with the height difference.
“You know what? You can be my sister, Mia, since you're just like the rest of them. Shit, self centred, and you clearly fucking hate me like they do." Shit. Move on, double down, cover it up.
“You think I don't know that all anyone ever cares about is my money? I don't want your mother's love, I've got my own. And at least I'm not still dependent on her as an adult."

Casey, clearly trained in experiences like this from his days spent breaking up fights in barracks, swung his coat backwards over Trisha, pulling her arms tight inside of it before taking both arms of the coat and tying them behind her like a makeshift straight jacket. In a second swinging move, his foot flicked her heels and almost sent her hurdling forward into Mia before he grabbed her and lifted her up onto his shoulder like a bundle.

”Alriiiiight you ladies have a great night! Hari, Ed, I’m sorry!? We’ll-”
”-Hash it out tomorrow, Dude! Uhhh… Congrats and all! Love you, sorry, and… And sorry, Trisha!” Ed called out to them as Casey made way for the door to Le Tournesol before they were ultimately alone in the cold autumn night. Casey didn’t even wait for anyone to come get them, starting his walk back to their apartment building.

But not before he let Trisha down so she could walk with dignity.
”Y’know, there were definitely other ways you could’ve told me you didn’t want to stick around…” he tried to say calmly, moving to undo her from the bundle before putting the coat around her shoulders properly so she wouldn’t get cold.

Trisha stubbornly looked at her feet, whole face scrunched up. The cold night air was enough to slightly lift the anger she'd felt, but she was still upset. Then there was that panic beginning to bubble up from deep down, now that the object of her anger was gone, and it was just the two of them. She pulled his coat closer around her shoulders, only wobbling a little bit as she started to walk.
“I didn't…" Trisha started, hands clenching into fists. He was giving her an out, maybe, but what would that out lead to?
“I was going to let it go then she said my dad didn't love me." As if Trisha wasn't the one that started things in the first place, really. But it wasn't like she'd said anything that bad? Had she?

“My- my dad-" What was she even going to say? Her dad didn't love her, so of course she got pissed off when someone said the truth.
“It doesn't matter." Better it was sooner rather than later, right?
“Just get angry with me too. Don't make fake excuses for me."

Casey’s arm wrapped around Trisha, rubbing her shoulder and cuddling her close as he started the pace. There would eventually be a car, he figured, when they noticed he was out and on foot. It was good to test the response time anyway…
”I can’t get mad at you: I told you to get as drunk as you wanted, and drunk people don’t think.”
Not that he wasn’t drunk, but he was built quite differently when it came to situations like this. Too much tension let the adrenaline override his buzz until it was a dull thrum.

”I just… Y’know, I hate talking about Max. My Dad… He’s got five kids, and all five kids look at him differently. I’m sure you’ve got siblings who hate your Dad, and then others like Tansy… But… Well, I don’t know, I guess I always just assumed it’d make sense to not basically say ‘Who cares?’ to a person who had someone they love and look up to be taken away from them prematurely. Like, a little warmth. Especially when that person is trying to uh… Get you to like them. I’m still not mad, I’m just sad that neither of you are mature enough to get that while drunk.”

Trisha's lips pressed together as she slowly processed what he said. He was sad. That was just another way of saying he was disappointed. She would rather he was mad. But that was fine. She disappointed everyone in the end, anyway.
”I don't understand. If someone said that about my dad… ah." She tilted her head, almost expressionless. Lips slightly parted, eyes blank.
“I guess I didn't love him. Why would I? It's not like he-" loved her. “Was around. I guess I just don't get it. Family situation too fucked up. I won't bring him up again."

She made a half kicking motion, as if to kick a rock even if there wasn't one there. She was visibly calmer now - strangely so, if anything. Almost like she wasn't really feeling anything at all. A strange, despondent state.
“How am I supposed to know if someone loves another person or not? It's not like anyone's- I've- It doesn't matter. Nobody's around long enough for it to matter." Her voice got quieter and quieter, till the last sentence was a barely audible whisper.

But she couldn’t escape Casey’s rapt attention, and he glared down at his girlfriend for a few more moments before he couldn’t help but bring his face close to hers. His lips planted a kiss on Trisha’s cheek.
”Well? Let me show you, if nobody else has. ‘Cuz you were right. There’s people who don’t ever get love in their life. Even if all the love around me was fucked up… We can clean it. Clean it, and let it heal, and then you can look at it and you can tell yourself what love really is. Eh?” he offered sweetly, voice pitching slightly lower to keep the conversation intimately private.

Trisha finally turned her head to look at Casey. There was a hint of hope in her eyes, dark in the low light and clouded by alcohol. She didn't really believe it was possible. For her to ever understand, truly, what love was - or to have someone feel that towards her. For her to feel it too. Maybe she had, how would she know?
“I suppose… that'd be nice… but how do you- we- clean it? Even if we do…" Would anything end up directed towards her?
“And you won't leave before we're done? Not like- mm, uh, my dad, cause he died. Nobody else."

She tilted her head towards his, speaking softly.
“I’d like to know what it's like."

”You paint quite the picture, Trisha. At least… It’s not hard to know what you want.” he grinned to himself, still tightly clinging to her like she was the last piece of driftwood in the storm.
”I’m not gonna leave, Trisha. I mean… Unless I die, but, like… I only think that’d happen if I was fighting Father Wolf to protect you, right? Then, chances are, you’re next. We’ll be right behind one another.” he joked grimly.

”Now… Tomorrow? I’m not lettin’ you off the hook… We gotta talk when you’re feeling better, so we can debrief.”

Trisha leaned into him, more than happy with the notion of dying one after another. She'd much prefer that to continuing to live with the slim chance of finding happiness somewhere else - happiness and a future she'd started to actually believe in with Casey already.
It was scary.

“We already talked about it all, what else is there to talk about?" she grumbled, as if that was all there was to it. She didn't want to talk about it any further. Then she'd have to actually think about and confront it all again. She didn't want to. This was resolved enough for her. But still being drunk, she was being pretty obvious in her avoidant excuses.
“Don’t you have to start working tomorrow? You probably won't have time. Not that there's anything to… ‘debrief.’ What's that- what do you even mean by that."

”What I mean is you still said something that, to my sister, was a fucking devistating thing to say. And I recognize she’s sensitive to take it so seriously, but you may be surprised to know that what you said also hurt me. So, your half-assed apology at the bar was not accepted… Tomorrow, you’ll be able to think more clearly, and maybe then you’ll at least be able to understand why it is you should apologize. And then we can discuss it more.”

She had mentioned him working, and while it was true that he’d be in the big seat, that didn’t mean he didn’t have time for other things. In fact, a surprising appeal of the job was just how “off-leash” he would actually be. It was enough to stick around at home, or within the vicinity of other Temple-owned businesses where he’d be able to link up with other members of security easily. Once or twice a day, he’d maybe spend a few hours about town making routine check-ins. But otherwise, he was home.
He’d hear one of the six thousand alarms if needed…

”Because, trust me… We’ll have time to talk. I promise you, you’ll get plenty of Casey time, and I even learned that you can spend time directly with me in the security office… You can sit in my lap, watch me stare at black, blank screens. Is that an okay consolation?” he asked her sincerely.

Trisha had looked away again, struggling with the whole idea of apologising. She was surprised that she'd hurt Casey too. She was still struggling with the idea that anything that she'd said was hurtful at all. Would she understand tomorrow? Well, it was a little hard to think clearly right now, maybe… She could fake a better apology. If she needed to.
“Alright, we'll talk about it then. I'll try to sleep on it… try to understand…"

She looked back up at him, nibbling on her lip, before nodding.
“Yeah, that is. I was worried I wouldn't get to see you much. I have to tend to the bees but I don't have any other work at the moment… I'm happy if I get to be with you. You're my favourite thing to watch, anyway."

Casey couldn’t help but smile. Too drunk to drive, not drunk enough to feel anything other than sad.
So she’s a little crazy. Who isn’t in our life? And… He’s watching.
”So… You’re gonna just, like, stare at me? Like one of those little lemurs with those massive eyes?” he laughed, getting really close to her and opening his eyes wide to stare at her.

On his left hand, he took his index finger and extended it as far as he could, gently tapping on her forehead to mimic an aye-aye poking its long finger through a piece of wood to eat bugs.

Trisha also just stared back for a moment, but mostly out of confusion at first. Then she snorted, then started giggling. Her body shook with laughter, swaying gently from side to side, and she reached up to catch his finger, all four of hers curling around one.
“Would it be cute if I did?" She squeezed his finger, before twisting her hand to properly hold his, successfully capturing it before he could keep tapping her.

She finally, properly smiled at him. It was like the blunt brutality of everything she'd said earlier was a blip in her drunk mood, and she was back to what he'd experienced a few nights before.
“Well, I'd probably read a bit. Nap if I'm dragged out of bed too early. But mostly stare at you like a lemur, yeah. Wouldn't be able to stop myself when you're right there." Her eyes creased, looking at him cutely.
“Did I tell you how handsome you look in that uniform yet?"

Casey grinned at her final comment, thinking about how heavy things had gotten in between the two parts of the ceremony. He nodded to her, wriggling his fingers in between hers.
”Yeah… You mentioned it a couple times.”
Looking down the road, in between all the different cars, he could see a shimmering white aura accompanying a vaguely familiar dinging noise. The car coming to pick them up was attached to a little White beacon that let him know it was a Temple vehicle.

He instantly had a prank in his head, but he figured she’d be annoyed by it, or at least he’d lose the mood. Sure, he wasn’t planning on having sex with her like this, but some before-bed kissing was probably still on the menu before he lost her to the blackness of his eyelids. It was too emotional of a day to not have her there, or to relax together…
”The car’s coming. So we don’t have to walk in the cold.-” he decided to plainly explain. ”-You can’t see what I can. But, did you see anything weird today? Anything?”

It was a fishing line that he weakly cast into the ocean of Trisha, hoping it’d give him a fish. He knew… He just needed to hear her be even a little honest without being prompted.

Trisha shuffled closer to him, nodding as he mentioned the car. Since they didn't have to walk any further, she properly leaned against him, holding onto his hand tightly. For now, she was more relaxed than she had been, just enjoying being close to him. Her head tilted up, eyes narrowing slightly in confusion at his question.
“Define weird? Because everything I saw in the Temple was weird to me." It wasn't her avoiding the question, or purposefully not answering. She drunkenly and genuinely took it to mean anything, and everything had been weird for her.

Casey’s foggy mind tried to figure out how to ask about if she’d seen a ghost.
”Well… Like… I guess, rogue ghosts? I… I could’ve sworn that I felt something in the air when I came to get you, and I wasn’t sure if it was the Queen, or if…” he trailed off, letting the question linger.

“Oh." Trisha's free hand scrunched up her skirts, then let go of them. How was she supposed to answer that? Yes, I had a dream about your dead father, the topic we just moved on from? And his ghost was maybe there? Not when she'd seen things she felt she shouldn't. Bits of Casey's past, probably, that he hadn't opened up to her. It didn't feel fair.

“I didn't see any ghosts but… the Queen did sense one while I was sleeping. It woke her up but didn't hurt me. I think it took my emotional field to be some kind of drawing board. But I never actually saw it, and the Queen couldn’t figure out much about it." It was close enough to the truth - at least the bits she was comfortable telling him, the surface level facts like with all these things. It just felt… strange to talk about the dream. She’d barely started to figure it out herself.

As the car got closer and started to slow down, Casey threw a hand up. Seeing Norm in the front seat waving back, Casey made way for the back seat and popped it open to let Trisha in. But before she could, Casey stopped her; held her. His free hand hovered over her chest, and the index finger upon it extended to gently brush against her clavicle. He was tracing the Ichthys.
”It’s so weird, isn’t it?” he asked aloud, mostly to Trisha as he let her into the car.
”Like, uh… You spend your whole life not knowing what something means? Then, all of a sudden you find out, and it changes things for you.” he grunted, climbing into the back seat after Trisha.

”But I know what love means.”

[FernStone]

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Home

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Home was a little cold. Casey spent a little while lighting a fire, the little stove connecting to a boiler outside that provided some extra heat thanks to radiator baseboards. The boiling hot steam would circulate and heat up the plates, and within an hour the house was warm again. Warm enough that the lights could be dimmed, and the two could properly retire into one another’s arms.

Rather than the bed, Casey brought their pillows and blankets into their den to lay them out on the big comfortable couch they’d gotten themselves. The two of them mutually expressed that there was energy left to spend, and Casey hoped that some mindless television and cuddling on the bed-like couch would put them to sleep.

So, some true-crime reenactment show on thirty minute blocks played ad nauseum, and the two of them quietly held onto one another as the clock eventually ticked across the dateline. The wee hours of the morning, most channels would start with advertisements; long fifteen minute adver-tainment blocks dedicated to shilling a particular product line. But, somehow, this one managed to just keep playing more episodes of the same true crime show over and over like Groundhog’s Day.

Casey had his head practically buried in Trisha’s hair, slow deep breaths leaving his nose as he did his best not to think about anything weird. Not to think about anything but what he thought was going to be interesting, fun and reasonably challenging: The stimulating parts of his new work environment.
But how could he deal with knowing that his Dad was… He couldn’t even think about it. Didn’t want to. Definitely didn’t want to think about the implication that was presented to him in that room.

The things she’d told him. In confidence. The secrets he couldn’t discuss. Didn’t want to. They weren’t the same, they weren’t one another, and the faith was all…
There were things Casey didn’t want to think about that he couldn’t not think about. Not tonight. So, sleep was a distant desire. Maybe unobtainable. Every fiber of his being railed against the drifting, only letting his body lapse into momentary catnaps. Five minutes here, a few more there where consciousness wasn’t exactly his; but he never stopped hearing the television. Or the occasional hazy comment from Trisha, which ended up in a muffled response that hardly made it back to her.

Trisha was contentedly curled up in Casey's arms, eyes half closed. As soon as they'd gotten home she changed out of the dress into comfier sleeping clothes - once again stealing a sweater of Casey's. Her legs were pulled up and into it, making her a little, curled up ball of fabric lying against him.
Sleep was also distant for her. After her earlier nap, there was the concern that she'd dream again. Dream, wake up constantly, and have to deal with what she saw. Or she’d have another nightmare, like she had when she last drank. The alcohol was doing the opposite of what it normally did - not quite putting her to sleep, but instead keeping her in a half awake state without ever quite getting there.

But she was comfortable, at least. Not sober enough yet to think about what she'd said, and the consequences of tonight's actions. Just the dreams. Dreams she didn't want to have, so she stayed awake to avoid them. So many strange dreams lately…
She shifted, pressing her face into Casey's chest with a soft grumble. Eyes fully closing for a moment, before opening back up again.
“Still awake?" she asked softly, quietly in case he was actually asleep. Somehow.

Trisha didn’t get too much of an answer: With how Casey was pressed into her, one of his arms had fallen asleep and adjustments weren’t going to come easily. So, face in the back of her neck, he replied.
”Mmmmmyyyyyyr… Wrpphup?”

Trisha giggled softly at the very muffled response… but it was a response. He was still awake. She didn't say anything for a moment, sleepiness and lingering drunkenness combining to make her both want to ask the question and struggle to form it. He was tired enough too it'd just seem like strange, late night sleep deprived thoughts.
“You ever… have dreams that feel real? Like they actually happened?" As she spoke quietly she awkwardly shifted herself so he might be able to get his face out enough to answer.

Casey actually spared a laugh at her question, his voice leaving his throat as an open giggle. He’d proceeded to crack open another wine bottle when they got home, so at the point they were at, he’d lost a few inhibitors of his own. As she pulled away from him to let him speak, he understood the motion and did so freely.
”Yeah, Babe. Usually, they’re memories. Or, a bunch of memories jumbled up into a fuckin’... Awful new Chimaera dream. Lots of bombs, and blood. Screaming. Wizards casting crazy spells, and… Yeah. Why?”

Trisha frowned, uncurling herself from her sweater ball so that she could roll over and properly half lie on top of him, head resting on his chest and tilted up towards him.
“That sounds… awful… but not. Not like that. Not my memories. But it doesn't feel made up. Just, I've been…" she frowned. How did she explain it without giving too much away - about someone, and something, she didn't want to think about, and the things she'd learned about him.
“Having dreams about someone I knew. Before I knew them. They feel like something that actually happened."

Casey’s half-drunken brow furrowed like it was trying to split his face down the middle. Thankfully in the mostly-dark room, it was hard to see his expression.
”Uuhmmm… Is… This a new thing?” he did his best to not sound troubled by the development. Of course, he was trained to assume that mind fuckery was evidence of magic, like an Inquisitor of old.

“Last few weeks thing," Trisha mumbled, making a half shrug motion that Casey would feel more than see. When had it started? When the coven came back together. Then the dream today… but that was unrelated. Not really was she was talking about, since she assumed that was caused by being in the Temple. Probably.
“Just strange. I haven't seen them in years. The person. Maybe it's just my imagination… they're so clear but… mmm, forget I said anything."

The ticker-tape in Casey’s head ground to a halt.
”Dream… Today?”
There was, at that moment, a very loud knocking at the front door of the house. It echoed down the short hall and into their room, a commanding and controlled set of four loud and authoritative bangs. He nearly jumped out of his skin.
”Aw… Aw, fuck, no… Nooooooo...” Casey groaned, realizing that his duties may be starting sooner rather than later. ”What could it fucking be at this hour?”

He craned his neck down to kiss Trisha on the head before moving to slide her off of him in an attempt to get up.

“Noooooo," Trisha softly whined, doing the Trisha special - legs and arms wrapping around him fully to cling onto him.
“It’s too early…"

Casey was a little wobbly, especially after having been laying down for so long. So, she was enough to keep him pinned to the couch. His legs flailed, and he started laughing as he tried to unclasp her fingers from around one another.
”HAH-Ha… B-babe… Baby, I- I gotta… T-trishaaaa!...” he groaned, finally resorting to tickling her feet to try and get her off him. The knock resounded again, and he spoke again.
”It’s probably Temple stuff! You don’t wanna-”

“Nooooo," Trisha whined again, legs flailing about too, successfully dislodged by the tickling - which was an uncomfortable sensation to someone still drunk as she was. She tried to cling onto him with just her arms, but she was also trying to escape the tickling… she went limp, rolling off with just her hands still clinging onto his shoulders.
“Don’t… come back soon… don't leave… just… quick…"

Casey spun very quickly, reaching his torso down to plant another kiss on Trisha’s forehead. He looked into her eyes before pulling away.
”I’ll be back as soon as possible, Baby… Sleep. Rest for now.”

Casey, free of his Trisha-shaped barnacle, finally wobbled to his feet before letting himself slump a little bit into the nearby wall. Taking a deep breath, he crouched slightly and bent his knees until he was squatting in front of the couch. Casey's arm slipped underneath, and there was a gentle rattling sound before he pulled his arm back out.

Trisha would be able to hear a harsh metallic thwacking noise, indicating the chambering of a live round into one of the many guns that Casey had managed to squirrel away in their home already.
His hand reached around, sliding the gun into his waistband under his lower back, then pushed against the wall to keep him stable before he made way out toward the front door.

Trisha’s mouth fell open a little bit at the sound of the gun, pulling the blankets tightly around her. Instead of doing what Casey had said, and resting, she moved to the edge of their massive couch. Her body shifted to the side, leaning over so she could look out the door, silently watching as best as she could. She felt a lot more tense than she should for what was probably just Temple business.
The alcohol making her more paranoid, maybe.

Trisha would've been able to track Casey around the corner by his footsteps, which bumped across the floor and made slight shifting noises in the wood construction. However, pulling her face around the corner would reveal something far more surprising.

Casey was gone. In the time it took Trisha to shift, Casey had somehow completely disappeared down the very short hall and managed to vanish. It wasn’t like he was moving around for a lightswitch or anything: His footsteps were gone. The air was cold and still. It was quiet now, in the same unnatural way that the minions of the Stygian Snake would once control the minds of the Sycamites long ago.
And yet, the knock echoed out again. It beckoned, practically begging to be opened.

A shiver ran down Trisha’s spine. Her breathing quickened, a distinctive fear she’d once been used to filling her mind. Silence. Unnatural silence. It tugged at memories she tried to keep buried. If she didn’t actively remember it, she didn’t have to deal with it. Didn’t have to think about the what ifs. What if the Stygian Snake was still in her mind somehow.

“Casey?” Her voice trembled as she called out, echoing in the otherwise quiet hall. No response. She pushed the blankets off her, bare foot pressing onto the floor as she stood up. Acrid smells started to fill the room… but she couldn’t really sense them. The bees, or the Queen. There was a fuzziness there. A barrier.
Just like it had been with the Stygian Snake.

Trisha didn’t want to open the door, but she found herself moving towards it anyway. She didn’t want to see what was behind it, but not knowing was worse. She bit down hard on her lip, pushing down the panic, as she carefully walked towards the door. And walked. Each step seemed to bring her closer, but there was still the same distance between them. Like she kept getting teleported back without feeling it. Breathing got a little harder. It was so quiet. She wasn’t getting anywhere. She should go back, hide in the covers, hope this would go away.

Maybe it was just a dream. Hugging herself, trembling, Trisha turned around.

Turning on her heel, Trisha found herself looking out at the dark skyline of St. Portwell’s harbor district. There were no lights. The moon was on the horizon, looming over the ocean like it was invading Earth’s personal space. Like it was trying to look down on and stare at Trisha.
The wind blew hard, nearly pushing her off the edge she was standing on. Somehow, the building around her had completely disappeared to leave her on the roof’s safety lip. With bare feet, her toes hung just over the side, curling over the brick to grip as best she could.

”It’s a cold night to be out with no shoes, Patricia.”
The voice came from over the edge below her, but looking down was pure darkness. Like nothing existed but dense, black fog.
There was a scream. It echoed across the rooftop unabated, the sound of a man in pure terror. Maybe even pain.
”Rowdy… Always has been.”

It was difficult to breathe, or to think, as the scream seemed to echo in her ears, turning into a crunching static. She was going to fall- would falling be so bad- she had to get away from the edge. She couldn’t keep looking over, couldn’t look at the darkness. It was too similar. It was all too familiar, yet not, and it was horrible.
“What- what- let us go. Let him go.” She tried not to sound terrified, lost, alone without those comforting, constant pheromones hanging in the air around her. Without Casey. Casey, who’d disappeared, who was in danger too. All alone. Completely, and utterly, alone.

“Go. Away.” As she spoke she stepped back, away from the edge. Away from falling, away from it, whatever it was.

Falling backward toward safety was really falling backward into a pit. The tiny edge that Trisha had been standing on was no more attached to a roof than anything else as the master of the illusion pulled the rug out from under Trisha.
It was a long fall, long enough to understand one wasn’t going to make it on impact. One that an individual could take a lot of last breaths in. A weaker heart may panic, burst within the chest cavity from the stress and fear. Enough time to kiss yourself goodbye.

It was a substantial impact that landed Trisha on the floor of their living room. Enough to knock the wind out of her.
Reality shimmered across Trisha’s field of view, the blow rattling her mind enough to shake the illusion. To let her know that things weren’t over, no matter how badly she wanted them to be. Thumping steps didn’t echo so much as they rumbled across the floor.
”Patriciaaaa… You are so full of it. Panic, fear: Your weakness, the fat and bloated petulance within… I can’t wait for them to fatten you up more. To drive all that anxiety, your woes, to the surface. Like a ruptured sore, for me to devour you from.”

Trisha bit down on a pained groan, squinting her eyes and choosing not to look up. She didn’t want to see. She was almost sad the fall hadn’t ended her suffering… whatever this was. A hallucination. A magical hallucination she was trapped in. She wanted out. How did she get out?
“I’m- I’m not,” she gritted out, fingers pressing into the floor to try and push herself up, body tensing up.
“I’m not weak, I don’t have any anxieties, I’m normal. I’m fucking normal. You don’t know me.”

”Oh my aching, ancient bones… Normal? Scared and stupid. Come, Patrica: We will see how normal you really are.”
There was a warm, furry feeling that shoved Trisha back into the floor, then forced her past it. Past the reality around her altogether, and into a fresh hell for Trisha to remember in all its vivid pain.

She was standing again. The pain was dulled, just like how she sensed the bees - there, but inaccessible. Her surroundings were bright but cold. A modern, well put together living room that didn’t feel like anyone lived in it at all.

Her mother’s home. It wasn’t just the place she recognised. It was the timing too - where she was standing, just to the side of the main couch. Looking at her feet. Light sneakers, bare legs. A moderate temperature. Summer three years ago.

The last time she saw her mom.

Against her will, her gaze shifted upwards, to the woman sitting on the couch. Maria Mendoza managed to look relaxed even with her perfect posture, hazel eyes much like Trisha’s piercing into her. They were so cold. There wasn’t a hint of love there - even a sliver of affection towards her daughter. It was a look she was familiar with, one that made her feel like she was drowning. Disappointment. The only thing she could make her mom feel. What she was.
”Is this really the best you can do, Patricia?”

It is, I can’t do any better, I can’t do anything-
“No,” Trisha found herself saying sullenly, just like she had three years ago. As if she was in her body without being there, forced to observe something she’d not allowed herself to remember or think about.

”Really? If you can do better, why don’t you? Every year you do worse. Why do a degree you can’t even understand the basics of? You-”

“I understand the basics just fine!” Stop. “Maybe if you helped me! Every-”

”Patricia.” Maria cut her off with a sigh. Uncaring, almost. She waved a hand dismissively.
”I’m not going to waste my time helping you at something you’ll never succeed in. You never have. You just disappoint me more everytime I see you. Did you even try?”

Try? Of course I tried, but it was never enough, it was never fucking enough.
“I did, I studied as hard as I could! I barely slept. Just like I did in school. I never stopped studying, but you never care. I work so hard. You just don’t care!”

”Do not take that tone with me,” Maria’s eyes narrowed slightly, but her face was otherwise the same. Cold. Detached. Disappointed.
”If you had really tried, you would have succeeded. You’re too lazy to try, and too stupid to understand that you’re the only one to blame. If you spent less time trying to be like your father and more time studying, your grades wouldn’t be like this. You’ve always been a failure, but this time you really outdid yourself.”

It wasn’t my fault. I tried, I really did… I don’t want to hear this again…
“I’m nothing like dad!”

”That’s true.” Maria’s lips curved upwards slightly, a disdainful smile.
”Your father, horrible man that he was, at least had a working brain. You do not. I don’t see the point in continuing this conversation. Every year, I give you another chance, and every year you disappoint me again. Get out.”

No, no, no, don’t abandon me, don’t kick me out, don’t leave me-
“What? But my flight isn’t until tomorrow. I’m not leaving! You can’t just tell me to leave. You can’t. I’m not going anywhere. You’re- you’re a terrible mother!”

”I’ve done everything I could for you,” Maria laughed coldly, hand raising to point to the door.
”Leave. You can come back when you’ve finally improved yourself. I don’t want a daughter like you.”

No, I don’t want to, don’t throw me away, please- please, love me, I’ll do anything, mom, please, just love me-
“Fine! I don’t want a mother like you either. I hate you- I hate you more than dad. Goodbye, Maria.”

No matter how much Trisha wanted to change it, she couldn’t, and her mother disappeared from her view as the younger her stormed towards the door. She opened it and… then she was falling again.

This time, when she hit the floor on her back again, it was real. And there was something underneath her that screamed out in pain as she landed on it.
”Oh GOD MY FUCKING RIBS-”
Chuckling and laughing, two voices both welled up with humor as Casey scrambled in a frantic fashion to get out from under Trisha.

”Casey’s brain is broken. We don’t need to remind him anymore.” ”But Patricia’s stubborn! Stupid! Casey? Leave her! For her own good!”

The front door was wide open. Kane and Abel, the cats from the basement, were both staring at the two people in the middle of the floor, eyes squinted in that calm pleasure.

”Ward all you like. You’ll live knowing that I’m waiting.”
”Waiting for the fruit to ripen. To pluck your pain again. And again. And again.”
”This is the deal.”
”The pact! You know now… You know!”

Where Trisha had landed, atop Casey as she had, there was the silhouette of a gun lying just beyond Casey’s reach. He was moaning, gasping for breath. His hands were struggling, clearly not thinking about the gun.

Trisha awkwardly rolled to the side to get off Casey, landing with a painful thump on her front beside him. But the physical pain wasn’t anything in comparison to the mental pain, screeching words constantly repeating in her mind. Stupid, failure, leave. Panic, need to get out, get rid of them- the bees, no, not the bees, connection too fuzzy.

She pulled herself forward, grabbing the gun where it lay. In a split second decision, fueled only by panic, she held it out in front of her, tilted it towards the cats, and pulled the trigger.
A terribly aimed shot.

The shot rang out into the cold St. Portwell night. Where once two cats sat in menacing confidence, nothing remained. Only the open door, and Casey’s struggling, pained gasping.
”F-f-fuck! Fuck, fuck!”
He tried to crawl forward, tried to reach out to Trisha to pull the gun away, to make sure she was alright… But he sputtered. Only his arm shot out to grab her sleeve.
”H-hurt bad! D-down… Norm! Norm!” He pleaded to Trisha between gasps.

Trisha dropped the gun - her hands barely off the ground, so it wasn’t much different to putting it down. She pushed herself to her knees, head turning to look at Casey with wide eyes. She just stared. He was hurt so badly, what had they done to him- what was that- don’t leave, don’t leave- She nodded silently. Her trembling hand reached out for his grasping her sleeve, curling around it to detach it, gently squeezing as if that would give either of them some kind of comfort. Then she managed to push herself to her feet.

It hurt, but nothing was broken. Like she’d… fallen from far too high twice. She had. It hurt, but she pushed through it, limping out the front door. Across the roof. Through the other door, down the stairs. Into the corridor. She stopped at the end, leaning against the wall with a pained gasp. Forcing air into her lungs, out. She just had to… to the security office… No, just call. Talk.
“N-Norm!”

Norm, his long hair wet around his head, stuck himself out of the door of the security office. His lithe frame pushed around it as well, both hands on the doorframe ready to rush.
”Trisha!? What!?” he asked, grave concern in his voice.

“Casey’s hurt,” Trisha pointed behind her, as if he needed to know where their apartment was. Her hand still shook, but she tried to suppress it - tried to look like she was perfectly fine in front of someone she barely knew and didn’t want to show weakness in front of.
“Really badly. Please help.”

”No, no fuckin’ way! What do you mean he’s hurt really badly, what the fuck?”
He pushed out of the office one hundred percent naked, and he quickly bound across the hall into one of the storage rooms before coming back out with a green pack of what looked like jelly. Pushing past her, it was clear that he was also channeling a spell. The air around them was getting dense, thick and cool.

As he walked, a sheet of ice froze over his dignity to spare Trisha the shame.
”The fuck am I running into!?”

“Nothing, it’s gone,” Trisha pushed herself off the wall to follow Norm, at a distance, not wanting to stay and wait down here. She had to see Casey get better - had to see that he was still here, that this was actually real. That they were- it was- gone.
“The- the cats. It was the cats.” She didn’t know if he even knew about the cats, but how else could she explain it?

”Oh, you’re dickin’ me! Leon, I swear to God, man… How did I not know, there weren’t any fuckin’ sensors!”
He took off into a sprint up the stairs. Ice blocks formed in brief lives, surging him up the stairs at a rate faster than he would’ve been able to just taking the stairs. It left Trisha in the dust, or more to say in the water, as the ice melted away instantly into the tile coating on the floor.

Before she could get down the hall fully, there was a laugh that echoed from behind Trisha.
”From here on? It’s your fault.”

Trisha spun around, but there was nothing there. Just an empty, dimly lit hall. She shook her head. Of course. It was always her fault… always… everything… Her chest clenched, and clasped her hands together in front of her, nails digging painfully into her skin. Dragging her out of the panic that gripped her again.

Casey. She had to make sure Casey was fine- but what if he did what the cats suggested? Left her. No, no, that wouldn’t happen- Why not, everyone else has. Better a moment’s comfort than staying here alone. She made her way back up the stairs, hardly caring about her feet getting wet. Barely felt it. Walking back the way she came without really seeing where she was going, hesitating in the doorway. Panic rising, but she had to put on a brave face, pretend it didn’t affect her.
“Casey, a-are you alright now?”

Norm was bent over Casey, one hand stuffed in his mouth as he tried to squirt the packet of fluid into Casey’s unconscious throat.
”He’s still breathin’, Trisha… Just give the Serum a minute…”
He’d pulled Casey over to lay on his back, and it looked pretty bad. The shirt he was wearing was torn open in the front like he’d been hit by a cannonball. There wasn’t a clean hole, rather a wide and almost bite-like gash went up his gut and into his chest.

The last of the paste squirted out of the tube, and Norm was free to pull away in order to massage Casey’s throat. He was still soaking wet, and frost was building up all across his body. Mostly at his ears, which froze a good deal of hair to the side of his head like a helmet.
”These fucking Cats… Leon’s gonna owe Casey big time for this, Trisha: Furio told him a year ago that they shouldn’t be kept here in the building. That they were gonna hurt people!” he snapped, half choking Casey as he tried to force the liquid down his throat further.

His chest was heaving, but as the moments went by, the wound was rapidly stitching itself together.

Trisha flinched as Norm got more heated, even though she knew it wasn’t directed at her - but it was difficult not to, after everything she’d been forced to see, and what she’d heard at the end. She forced herself away from the door, shakily moving over to Norm and Casey. She sank to her knees beside him, reaching out to take one of Casey’s hands. She couldn’t tell if it was cold, or hers was.
“He’s too busy having sex right now to care,” she said, irritation crawling up beside the anxiety. If Leon had the Cats in his apartment, he should keep them there. Her grip on Casey’s hand tightened and she looked down at him, at his face, avoiding looking at the wounds.

“How long will it take for him to wake up?”

”Not long… God broke the mold with these fuckin’ people.” Norm replied confidently.
Norm held out his free hand to Trisha.
”Gimmie your hand, just sit here and rub his throat. I need your house line…”

He put Trisha’s hand into the spot he wanted her to tend to, then stood up to make for the house phone that Casey insisted on keeping. It was an external line, but more importantly it had the internal security line built into the building. Norm had one in his apartment, Theo had one, and Leon had one.
”Theo? Go pound on Leon’s fucking door. Wake him up. -... Wake him the fuck up! I’m upstairs, I’ve got Casey half fucking dead on the floor, Trisha’s in horror, you need to fucking wake Leon up and ask him why the Cats aren’t in the basement. Leon, Mia, I don’t care, wake someone the fuck up!”

As Norm was speaking, Casey was coming back into reality. The reality of the searing pain. The reality of what happened. He felt a gentle hand around his throat, and his first instinct was to grab it and snap the wrist it was attached to.
But it was her. Her hand on his neck. Massaging him… The keylime…

Through the pain, Casey looked up at Trisha and smiled warmly.
”Oh… You… Did it…” he cooed, smiling widely.

Trisha wasn’t sure what he was talking about, was confused why he was smiling. He’d almost died, surely it must still hurt. She shook her head, eyes squeezing shut for a moment to push back tears- of relief, maybe- before they could fall. She didn’t want to cry.
“What do you… It’s gone, you’re alright, can you- swallow the rest yourself?” She asked softly, hand still resting on his throat. It took a lot not to just curl into him, and let the panic take over. She was trying really hard to appear fine, even though her voice was shaking- her whole body was shaking- and she was visibly paler than normal.

“You’re… not dead.” Just in case he, somehow, thought that was the case.

Casey knew he wasn’t dead. He started laughing when she said that, both his hands reaching up weakly to touch her face. It ripped the newly forming flesh, causing bleeding that instantly repaired again until it was strong enough to hold tight.
”You… Shot the gun. You got the help. I’m not… Dead.” he grinned up at her.
”I’m s-sorry… L-lots of w-w-work to do t-today… To protect us.”

Trisha shook her head again, leaning forward to press her face more against his hands. Her own hands moved to his wrists, gently curling around them. She tried to smile back at him, but it was difficult. There was that voice in the back of her head now, morphing together her own with her moms - it had always been there, really, but it was louder. She hadn’t done anything. Couldn’t do anything.
“It’s okay,” she whispered. Because he said protect us. That meant he wasn’t leaving her to protect her, he was staying with her, but then-

“I’m sorry.” It was barely a whisper, difficult to make out without reading her lips. Not sorry for the past, but for the future. For everything that was going to be her fault.
“I’m just glad you’re alright. I was so worried… when you disappeared… when I heard you scream… then- then I landed on you, hurt you more. I’m so glad…”

”Hey… You did what… I asked. What needed to be… done.”
Casey’s breathing had been extremely ragged and pained, but it was starting to smooth out.
”No crying… No more. Tonight sucked except for y-you. S-so, smi-le.”

The ice-man made his way back to Trisha and Casey, squatting down with his ice shorts on.
”Boss? Are we filing any forms?” he asked simply, looking down at Casey.
The initial response was a laugh, then he shook his head, prompting Norm to get back up again.
”Trisha? Can I get you anything, Ma’am?” he asked, adding the honorific at the end as if she was in some kind of position above him.

“I’m fine,” she lied instinctively. It wasn’t like she was dying. It wasn’t anything bad enough to need magical healing food, or to make someone go back down and up those stairs again. Her back hurt the most, and she was sure there'd be some nasty bruising there but… nothing was broken. It wasn't that bad.
“It’s alright, thanks, Norm.”

She looked up at him for just a moment, before looking down at Casey again, managing a smile now. A weak one, but a smile nonetheless. What she actually wanted was some time just with him… but she also wanted to curl up in a corner alone, to shut down and suppress everything again. Both couldn’t happen. She wanted to… be with him more.
“You don’t have to go… work now because of this, do you? Not right now?” Her hands holding onto him gripped tighter, as if somehow she'd let go and he'd just walk out the door when he could still barely move.

As his wounds were healing, stitching themselves together in the open air, Casey took another deep breath. As deep as he could.
”I g-gotta do s-ome-thing.” his grunted reply came from between his teeth as he held onto Trisha’s hand and tried to pull himself up.
Air pushed out from between his teeth before he groaned and laid back in the spot he’d been in. It was too raw, and as he looked down he could see the magical process rejecting little bits of debris alongside the Wampus Cat’s impotent venom.

Feeling the latter welling up in his mouth to spit out, he turned his head.
”Norm!? Bu-cket!”
Deftly, Norm spun from where he was and slid on his icy knees right up to Casey. Opposite Trisha, she’d be able to watch his hands form a wide-mouthed bowl of ice almost instantly. Casey’s head turned a bit more, and he wretched a wad of pearlescent goop into the frozen vessel.
”Fucking… They didn’t… I should’ve warded the place, Trisha.” he lamented, turning his head back toward her.
”So, I w-won’t le-eave. I have to… Secure our home. Better.”

Trisha grimaced when Casey threw up… whatever that was. She couldn't tell. Something magical, less gross than normal vomit would've been but probably scarier when she didn't know what it was. He was recovering, it was fine, it was just slow. He wasn't leaving.
“Don’t push yourself," she said softly, trying to suppress the panic she was still feeling over the whole thing, still gripping onto his hand. She leaned forward over him so that her face was closer to his, long, messy hair falling over him. Closer it was more obvious that she was still suppressing tears even as she tried to smile, a redness in her eyes that disappeared only when she closed them for a moment. Closing them, of course, was a mistake - because it just flashed her back to all the places she didn't want to be.

So she opened them again to look at Casey.
“Ok, if you're not leaving, securing our home more is good, you can do that here, I can stay with you- will wards really keep them away? They-" she shook her head, grimacing. “I couldn't tell what was real, but if they could transport us around like that… unless that was all an illusion. Not that- they hurt you worse, I don't want them to get to you again. Let me help. I can't do anything with the warding but you can lean on me until you feel better."

Casey couldn’t help but laugh at Trisha’s absolute dedication to the moment. He couldn’t blame her for being horrified.
”They don’t move you. They move your mind, and your body does what it wants. Emotional Fields-”
The magical muscle recovery started to remake the nerves. It was the most painful part, the open air stinging them with every little bit of dust hanging in the air. He winced, grimacing in pain as it stole his breath.

Norm cleared his throat.
”You got this, Big Guy. You’ve been through worse.”
Casey wordlessly nodded, holding onto Trisha’s hand still and turning up his lips despite the tears in his eyes.
”Wards w-won’t s-top forever… S’fucking… Cat and Mouse!”

He started to laugh, balled himself up and started moaning out in pain some more. He thought that he probably deserved it for the pun, but that’s how you got through the awful things.
How he did, at least.
”B-but… I’ll m-make you something. Personal s-safet-y.”

Norm got up again, encasing the venomous elixir produced by its reaction with Casey’s stomach bile in a thick vial of ice that he then stuck under his arm for safe keeping. It froze directly to him.
”I’m gonna go store this and finish drying off. Come down when you’re ready, it’s your shift when you say it is.”
Casey nodded at him, and in turn he began to walk away. Not before taking the gun Trisha had dropped earlier and moving to hand it back to her. It had a little frost on the barrel where he held it.

”Always keep yourself safe, Trisha. Good job.”
And then he was gone, leaving them alone as Casey’s epidermis slowly spanned the gaps to finally leave him protected and whole once again. He was mostly silent now, and had his head in Trisha’s lap for a little comfort.

”I f-feel like I’ve been… Saying sorry a lot.” he spoke, half muffled by her thigh.

Trisha was trying very hard to stay still, suppressing the trembling that threatened to take over her whole body. At the same time, she was sending out calming pheromones now that she could properly sense the bees, stopping them from all swarming her as soon as they realised where she was. She'd deal with them later… the gun that Norm had handed her was placed back on the floor beside her. It wasn't like she knew how to use it.

“You have been, but at least you know how to say it," she said quietly, one hand gently running through his hair while the other rubbed his back. She was careful, just in case it still hurt after the healing. He'd been so hurt, and the healing had looked so painful… but she also couldn't keep her hands to herself, because she needed to confirm he was there. Alive, real, having not left.
“These weren't the sleepless nights I expected to have with you," she managed to joke. She didn't exactly feel tired anymore, even when she'd barely slept the night before and the strange, dream filled nap hadn't exactly helped.

She leaned forward to press a gentle kiss against his cheek, before resting her face against his for a moment. It helped. She could push back the memories, the fears and anxieties of various kinds- your mother still abandoned you, everyone will- she could ignore it. Suppress it like always. She took a shaky breath, pulling back slightly to talk again.
“Why did they only attack you? They just showed me things.“ Describing it as things was massively downplaying it. But how could it be as bad as nearly dying? If her worst memory was just that- it isn't, not, it's definitely the worst- then it was nothing. She could handle it just fine. Sure, it had also reminded her of the Stygian Snake, but she wasn't that badly affected either.
“I’m really glad you're alright."

”I’m glad you’re alright too…”
Casey wasn’t ignoring her question, so much as he was trying to figure that out himself. Not right now, but… Forever. Trying to justify the childhood he spent avoiding home as much as possible. Avoiding all the strangeness and the weird shit, and now he was back… And the pain was back too. It wasn’t intentional; who wanted that? Not that all the desert hikes and rock climbing and starvation and blood and mud and-

I’m not a masochist. I’m a soldier. I did what I was asked; nay, what I was told.

He finally sat up, feeling the telltale aching of Andrade’s famous Key Lime Pie finishing its work and leaving the body in a plume of heat.
”And, to answer your question? They just don’t fuckin’ like me. I don’t know what it is. Maybe they think I’m a runt, or that I’m an easy target still. I guess I am… Motherfuckers…”
He felt a rage about the whole situation as his senses fully came back to him. He wasn’t praying to stay alive; Trisha’s actions had saved his life surely. The Wampus came on strong after all the years of withholding the wrath. Maybe they wanted to show him that they could still hurt him.

”So we’ll fix that. It may not be pretty, but I’ve learned a trick or two. And we can call someone else in for some help.” he nodded.
He looked at Trisha, a soft smile coming over his face.
”What’d they show you, Trisha?…” Casey asked as calmly as he could. He had to know… In case it was sensitive information. Anything she shouldn’t know, she’d have to agree to getting rid of… There was no other way to keep the agreement…

There it was, the question she didn't really want to answer, but had known was going to come anyway.
“Emptiness, like when the Stygian Snake and its minions tried to get into our minds. Darkness, too. They said a few things. Called you rowdy, said that I was scared. They were just trying to make me anxious-" And they'd succeeded. “There was a lot of falling. Darkness, silence, and falling.”

She looked away from him, biting her lip, hands falling into her lap now that he wasn't lying on it and nails digging into her thighs. She didn't want to- couldn't- bring up the memory. How would he react? Disappointment, maybe, or maybe he'd just laugh, brush it off. She should brush it off. It wasn't like her mom had cut off contact then. She'd called her one more time since, when she graduated. It didn't make her a failure- it definitely did- and it hadn't been her fault. None of it had been. There was just no point in bringing it up.
“They didn't really get to me. It was just a lot like with the Stygian Snake."

”And there wasn’t anything about the Temple? Nothing you feel like you shouldn’t know?” he asked, twisting his body and wincing at the still-fresh nerves tugging against themselves. But he managed to look her dead in the eyes, trying to use every bit of his raw White Lux to make sure she was telling the truth.

“No," Trisha answered honestly, though her eyes narrowed and her lips pressed together into a thin line. She didn't look away this time, but there was a clear withdrawal in her eyes. Whatever she'd been feeling to look away and tried to hide was gone, covered by a gauze of annoyance, all the other emotions gone.
“Nothing about the Temple. Don't worry."

Because of course, that was what was important. Keeping the Temple secrets. He didn't actually care about what she'd seen, did he? That was fine anyway, she didn't want anyone to know. She hadn't seen much. She was fine, why would anyone be concerned anyway? She didn't want that.
“I didn't see anything important at all."

Casey’s hand slowly climbed to her face. She was definitely lying. Lying so much, he couldn’t actually tell if she’d seen anything, or if it was all just blending together. He gave her a gentle smile. She seemed sincere enough at the beginning that he didn’t think she’d acquired anything important, but now he was left with the stinging idea that something really had happened.

”They like to dredge things up. Make you remember how you felt at your lowest so they can feed on the despair. It’s a game for them… So, I assume that if they’re not feeding you information, then they’re torturing you. Just like they did to all of us as kids. If it’s something… Y’know, from… The days with the Snake? You can talk to me. I may not’ve been there, but I have seen what magical warfare looks like. I’m here…” he cooed, looking at her with a soft longing. He wanted her: but the real her. Whatever she was carrying, he’d hold. He wanted to show her that.

If it was something from the Snake days, maybe it'd be easier to talk to him about it. That wasn't unique to her. Parts of it, sure, memories she was glad the cats hadn't dragged up. But it wasn't even that. What was she supposed to say? 'I'm so much of a failure my own mother abandoned me.’ No. She couldn't.
Maybe she could make something up. Right. Something from the Stygian Snake days, something bad but not too bad… Her lowest then, that was when-

No, not that either.
“It wasn't much," she started, unaware that he was using any White Lux on her - she wasn't so aware of her emotional field, and the Queen was still asleep. Somehow.
“Just, a few times when I got hurt badly. Fighting Apparitions that my bees couldn't really handle. I normally just bolstered others with my pheromones so they didn't feel as scared. But sometimes there wasn't enough of us. I saw the time… I got the scar on my hips. There was only a few of us, and it was hell hounds. One of the people with us was scared of them, so I had to actually try and fight. They killed a lot of my bees. That- that hurt more than anything else. I couldn't protect them."

The story itself was a true one, but it was a lie that she'd seen it. It walked the fine line of what she was willing to share - bad enough to seem like a low moment without showing how much she failed. She didn't speak like someone talking about a traumatic event. She'd suppressed it all so much to the point she truly believed she hadn't been affected badly by it.
She just didn't want Casey to know how little she had. How worthless and useless she really was.

He knew that helping her wasn’t going to be easy. He could barely help himself. All he could really do was pull her close, onto his lap. His filthy, bloody, shredded clothing sat beneath her as he held her close to him. He rubbed her back, taking deep breaths.
”At least they’re safe… I don’t think the cat would go into something Gin made. And in the future, you’ll be ready too; so you don’t need to worry anymore. We’ll work on it.”

[FernStone]

Casey’s Office

---

A few hours later, the two of them were down in Casey's office.

Trisha basically hadn't left his side since he'd woken back up from nearly dying. She was too worried that he'd just disappear - like he had in the illusion, like everyone else had in her life. Her plan for the day, to get her own office setup and everything sorted on the computer provided, was completely discarded. It may just be one room away, but that was too far. So she did what she'd said she would the night before, and climbed onto Casey's lap to just cling. Cuddling in as close as she could to him, legs awkwardly wrapped around him and arms shoved under his to hold onto him. He could still see over her head, pressed in under his chin, at the screens if he needed to. She just needed to be close to him. To feel that he was there. Pressing in close while doing what she normally would, silently suppressing the memories dragged back up and the feelings that came with it. Everything but the sullenness and frustration at her own situation was buried.

Eventually, her thoughts were less chaotic. Things started to calm down, though she didn't cling to Casey any less. Just relaxed more, last bits of tension leaving her body. But there was still a paranoia there, a fragility that could lead to her shattering easily. She enjoyed the silent cuddling, not needing words between them, but as her mind got less jumbled the irritating thoughts she didn't want also became clearer. The silence didn't help.
“I think…" she trailed off, pulling her head back just a bit to speak. What was she thinking, what did she want to say?
“I really need to learn how to use a gun."

Casey nodded his head at Trisha’s admission. At first, he’d been fairly uncomfortable with her clinging to him in his lap, as he had to adjust to actually using the computer with the equivalent of a full ruck hanging off his chest. It was awkward, but he was thankful that Furio’s loved to stay comfortable; the “Commander’s Chair” was a plush leather thing with its own cup holder and full reclining range.
On many occasions, that chair had served as a bed; to the point that there was another chair placed so perfectly behind it that when one fully reclined, it served as a second support to ensure that the held body could rotate and jostle without fear of tipping.

It was certainly strong enough for the both of them. Casey had, at this point, tucked Trisha up a bit so her bottom rested a bit on the desk. He didn’t want to cut her circulation off anywhere, but he needed to be closer to the desk to work. His tattered glove, the channeler he’d Kindled into, fit snug to his right hand. He needed to channel to be able to actually see the screens, after all.
What was on them? A whole lot of sleeping prisoners, people kept hundreds of feet underground. Malcontents, Aberrants without the ability to control themselves, the shame and sadness of the Temple of Charming and Graceful individuals.

Every so often, the monitors swapped to another feed. Dorms, not-so-public places, family rooms, common areas, offices from the Temple’s main grounds all the way up to Seattle. Things Casey didn’t want to watch. So he was mostly ignoring them, waiting for what Furio had described as “The Call to Action.”
It sounded like the same bullshit from the recruitment office when he joined the Army. The call to action…

He’d wound up slipping his pistol out and taking Trisha down the hall to the armory to get some cleaning supplies before making way for the desk again. With her still clung tight to him, his sweet Koala Bee, he’d started to clean the weapon from being fired that morning. He was proud enough of Trisha for doing what had to be done, but now she was taking a more vested interest.

”I like the way you think, Koala Bee… We can start you off with something small. That way you can get used to the jumping and the popping and stuff.”
He had disassembled the entire pistol, and laid it in pieces on a rag while he applied a bit of spray-on cleaner into the barrel.
”It’d just make me feel a whole lot safer. We can only do so much protection and magical locking, you know? There’ll probably be a point when you need something extra.”
As he finished, he planted a kiss on the top of her head.

Trisha nodded, twisting around so that she could look at the pistol. She was surprised she'd even shot it… or that it had done anything. Had it, even?
“I don't want the bees to get hurt either. They can fight things, I can command them to do it efficiently, but I feel every one that dies… and they're so small. I don't want to be stuck inside surrounded by magical locks either."

She'd never felt a need to learn any other way to defend herself, even when Father Wolf first appeared. Maybe she'd just accepted that if he appeared, that was it. But now she didn't want that to be the case.
“Definitely something small, I'd need to hit the gym for anything remotely heavy." She then tilted her head, watching what he was doing with both interest and confusion.
“Do you need to clean it after every shot? Isn't that a bit inefficient?"

Casey laughed, imagining having to clean the gun after every single shot.
”No, no… But if you go through a lot of shots, or you think it may be a while, you should do it. Honestly, I’m… It's… Like a fidget spinner, for me. Something to do with my hands that isn’t going to disturb or bother you. I can’t really use the ammo press with you like this, so…-”
He wound up over explaining as usual, and almost instantly realized he was making it sound like her being there was a problem.

”-So, rather than having to be without you, or make my sweet girl get down, I figured I’d do, well, this.” he punctuated, shoving a bristle-covered rod into the barrel to brush it out and make sure the cleaner spread evenly.

Just as Casey had anticipated, Trisha started to get a bit irritated at what felt like a not so subtle suggestion that she was just getting in the way. But he soothed that annoyance, and the anxieties that came with it, when he continued. Her being here wasn't a problem. It wasn't annoying. He'd chosen to do something he could while she hugged him.
“Mm, I'm glad you chose me over the ammo press… So you normally don't have to do it after just one shot, but it's something to do? I understand… with the bee maintenance, I'd sometimes clean the hive when I didn't really need to. It was something to do that-"

She completely cut off mid sentence. Her slightly parted lips pressed together, and her eyes narrowed and glazed over. Like she was seeing something else entirely, rather than looking at him like she had been as she talked. Her mind wasn't there at all - she couldn't see him, or feel him. Only the recollection she'd suddenly been dragged into.
The bees that had been relaxing around the room, a group of about twenty sitting in various, out of the way places started to get irritated and confused. They started buzzing, but without any pheromonal commands at all, they didn't know what to do. She was still there, but not. It confused them, and they started flying about the room with loud buzzes, seemingly without direction.

It wasn’t her sudden silence that caused his gaze to rise up and look around. It was the bees starting to go about their business in a more unpredictable way. They were starting to make their way toward her last “known” location, and Casey looked down with a furrowed brow to see what the hell had happened that made her call them.
The glassy look on her face didn’t make him feel good. Not at all. He immediately moved to a sharp piece of metal, mashing it into his hand and letting it split his palm open on a nerve; a test of his reality. With a grunt, he pulled the metal fragment back out and began to channel White Lux in a wide detector range.

Norm and a few of the others were in the other office. As it washed further down the building, he could see the influence of the Wampus Cat Aura closer to the basement. That wasn’t what was happening. So, he did the only thing he could think to do, and turned his lux on Trisha. White washed across her, looking for any sort of external signal or a curse that may’ve been placed on her.
But there wasn’t anything… It wasn’t even a health issue; her heart rate wasn’t climbing by much, she wasn’t feverish.

”Trisha!? Trisha!?” he growled, shaking her with his free hand and speaking low enough that nobody would run to his assistance.

Trisha came back with a gasp, hands grasping at Casey's shirt and her eyes immediately squeezing shut. She hadn't heard anything he said, but he was still shaking her, which didn't help at all.
“What the fuck?!" she whispered hoarsely, still not quite aware of where she was, not really talking to Casey. It was just like all the dreams she'd had, except she wasn't sleeping this time. She'd still been dragged into it. If anything it was worse when she wasn't sleeping. She grimaced, curling forward and into Casey, trembling slightly.
“Why do you keep showing me her."

Raven Jones. A person Trisha had known, but things she didn't know about her. Before she met her. Long before… Things she didn't want to know. More warnings and insistence that she do things she wasn't capable of doing. Was she the only one getting these visions? Why? She didn't want to. She took a deep breath, seeming to calm down a bit. Her pheromones, strangely weak, evened out and the bees immediately went for her, landing in her hair and on her neck. She pulled back a little bit to peek up at Casey, trying to smile.
“Sorry… that probably scared you. I'm fine, all fine, don't worry."

Casey stared at Trisha, dumbfounded that she’d have the audacity to suggest that she was fine at that point.
”That probably scared you?” he asked her back, eyes narrowed at her.
”Trisha… You can’t possibly expect me to believe you…”

His free hand, not covered in fresh blood, moved to her face. His rough thumb brushed against the soft flesh of her cheek.
”You have got to stop lying to me… I don’t expect you to tell me all your deepest darkest secrets, Trisha, but you cannot keep outright lying. Especially now… Now that I can tell.” he gave her a stern look.

Trisha's eyes widened, fingers tightening into the fabric of Casey’s shirt. Her head jerked back, breathing quickening. He could tell? Since when could he tell? The… since the ceremony? How much had she lied, how much did he notice, was he disappointed? How was she supposed to stop? Covering up anything below the surface of her, lying about it all, was second nature. Lying, resenting, blaming others… All to maintain the facade that was her. But he could tell?

And he was annoyed. She tried to channel some of that normal irritation and resentment, to snap back at him about using lie detection magic on her, but all she felt was fear. This was it, this was the moment he realised-
“I- I- I-” She stammered out, visibly wilting underneath his stern gaze. Disappointed. Just like… just like everyone in her life looked at her eventually…
“D-don’t… I… But-”

Casey stopped her before she could continue. His eyes closed and he shook his head before pulling her closer to him. He held her, like he never wanted to let her go.
”Trisha… You’re okay. It's okay, Baby… If it’s hurting you so badly, I don’t want to know. Not if it’s going to do this to you. I’m sorry.” he said quietly, gloved hand running through her hair before starting to rub her back.

”Maybe I don’t know what slow means… ‘Cuz I love you, and I don’t want you to be afraid of me. Or, telling me things. And maybe I don’t really know what love is either, but I know enough to know that I’m here. For you. In spite of everything else.”
He did his best to keep his wounded palm away from her, so he didn’t stain her clothing.
”Just… Tell me it’s a topic for later; I won’t push unless I have to. But, God… Stop saying things you don’t mean.”

Trisha’s head snapped up to stare at him, eyes wide. What? He loved her? He couldn’t love her, it was too soon. But she couldn’t decide his feelings. If he did, that meant he wouldn’t leave her. No, it would hurt more when he did.
“I’m not afraid of you, I’m afraid of you leaving me,” she whispered, before she could stop the words from coming out. Just like everyone did when they got beneath the surface. It was why she kept people up there. Covered up the ugly insides. The faulty product of her terrible parents.

“If I stop, you’ll know- you’ll know that- you won’t like it. You don’t love me, you love the fake me. Who I pretend to be.” It wasn’t quite true, because she’d been more herself with Casey than she had many past partners. Comfortable to pull down that rich, pretty girl exterior and just be herself. But it still covered up all of her issues. He’d only gotten a glimpse, and she’d tried her best to avoid even that.
“Nobody ever cares. I don’t know why you’d be there when-” When even her mother never had been. When even she’d abandoned her. It was the closest Trisha had ever gotten to saying it outloud, or telling the whole truth. But she couldn’t. She was scared she’d even gotten close.

“I’ll- I’ll try to stop.”

Casey shook his head. She could feel him giggle to himself. She could feel him adjusting her in his arms to look at her. He was smiling. It wasn’t a big smile, or like he was smug. He was just happy to see her.
”Last night, you implied to my Sister that our Dad didn’t love us. If I was gonna leave you for something you said? It’d have been there… Because I know for a fact he did love us. All of us. And it hurt me too, that you said that. But I can’t imagine something worse: You’d have to kill my turtle maliciously in front of me or something stupid… Something crazy, y’know?”

Casey’s head dipped a bit to make sure she was looking at him.
”So, please… Worried or not, if I feel like I don’t want to be with you? I’d talk to you about it first. I’m not a boy, Trisha… I killed other people to protect the world we live in. I won’t waste what I fought for by hurting you. That’s why, like… There’s gonna be secrets. Right? Stuff I can’t tell you because of the nature of my work. But, I’ll do my best for you too… To make sure I don’t lie to you.”

Even with him saying it like that, it was difficult for Trisha to believe. Over twenty years of issues, of rejections and never being good enough and being discarded for others, couldn’t just be spoken away. But she believed he was being genuine, right now. He hadn’t left her last night when she’d said that. When she’d assumed everyone’s world was just like hers - with parents who didn’t love them. But really, she’d just been jealous.

“My dad didn’t love me. I shouldn’t have lashed out because of that.” Trisha said, more honest than she had been for a long time - admitting to something all of her siblings knew, but that she’d never say. The closest she’d come to really taking responsibility for something. She spoke without much emotion to it - James Vanburen had been dead for ten years. She’d come to terms with it a bit… until she had to hear about fathers so different from her own.

“I’m not used to talking. None of my exes- only Reyna bothered. I’m not used to it… but no more lying, I’ll really try. Even if there’s secrets.” She gnawed on her lip, before smiling slightly at him. She wasn’t relaxed, she only felt a bit more secure in everything, but he hadn’t lashed out. She’d talked and he hadn’t lashed out, or shut her down, or just completely ignored her. Hadn’t told her she was unreasonable. It was a start.
“I saw another dream. I was there watching this other person’s life. The same person I’ve had dreams about before. But I can’t tell you why it affected me so much.” In a way, she wished she could. Then she could get rid of the burden that wasn’t really her own.
“It’s a family secret. We have those too.”

A tear welled up in his eye, and Casey was quick to wrap his arms around her again.
”That was hard?” he asked her. It wasn’t sarcastic, but he was definitely asking it genuinely. He didn’t really get-

Oh… No… He got it. People get defensive when they’re asked to explain themselves: Of course she was going to have a problem with it. There weren’t too many people, he figured, who were happy to smile and giggle and openly joke about being a cultist. That was something, coincidentally, that Lynette had given to her kids. So much surveillance meant that you didn’t have secrets. Everything was always out on the table at all times.

Even outsiders got it, because the premise was just too ridiculous. Too silly, until you looked up the website for the Temple, or saw a couple pamphlets… Or saw that the woman in charge dressed her whole organization like an extended Addams Family. She flirted with the open, tantilizing those who would be caught up and taunting whatever authority may exist… He was, if anything, from an atypical family of rebellious spirits. His perceptions were so much different.

She’d said another dream. Another. Like… Yesterday being the first? He did have questions, that couldn’t be mistaken. But his strong feeling of care toward her overrode the situation fully.
”Yesterday… Mom passed her spellbook to me. Helped me open the Pale in my Eye. Strangely, our minds work similarly; all of her spells just… Made sense. Like I’d made them myself. So, now… Now you’re kind of stuck with me being aware. I’m doing my best to not pay attention, but… I’m sorry. I’ll notice things. Like, yesterday. You lied about your dream. I accepted it, because I have to lie to you about it too.”

He offered the final admission as an olive branch, hoping she’d understand that she wasn’t the only guilty one. Casey hoped that Trisha would be able to take some comfort in that.

“Oh, well…” Trisha shifted uncomfortably. She couldn’t lie about being comfortable with it, because he’d know, and she’d just said she wouldn’t. Of course she didn’t like there being that awareness, because then she couldn’t hide things. But it wasn’t like he could turn it off.
“I’m kind of used to it. Reyna read me the whole time we were together, because she was also aware. As long as you don’t start using any of those spying spells which… I trust that you won’t.”

Not that she’d been happy with it overall, but she could accept it with Casey. He… he said he was trying to not pay attention to it. He wasn’t being malicious with it. But he had known she lied about that dream yesterday… and he’d just have to lie in response. Really, they both lied. That meant they didn’t have to talk about it, right? Couldn’t. It would just remain an unspoken understanding.
“Yesterday’s dream and today’s dream were different. Today’s and the ones before it aren’t to do with the Temple. I just don’t know why I’m having any of them.” She didn’t want him thinking she kept dreaming about things he’d have to lie about, or worry about covering up. It was unrelated… would be to her, if there weren’t mentions of the Snake, and she hadn’t known Raven, once.

If the dream from the day before had to do with his own Father, like he assumed it did due to her branding, then that meant that the rest probably had to do with what Leon had described to their therapist in a recent check-in. Recollections about things having to do with Sycamore. It was a can of worms he didn’t want to break into. Which was the worst part: He didn’t want them to be involved. It would’ve been perfect if the two of them could’ve just skittered off somewhere private forever.

But now it was his job to know things, so he could only store the concept away within the annals of his memory for later use.

”Can I… Ask you again, about what you dreamed yesterday? I don’t want to, so if you answer with any kind of soft no, I’ll take it. But… If it was him? That would mean you saw him before I did. For the first time in like, twelve? Years? I know… It isn’t really him. But, if you did… I’d love to know if he still…”
He wanted to know because, despite every little bit of pain he’d put Casey through, that little boy still wanted to hear his Father say that he was proud. Proud of the Adept that he’d become, and prouder still of the soldier that he was.

All the times he’d cried, screamed in pain. He wanted to know if Maxwell saw.
”Sorry… Never mind. That’s me being selfish. But…-”

The elevator outside dinged, sliding open with a whirring noise.
Company…
Without turning around the corner, someone knocked on the half-open door.
”Hellooo? Casey?” Ed’s somewhat weak voice came from outside the door.
He sighed, shaking his head.
”Hey… Close the door for a second? Just talking about something real quick.” Casey said, speaking out into the hall.

Ed made an “oop” noise, and quickly swung the door closed to wait for his permission to enter. Casey took a deep breath.
”It’s Ed. Mia’s with her. Probably here to apologize. I’ll tell them to come again another time if you want. We don’t have to deal with it right now.” he offered, whispering to Trisha as he held her tightly.

Trisha leaned in closer to him, smiling slightly. While she didn’t really want to talk to Ed and Mia right now, she also wasn’t going to want to do it tomorrow. Or the day after. In a way today had already been ruined, with the cats and the waking dream. She’d rather just deal with it all today.
“I’d like to get it over with, so it’s not hanging over us. But thank you,” she said softly, leaning in to lightly kiss him.
“For being so considerate.”

She hesitated just in front of him. She felt a little bit more comfortable in… them. In being able to talk about things. Just a little bit.
“He did… I think. It was all about you,” she whispered, before pulling back a bit. Her hands came to rest on his arms, lightly squeezing.
“Let’s let them in? Or… go talk somewhere else, if we need to?”

Casey shook his head.
”We’ll talk in here… Can you get me the first-aid kit out of the bathroom here?” he pointed toward it, then held up his significantly bloody hand.
”When I saw you lost in the dream, I nailed myself to see if it was the cats again…” he said embarrassed.
”I’ll let them in, just… I would love gauze and alcohol.” he smiled. As he stood up, he was still holding onto her with his good hand underneath her thighs.

Gently, playfully and as if you suggest she get moving, he patted her ass with his gloved hand.
”Pleeeeease?”

Trisha gaped at his hand for a moment, head slowly shaking. Had he just been sitting there with his hand bleeding the whole time? Not saying anything? Seriously?

His hand was bleeding everywhere, but he still had the time to play around. Not that she minded. She quite liked it… but not when he was bleeding everywhere! She spun around and grabbed the offending, gloved hand.
“Maybe I should just let you bleed out?” She retorted, holding up his hand in her own and giving it what seemed like an admonishing glare. But then squeezed it, fingers scratching the back of it playfully.
“You’re lucky I really like you. I’m not normally the first-aid kit collecting type.”

She spun back around and hurried over into the bathroom. Thankfully the first-aid kit was stored in the same place as the one in their bathroom, and she knew where that was after last night. She considered opening it for a moment, to just get what was needed, then just lifted up the whole thing. What if there were different types of gauze, or something? So she grabbed the whole kit, turned back around and made her way back into the main office.
“I got it, do you need help with the gauze again?”

Casey took the pack and unzipped it, quickly ripping into it for some disinfectant and a gauze pad along with a wad of cotton gauze to sop up any bleeding.
”Nahhh, thank you Babe. I l-”
He said it earlier… Now he wanted to say it again.
”-like how… Responsive you are. It's a good quality in the military; when you can take instruction under duress.”

He smiled, holding his hand up and rubbing against her cheek.
”I won’t oversay it… Promise.”
He smiled at her, slowly backing away to the door before opening it. Trisha would be able to watch him stare at the people outside the door with a glazed look on his face. Ed’s voice was quiet, almost so Trisha wasn’t able to hear her.

”It takes that?”
His voice was clear enough, and he sounded a bit annoyed, but stepped to the side and allowed the two young women to come into the office before he closed the door behind them.
They both immediately looked at Trisha, and Ed bowed her head subtly toward her. The two of them looked sweaty. Like they’d been in a pool, or working out in a hot gym. But they were both dressed in house clothes; Ed in the typical basketball shorts and a t-shirt while Mia had a crop top and some cute pajama pants with little bears on them.

They both felt off. Like their acknowledgement moved slower than their eyes did. Like the life in their eyes had been drained.
”Hey Trrrisha…” Mia spoke aloud.
Her head was down a little, slumped almost. It wasn’t clear whether or not it was anxiety or their ill-defined habit.

”We… I… I suck, dude.” she said openly, turning her head up to look at Trisha. Her eyes were narrowed, sleepy, drooping… Like she was melting on herself.
”I said stuff last night that I probably meant, but can’t say sober. That doesn’t mean… That you needed to be the stick I tried to beat. So, I’m sorry for that.”
Ed furrowed her brow and sighed.
”Ugh, Mimi…”

Casey laughed, looking at Trisha, then back to Ed.
”Do you even remember what you said?” he asked aloud to Mia.
She only shook her head slowly in response.
”Y’know this really sucks? I get promoted, invite you to my night, try and involve you as much as I can? For your insecurities and your little voices to make the time worse?”

Ed frowned, getting a bit closer to Mia and holding onto her hand. Mia could only avert her eyes from her Brother’s in shame.
”Heyyyyy… That’s not… Fair. Plenty got said that shouldn’t have… Not nice things.” her gaze turned to Trisha. The slow, smoldering ember eyes.
”But it was… All a stupid thing, Mimi… Right?”

Mia looked up at Trisha again. Her eyes were suddenly wide, almost pleading for Trisha’s belief.
”It wassss! It was, it was, Trisha! It was… Me. Casey said… I’m… Not right. Insecure. Stupid.”
Ed shook her head, batting Mia’s arm with her hand as hard as she could muster. It wasn’t.
”Stooop. The… Self pity shit is what makes it… Y’know, like, we should… Just own it.”

Trisha frowned. Obviously, she wasn’t happy to be having this conversation, even though she’d agreed to having it now. She didn’t like the fact Mia had forgotten when she remembered, the self pitying, the way Ed looked at her. She felt tense, pushing down her immediate response - yes it was all you, you ruined it, I wouldn’t have said anything if you didn’t act like that.

But she looked over at Casey, and she knew he wouldn’t like that. He’d said last night he wanted her to apologise, even though they hadn’t really discussed it. She couldn’t really relate to the hurt she’d caused - what she’d implied was just her reality - but she’d caused it. It was just really hard to admit that.
“I was annoyed because you couldn’t appreciate what you have,” Trisha gestured to Casey, and then Ed.
“It was all just self pity. Some of us don’t have that. I’m not close to any of my siblings, my mom lives on the other side of the country, so I was-” jealous. “Annoyed and drunk.”

She took a few steps closer to Casey, stopping before she was properly close to him. She clasped her hands together in front of her tightly, nails digging into her skin. It was difficult for her to not just do what she normally did, and continually escalate. But she was trying. She’d promised Casey she would try, and he was right there.
“I shouldn’t have said what I did about your dad. I won’t repeat it but… I’m sorry. None of it was true, so I’m sorry I lashed out and said it. I didn’t mean it.” She didn’t look much less tense having managed to get it out. It was like admitting to a failure, and to being at fault.
“But if you don’t even remember what you said, and think you meant it, then you didn’t just imply it. You outright said it.”

Casey waved his hand.
”She remembers what the fuck she said. White Lux is good for storage.”
Mia’s face dropped, eyes squeezing together as she prayed to wake up from a bad dream.
”I really wanted it to end… I thought I was good, and… Then you guys were talking about Daddy, and I wished he was there. And he wasn’t. And rather than just… You know.”

She paused for a second before hiding her face in her shirt. She did her best to wipe away the tears, but against the wet cloth it was just spreading the moisture.
”F-fuck… I really want to be your friend, Trisha. And I accept your apology, and I really hope that you accept mine, and that we can forget it… And I can take your a-a-advice y’know? C-cuz… You’re right. It could be worse. All you did was make a joke, and my feelings got in the way.”

Trisha could… sort of understand the wanting someone there when they weren’t. It wasn’t on the same level, not people who were dead. And she knew what she’d said last night was out of line, even if she couldn’t really relate.
“I accept your apology too. Before all this I was starting to think we could be friends so… let’s go back to that. Forget about it, move on from it, try not to do it again. I don’t want things to be ruined either.”

She was speaking truthfully - she had been starting to like Mia, and would try to make an effort to go back to that. It was easier said than done for someone who held grudges and remembered every little thing used against her… And she struggled with friendships. Like relationships, they rarely lasted for her, and there was a different type of vulnerability there.
“And let’s maybe just… avoid the topic of fathers, cause it’s clearly touchy for y- us. Both of us.” She hadn’t loved her dad, and he hadn’t loved her, but when he died the opportunity for any kind of relationship had been taken away from her.

She then awkwardly held out a hand, not really sure how things went after an apology. She never got them, and generally refused to give them too.
“Should we… shake on it or something? To agree to try move on and forget it?”

Mia let her hand slide forward. It was clammy, and she looked somewhat ashamed of it.
”I’d hug you if I wasn’t so sweaty…” she admitted.
Ed clapped her hands together a couple of times.
”It’s how we do… But I’m happy you guys can admit to one another that you don’t want there to be anything wrong.”

Casey nodded, a slim smile forming over his face as he took a deep breath.
”And no more drinking together. Not unless you’re both… In good spirits.” he chided, turning to move back around his desk.

Trisha was a little glad there was a reason to hold back Mia from hugging her, because it was something she still wasn't really comfortable with it. Especially when she was working to suppress and get rid of the hard feelings she'd normally hold onto for years. She tilted her head towards Casey with a breathy laugh, more like exhaling tension than anything else.
“You were the one encouraging me to drink. I don't normally drink that much unless I'm at a club, or… like Friday." Her tone was relatively light and teasing, rather than being any kind of blame she was throwing onto him.

She definitely hadn't gone into things planning to get drunk at all, but all it took was a couple.
“Ah, I did try and rip out Tansy's hair once at a family dinner while drunk, so maybe I should stick to drinking at home," she joked, even though it was something that had actually happened. But unless anyone was using truth checking magic it would be difficult to tell it was anything more than a joke. Really it was an attempt to lighten the mood, even if that wasn't really her strong point at all. She turned back towards Mia and Ed.
“Tansy’s my oldest sister. She's… a bitch. But if you ever want in on the latest pyramid scheme, I can give her a call."

Mia and Ed both giggled somewhat nervously.
”Geeze, we could use a thinker like that in our marketing division. Is she good at it?”
Ed slapped her arm again.
”She just said she’s a bitch…”
”Bitches kinda sell unfortunately…” Mia replied, shrugging her shoulders and looking Ed in the face a little bit.

But before she could continue, Ed picked the conversation back up herself.
”Oh, Trisha… D-did you… Do you still wanna play games? Once we’re a little more awake, I was gonna… Y’know, go get that computer. Hook it up and stuff.”

Trisha could help but laugh at the image of Tansy marketing the Temple… she would be good at it, actually. She had a massive, rich network and could definitely sell a cult. Something Trisha would definitely like to avoid… though stupid as Tansy could be, she knew how to keep her image perfect and had too much money to be easily bought. Hopefully she wouldn't have to worry about it. She was also a family member Trisha would quite happily never see again as well.

“Yeah, I am, I've got all the time in the world at the moment," Trisha replied with a smile. It did actually sound nice. Her university friends all worked full time and had their own lives, and if Sal was around during any calls they always ended up playing competitive games. When he wasn't… anything chill they played would immediately be made not chill just by Cass' presence. Playing something with Ed and Gin seemed like it could be quite relaxing.
“So you're being let off cuddling duties long enough for it?" she joked, hands coming together behind her back to hide the way she rubbed her fingers together almost anxiously. She looked over at Casey again.
“I’m sure Case will be glad there's something I can do so he can get a break."

A joke, of course. Well… part of her said it to fish for some more reassurance that it wasn't the case. The stupid, overly anxious part.

Casey’s face had been neutral until she said what she said. To him, this was the first moment that his newfound ability to read ques actually felt like a benefit and not some strange double-edged sword. His head tilted downward slightly, so that he was looking at her from slightly below his brow. A playful smile split across his lips.
”Shut uuuuup… You think you’re getting away that easy?”

He had his boots up on the long, mostly empty desk that had his half-built pistol on a rag slid to one side.
”All this room? C’mon…”
Mia frowned slightly, clearing her throat.
”As nice as it is to have a but rubbing against you, let her stay in her office… What happens if you get a call or something, then you’ve gotta force her back into her office or interrupt her…”

Casey looked a bit surprised. He was; it wasn’t like he thought Mia paid attention or thought about things like that. But, she was right to a point. As much as he wanted to have her there the whole time, it’d only get more inconvenient the more stuff she started bringing out.

Trisha was smiling softly at Casey up until the point that Mia spoke, when it wavered slightly. There was still a smile, just less of a smile. She knew that Mia was right about this. It was fine when it was just her, even if she would be grumpy at being moved. But if she brought her desktop out? Or used her much worse laptop, only to be forced back into her own office anyway… practically it didn't make sense. Which she didn't like. But Casey did want her there, which was what mattered for being able to accept it. To feel less irritated about it.

“When are you working until?" She asked as she moved to round the opposite side of Casey from where Mia and Ed were standing, so she could still look at them when talking. She loosely wrapped her arms around his shoulders and leaned into him, face tilting up so she could sort of rest her chin on the top of his head. Even with him sitting and her standing it was a bit of a stretch.
“We might not start until later if Gin's busy with… her work, and Ed has to set up her whole computer in the first place. Maybe by then you'll be done, then you can come sit in my office. I'll only kick you out if I have to have important, private business talks with the bees."

Casey couldn’t help but laugh at that question. When are you working until?
”Working? I’m always working now, my Dear. On call twenty-four seven for all the Temple’s biggest security needs.”
Ed pushed air out from between her lips in a held-in laugh.
”You know what she means…”

His face turned back up toward Ed, and he joined her in a laugh.
”Nuh-uh…”
Both of the other girls laughed, and Ed picked the conversation up again from what she knew.

”Gin works when she wants; and uh… Well, we decided to come up ‘cuz she… Actually texted me. She was pretty adamant we’re playing today.” she laughed.
”So, really I’d just need to get set up and we’d be all set.”

”And my actual watch shift is twelve to sixteen hours, Babe. I’ll be here a while: If hanging out with you means being in your office, I have a neat trick that I can use to make it work. Mia’s kinda right, after all.” he offered to his sister, knowing full well that just like Trisha, Mia needed serious reassurances sometimes. She replied with her eyes, which closed just like their mothers’ always did when she was pleased.

Trisha pulled her head back so that she could actually look down at Casey, just to practically beam at him. There was just something really nice about him being willing to accommodate her so they could still spend the time together. Especially today, after everything that happened. Twelve to sixteen hours was a long time but… she could stick that out with him. So they could go to bed together after.
“If you have a trick for it then it’s much easier than moving my desktop through here. Once is fine, but if I have to keep moving it back and forth it’ll be a hassle. So… I’d really appreciate that, babe. It’ll be nicer if we can stay together.” She moved herself a bit so she could kiss his forehead, before looking over his head at Ed again, still wearing a pretty sappy smile.

“Well if Gin says we’re playing, I guess we’re playing. I didn’t have other plans beside-” clinging to Casey. That was too embarrassing to say. “Checking on the bees at some point. I need to get my computer set up through there too, but I’ll just use the one I brought with me… it already has all the games I own installed. So that won’t take long.”

”Oh, so we can cuddle still too?” Mia asked Ed, a coy tilt of her head to avert the gaze Ed gave back. Their clammy hands pressed against one another, fingers entwining.
”Gin’s gonna hate this.”
Casey laughed and pushed his hands forward, as if to wave the two girls off.

”Yuck! Get out of my office now, geeze… Too much affection in this fuckin’ room. And, before you go?-”
Casey’s voice cut just a little harsher now.
”-There’s gonna be some changes. Some real Gravity. I wanna see you two beat your demon, y’know? And Hari too.”

They both looked a little sad about that. Maybe defeated. Maybe embarrassed. Casey knew it was all of that and more, but he wasn’t going to be able to help himself.
”You know it’s not Her, Case… It's us.”
He nodded.
”I know that’s how Lynette wants you to feel about it. And I respect your bond, but we can’t deny the circumstance of Serenity’s birth. She’s your baby: All three of you.”

He stood, patting Trisha’s hand that was around him to reassure her before moving around the table to bring both the girls into a hug.
”I’m not shoving. Just nudging. And we’ll nudge along. Now, go on.”

He released them, and in unison the two girls spoke.
"Bye Trisha..."

”And we’ll talk more later!”

Casey practically slipped them out of the door, loosely closing it behind him to tilt his head back with a deep breath.
”Those friggin’ girls…”

Trisha watched silently, with a hint of jealousy again. It was difficult not to feel it. They had an older brother willing to support them, to help them deal with their problems without being forceful. Who cared for them. She wished she had that… But it was never possible with the Vanburens. Some were close, but very few of them were really like siblings. While she was able to get financial support from her oldest brother, she knew it was out of some familial obligation rather than any care.

So it was difficult to not feel jealous, even if she knew she shouldn’t.
“You’re a good older brother,” she smiled, pushing down the feeling to at least below the surface. She also made her way around the table, darting right over to him and against him as if just the moments apart were too much. It felt like it.
“A lot of people wouldn’t even bother, give up on them or would just get angry at them-” like me. “You’re… just…”

She trailed off, head tilting up to look up at him with a soft, almost loving gaze. Almost.
“Really amazing. If any of my siblings were half like you we would have a lot less problems now.”

Casey smiled widely back down at Trisha, dipping to kiss her for a moment. He was just doing what he wished people would do for him: Treating him with love and respect.
”I’ll do my best to be there for you like that too… We can make it better.”

---

Trisha’s Office

---

Eventually Trisha was about to drag herself away from Casey to actually go into her office to set it up. Since she was in here, she figured she might as well start setting up the computer they’d provided her with - she planned to use that one mostly for work, and keep more personal stuff to the desktop she already had. But that meant downloading a bunch of IDEs, starting to get a Virtual Machine set up… Transferring files from her personal computer, which she’d do later.

There wasn’t so much needed for that one. The desk was more than large enough for two screens for computer, with her setting up the Temple provided desktop at the door end of the desk and her own at the other end. Everything was plugged in, internet was connected, programs downloading on the other computer, fancy gaming mouse and keyboard she’d gotten as an (unnecessary) gift from Sal one year setup… she was all set.

“Babe, I’m all done, whenever you’re free and want to come through!” Trisha called through to the other room, not bothering to actually look out. She’d heard him talking, presumably on the phone, in French a lot, and figured he’d come through when he actually could. Or wouldn’t, if he was too busy and the trick wasn’t going to work out… that was fine.

She texted Gin that she was ready and got a response near immediately, with a link to a server where they could voice chat while playing. She pulled on her way too expensive headset, leaving the ear closest to the door half off, and joined the active call while opening up the game.
“Uh, hello, can you hear me alright? New setup…”
She hadn’t actually sat down yet, bent at the waist over her desk so she could use the keyboard and mouse more comfortably. She didn’t really want to get comfortable if Casey was going to come through, and just in case it somehow discouraged him from joining… she’d much rather plant her ass on him than the chair, and then she’d need to adjust the height of it… It was just easier to stand.

Gin's voice was bright and friendly in Trisha's headphones, if not a little loud. Nothing a quick adjustment couldn't fix.
“Daaaamn, you sound really nice! Are you running a standing microphone? Or a headset?” Gin asked as Trisha's direct messages began to fill up with download links.
“Also, Ed will be here in a few minutes. So while we're waiting, go ahead and download those. We'll unpack everything in a bit. Unless you know how to install mods to games?”

“Headset. A friend of mine recommended it to me, so I just bought it,” Trisha replied - once again showing her rich girl side, where she hadn’t even checked the price before getting it. Though she could be money conscious, had to be the times Ezra squeezed her allowance, but it was never that bad. She adjusted Gin’s sound down a bit first before clicking through all the links, starting up the download. It was fast - faster than even the super expensive internet back at Sabrina’s place.
“I’ve modded games before, I assume Minecraft is the same? It’s just dragging stuff into a specific folder, right? Not like I need to code anything.”

Though she could do that too if she needed to, she’d just prefer not to. She tilted her head to the side as she found the Minecraft folder, and the one underneath it very obviously named Mods. Her body wiggled from side to side as she started to copy the mods across, still standing with her elbows resting on her desk.
“Why so many? Is the base game bad? I haven’t even played that.”

”It’s kind of… Boring? For me? There’s not enough going on, I guess. Maybe it’ll be too much for you and Ed, so we can turn some on and leave some off. Like, magic’s kind of simple. I want crazier stuff, so I like using thaumaturgy. And that only comes from a mod. Or, my older brother Brey likes better combat, so… Like I said, we can tone it down.”
Her voice was bubbly, happy and oddly frenetic considering they were just sitting down to play a game.

”Also, don’t mind me… I’m on the treadmill! Gotta keep moving. Hey, Loretta!?”
There was a click, and then Trisha was alone without any sort of noise. Only for everything to come rushing back with another click.
”Alright, nobody’s gonna bother me. Loretta’s got calls, Brey’s doing his thing… Did you download the app for the bee tracker yet?” Gin asked casually as the crack of a can could be heard near the mic.

Gin was playing on a treadmill? Trisha’s mouth fell open. Seriously? Were all Temple members fucking mad about fitness? Sure, Casey was yet to drag her to the gym with him but… being into it was definitely a running theme. Or maybe it was just her bias with who she was paying attention to?
“I’m fine with the mods, so long as you don’t mind going slow and explaining everything… We’ll see how it goes. And the bee tracker app… not yet. It’s been a chaotic day.”

She could’ve, quite easily, but she’d spent the whole time clinging to Casey right until she was setting stuff up in here. There wasn’t really the want to. She leaned over towards one of the drawers near the desk, pulling out the tablet she’d shoved in there. It didn’t take long to navigate to the message Gin had sent, and start downloading the app. Would it work as well on a tablet… she wasn’t sure, but she really didn’t want Temple tech on her phone.

But the sound of the can cracking open on the other end reminded her of something - namely, her own thirst, which had been in the background for a while. When did she last drink? Actually, had she eaten? Yes, they had something to eat, she hadn’t completely forgotten…
“One minute-” Trisha hit the mute button on her headset, twisting her head towards the door to call through it… hopefully Casey would hear her. White Lux had to help with that, right?
“Casey, mind bringing me a drink when you come through? Thanks, babe!”

She could definitely get it herself but… she wasn’t thirsty enough to be bothered. She turned her mic back on.
“I’ve got the bee tracker app downloaded now.” Trisha grabbed the login Gin had made for her too, tapping it in. As the display came up, a few curious bees hovered down towards it, landing on the screen and messing it up. She laughed.
“The bees approve of your work- Well, I think they just like the screen, but a couple of them are checking it out. This is going to make things much easier for me. I can find it all out manually, but it takes time. There’s a lot of signals I need to decipher to get the full picture.”

”I’m happy it’s useful. I added a few more cameras and sensors to the main flower patch. Someone working on the project wants to see how their flowers hold up under the scrutiny of thousands of bees. We’re thinking that the scaled up ones need to be manually pollinated the first couple seasons to contend with the fact that we don’t have enough bees right now.”
Which was fair enough; if those “giant” flowers were used to being pollinated by bees that were normal sized, then sixty thousand miniaturized bees may only be good for a couple of them.

”So when that time comes, we’ll probably ask your help: We don’t want them getting hurt or crushed by a giant cue tip, so they’ll need to be directed away from the big ones. Also? They’ve got a really cool pattern going on in box four. You should be able to pull up the cam.”

Casey wandered into Trisha’s office with a can of seltzer and a can of soda, holding both up as if to ask her preference.
”I’m gonna be a little bit longer…” he said at a level so quiet, Trisha absolutely wouldn’t be able to hear him through her headphones.

Thankfully Trisha had been wearing the earpad nearest the door half off, so she just about heard what he said. She leaned towards him to take the can of soda with a smile, putting it down on the desk and catching his hand in her own. She wriggled her fingers between his and curled them round in a gentle rubbing motion.
“Alright, but don’t take too long, I’ll miss you too much,” she smiled sweetly, bringing his hand up to her lips to kiss it, before letting go.

“Obviously I’ll help keep the bees out of the way, I can’t let them get crushed- shit, that is an interesting pattern.” Trisha turned back to her computer, and went back to talking to Gin as if there hadn’t been an interruption and she hadn’t forgotten to turn off her mic during it. She’d played around with the app a bit and pulled up the camera for the fourth box. The bees were working away, comb spiralling out. It had started to go up in layers too, an intricate weaving pattern. It was small at the moment but… she could see the bees' vision.
“They’re really enjoying the extra space. The hive box I had before was too small, but I was working with what I had. They’re forming the comb a lot faster than normal… But it being Winter helps. They’ve all been bored, and I don’t have much to call them for. They’ll be properly producing honey soon.”

Trisha paused, realising she’d been rambling a bit, and biting her lip. She knew it was fine, probably. This was Gin, who seemed really interested in the bees. Casey had been interested too. But she was used to people who weren’t interested.
“Maybe when I harvest the first batch you can come watch? It’s a boring, manual process but it’s important for… keeping my magical bond with the bees.”

”Oh, um… Yeah. Sure. I mean if you want me there; I can always watch from the cameras, or watch you from up above while you’re doing it.”
Gin’s tone shifted a bit as she withdrew from the topic slightly. She sighed, cleared her throat and spoke.
”I… Promise I won’t uh… It was a bad day. I’m sorry, I still feel really bad.”

Trisha frowned. Did she mean… the day they’d met. Honestly, surprisingly, Trisha had practically forgotten about it. So much had happened since. It was still a surprise because normally… normally she held onto these things. Annoyances.
“It’s fine, you already apologised then. So long as you don’t try to touch the bees, it’s fine for you to be there. They’re not like pets and they’re… kind of an extension of me. Sort of. It’s complicated. I think I’d find it weirder if you were watching from above.”

She still wasn’t particularly sold on the idea that Project of Eden members could essentially walk into the Greenhouse and look down on her if she was there. The cameras were a bit uncomfortable, but something she could rationalise. But the visibility of someone watching… Well, she’d just have to get over it.
“If you really feel bad… just use that feeling to be really patient when we’re playing. I’m sure I’ll get a hang of it quickly-” she probably wouldn’t- “but there’ll be a learning curve.”

”I mean I’m a good teacher. I think.”
There was a very loud laugh from the background.
”Suck a fuck, Brey! Trisha’s way smarter than a clod like you. Trisha, listen, I’m not gonna lie there’s like a metric fuckton of stuff. It’s gonna start out relatively simple, but you should almost definitely like… Turn the game on and just fuck with it for a second. Or check out a tutorial? Cuz I suck. I really do, like I’m… I’ve got… I think between active hours playing and dream modules where I can condense time down? Like thirty thousand hours into this game with these mods. I’m… So far gone from where you are.”

There was an automated notification sound to let them both know that someone else joined the group.
”Oh, knight in shining armor… Ed knows the basics, she’s way better than I am.”
A pause rendered silence, and then muffled noise, and a half-intelligible garble from the other side.
”e-r m”

”E-eddy?”
”-EAR M-?”
”Dude… Unplug and plug back in.”

There was another moment’s pause, and then a loud burst of static as the port that the mic was on was left wide open to return white noise from the power of the machine. As quick as it came, it stopped, and both girls could hear Ed’s voice much clearer.
”Did it work?”
”Yeah, it seems like it. Did you hear me? Trisha wants me to be patient while playing a game.”

Ed laughed openly on the other end, her voice sounding fairly energetic.
”It’s cool, dude. Do your thing, just like… Don’t make it miserable while we’re trying to learn. Like, that video you sent me? Can you at least wait until we make the platform before you go off on your own bullshit? Don’t worry Trisha, I got you.” she happily said on the other end.
”Ehm, we.”
”Oh, yeah. Mimi’s got Leon’s computer, so I guess we’re all just doing this now. So, we have your back.”

Trisha laughed, genuinely. She was looking forward to this, and wasn’t too worried if Gin did end up making it miserable. When something was online it was incredibly easy to just quit. Hopefully that wouldn’t be necessary… because with the hard feelings swept away as much as possible, she was going to try to make the most of this. Enjoy herself, get to know them. Allow herself a little bit of hope that she could have a few more people properly in her life.
“Ed’s right, so long as you don’t get upset at whatever we’re doing while you’re off doing complicated minecraft magic,” Trisha said, smiling even though they couldn’t see her.
“Maybe between the three of us we can make a house - or is that setting the standard too high? Too low? I’ve really never played. Oh, maybe I should get everything setup on my other computer too, so Casey can play if he’s not working next time.”

As she was speaking, Trisha started to actually boot it up.
“Do I have to do anything with the mods, or is just having them in the folder enough?” She’d pulled up a guide for the base game, and every mod that she could find one for, on her second screen, but it was a lot to go through.
“If that’s just it, I’m ready to start.”

”House sounds pretty doable. I mean technically the whole first bit seems to be us building a floor.”
”Yeah, you get to twerk the dirt and make wood planks from your trees.”
”What’d she just say?”
”She said you twerk? In the dirt? Pretty simple stuff.”

Gin and Ed both laughed, and Casey stumbled in through the door playfully.
”All the status in the world, you still have to wait on hold for the insurance company… How’s it going?”
”-exe and it should be good.”
The conversations rammed together as Casey spoke a bit louder while Gin was explaining something about starting the game.

Trisha frowned for a moment, but patted the seat behind her to indicate Casey should sit in it. She was still standing, having half forgotten that she was. But the headset wasn’t going to work if she wanted to hear the girls and Casey… which she did.
“I’ll be back in a minute-” she mumbled into her mic before muting herself, pulling it off and turning her head towards Casey, smiling now.
“Have you tried owning the insurance company? It works wonders for getting things sorted.”

As Trisha spoke she went over to a box she hadn’t fully unpacked, just past the desk. She crouched down, pulling out and discarding some random wires and other gadgets before pulling out a standing microphone and small plug in speaker. It was… once again something she’d bought without thinking of the price at Sal’s recommendation before realising she really didn’t have the need for it. He’d claimed it was for if she and Reyna gamed together with the rest of them, then they’d broken up.
But it’d be useful now.

“We haven’t started, but it’s going good, I think. We’re planning to build a house. Even Mia’s playing,” Trisha said as she got it all set up, muting the call as she unplugged her headset and replaced it with the other microphone and speaker, placed with a bit of thought so there wouldn’t be any feedback. She pointed to the microphone.
“They’ll be able to hear you. I can move back to the headset if you want, but then I won’t really be able to… pay attention to both? And then I’ll just end up paying more attention to you than them.”

Casey's face opened up into a sweet expression. One a child receives when they give their parent a piece of macaroni artwork to hang. For him, Trisha's grand enthusiasm toward his presence made a world of difference.
As he watched her flit about hooking things up, his arms tried to tell her to stop without his voice following.

”I mean if it doesn't pick up too far away, so I can take a call and not worry about people hearing. You're real sweet for this, you know? Including me and all…” his torso bent over the desk, and Casey planted a kiss on Trisha's head.

“Of course I'm going to include you," Trisha smiled softly at him, eyes creasing contentedly. If anything, it felt selfish rather than sweet. She'd agreed to game because it should be fun, and she did want to get closer to Gin, Mia and Ed but… she'd always choose his company. This meant she didn't have to.
“The mic doesn't pick up that far. It's designed to block out background noise while letting you just sit normally without having to talk right into it. If you move further back it gets kind of muffled, then if you just push the chair back enough it doesn't pick anything up at all. I can mute it too." Having finished setting everything up, she demonstrated the ranges, from just in front of her desk as if she was sitting, to leaning back, to a few steps. She then moved the chair to where he'd be able to just speak to be heard even from behind her, but it'd be pretty easy to move it out of the range.

After a quick check, she was satisfied that it would all work, stretching back up properly and moving over to Casey. She wrapped her arms around him and leaned into him, burying her face against his chest for just a moment. Then she shuffled her feet towards her chair, trying to drag him towards it and push him onto it so they could sit down - not that she had the strength to do either without him going along with it.
“C’mon, I want to get comfy before I unmute everything and it gets noisy… I hope they haven't already started. They wouldn't, would they?" There was a bit of nervous energy there, even as Trisha tried to play it off as a casual thought. She was too used to just being left behind.

Casey, still on the phone and holding about some bullshit insurance scam that he was apparently now responsible for. All he had to do was get a few pieces of information from the company that he could pass along the pipeline to the finance office… But they were fucking him to death underneath a mountain of line transfers. So far, five, and it’d spanned the course of over an hour.
Things weren’t so bad when he and Trisha were just spending time together, but now she wanted to move and seemed to want him there from the jump until it was done. Not like he didn’t want to be with her that whole time, but business was business. He didn’t want her interrupted because he had work to do.

But here she was, practically hanging off the side of him like they were both kids. It made him smile and laugh rather than get upset. He figured she’d had a hard day, and just wanted the comfort he provided…
”Alright, alright… But you’ll have to get up if I need you to. I still don’t trust the mic being there, or that there isn’t something I can’t… Shit. I’m already a paranoid fuck, Jesus…” his words tapered off until he was mumbling to himself.
Nevertheless, he took up the handset for the telephone and made way for Trisha’s seat. He had it on speaker, and there was a gentle elevator song playing from within. With him, he brought a small box from underneath his desk; it was wood, a crate-like thing, and had heel indents from where whoever occupied the space would usually put their feet up to rest.

Casey still had aches and pains, after all; magical healing didn’t always do a great job putting things back together intelligently. Certain bones were warped forever, organs the wrong size for the space provided and nerve endings bent and crooked so that they pinched naturally. It was a little bit of relief to his knees and hips, at least… Especially if she really was planning on sitting on him more.
Trisha wasn’t heavy… The pain was a small price to pay, as was the inconvenience. He was happy to hold her. Casey slid the box into place under Trisha’s desk and assumed the position of seat cushion. The handset went on the desk where he assumed it wouldn’t be picked up by the mic, and finally patted his lap.

”C’mon, Cutie. Time to get in the mech… Or, whatever? Plug in? Lock on?” he grinned up at her jokingly.

Trisha's eyes went up towards the ceiling in what was probably an eye roll, but the effect was ruined by her giggling and bright smile. It was much easier to relax with him there - even if this was her office, it was still an unfamiliar place just now. Especially after what had happened today, and the general lack of sleep, it put her slightly on edge. But now… she felt like she could fully relax and enjoy herself. She was safe.

“I like locking on most,” Trisha laughed. She climbed onto his lap, cuddling into him at first before turning towards the desk to get comfortable. It was a bit awkward with how his legs were - but it would’ve been either with the size difference, there was no way she could hang her own over his and sit normally. She ended up crossing her legs, resting mostly on his thighs.
“Speaking of mechs reminds me of… there were these three in the coven who’d make this Spider mech together. It was… weird. Super weird, but surprisingly effective.”

She shrugged and then pointed to the mic, her finger hovering over a small button on the base.
“Tap this and the mic will be muted. I can do it quickly, I can also do it with my keyboard… If needed. You can just move me however you want if you need to get up, or if you’re uncomfortable, or anything.” She twisted her head back towards him to smile at him, still that little bit of nervous energy there.
“Alright, I’m going to unmute.”

Trisha leaned towards her desk, tapping a few keys. Instantly the previously quiet computer came to life as the call was unmuted, and quiet game music also started coming through the speakers.
“Uh, sorry, Casey came in… I missed most of what you said, Gin, can you repeat it? Then we can actually get started…” She glanced behind her at Casey again.
“Oh, also, I changed my setup, so he can hear everything. We’ll have to postpone the Casey complaints session to next time!” She joked, laughing - she definitely didn’t have any complaints about him. But she didn’t want it to come as a shock to the other three that he was there.

”That won’t stop me, I could smell him through the computer.” Gin’s smirk was audible through the microphone. Ed laughed in response, and Mia’s faint voice echoed.
”She said Casey smells…” Ed relayed, causing Mia’s laugh to get a little louder in the background.

Casey leaned forward a little bit, turning in the chair to get himself nice and close to the microphone before burping.
”Tough girl behind the computer, Ginara. You still wearing a diaper during your gaming marathons?”
Gin scoffed on the other end.
”I don’t do that, that’s disgusting!”
Casey grinned an evil grin.
”I’ve been on some recon missions I wish I had a diaper on during. You ever shit in a ditch, Ginny?”

”UUUUUGH TRISHA!? Get rid of him, we don’t want him anymore.”
Ed and Mia were both laughing uncontrollably at this point.
”Let him cook, Gin! We don’t get many war stories.”
Casey shook his head, twisting himself back so Trisha would be in front of the computer again.
”Nuh-uh. Play your game.”
As he spoke, his hands seemed to grip a little tighter on Trisha. Just enough to know that he was, in fact, a bit agitated. Why? When he’d brought it up himself? Sometimes the mouth moved faster than the brain… It wasn’t the toilet situation that was the trigger, so much as it was just a link in a chain that stretched a mile long between himself and doom.

Going any further down the chain was just asking for trouble, so… No stories. He wasn’t drunk enough, surely.
”So, Trisha? There’s an executable in the main game folder that has the same image as the launcher? But it’s named BLE.exe?-” she began to explain. ”I’ve got everything packed up in that custom launcher, so we’ll just leave everything on and see if you guys like it. But you can just hit it, and then when the server is on, it’ll drag you in.”

“Oh, that easy? Got it.” As she navigated to the main game folder and found the executable, double clicking it, her other hand resting on one of Casey’s. She gently rubbed her fingers against the back of it. She didn’t really know how else to bring him any comfort, and she definitely wasn’t going to verbally bring it up - she wouldn’t even if they were alone. She didn’t really get it, but she did get not wanting to talk about things.

“Done. And sorry, Gin, but he’s staying, he’s far too comfortable for me to get rid of. You’ve got your treadmill, I’ve got my boyfriend, we all enjoy our different ways of gaming.” After she said that she leaned back, neck bending back and head twisting to the side to press a light kiss to Casey’s jawline. Then she moved back into a ready position, hand over his giving it a light squeeze before moving to her keyboard.
“So now I’ve opened it I just… wait for you to start up the server?”

”That’s it. Ed, are you and Mia ready?” Gin asked, a little huff of air escaping her as the treadmill began a running cycle.
”Uhhhh… Nnnno. I’m hungry.”
”You just ate?” Mia said in the far background.
”Fine, fine! We’re ready then, I gue- No, let me get-”

There was a rumble as Ed pushed up and away from her desk. There was a gentle rubbing, and then a familiar voice.
”I know you’re in there…”

”Get the fuck away from there you son of a bitch!”
There was a loud impact noise, some thwacking, and then Ed’s voice.
”And stay in there, you fuck!”
A door slammed, and then there was some muffled conversation before Ed settled back in.
”Jesus Christ, Casey, how long do we have to keep playing Leon’s game?”

Casey grimaced, holding tightly onto Trisha.
”After a day like today? Not long. I’m going to talk to him about it.”
”Holy shit are we ready yet?” Gin was short of breath, but still tried to giggle in spite of it.

Trisha’s whole body stiffened the moment she heard that voice. Her hand gripped her mouse tightly, and she pressed back against Casey more, even though he was already holding onto her tight enough there was really any gap. It was difficult to stop herself from trembling. Your fault, your fault, your fault. The phantom words echoed in her ears. She’d just suppressed it all. Fuck.
“Yeah, kinda fucked Leon’s keeping a deadly cat in his basement- is it a wolf thing?” Trisha tried to joke, but it fell flat.

She took a deep breath, just about managing to calm down again. It was gone, shut out… sounded like it got a fair beating as well. She laughed a little at that image.
“We’re ready, let’s just go- right Ed? Not like it’s a shooting game, things won’t be attacking us from the start, so it’s fine… They won’t, right? We won’t spawn in and immediately get killed by one of those green exploding things?”

Gin laughed as Trisha panicked. She obviously didn’t know Trisha was panicking, but she did know about it.
”Oh, man… No, Wamp is just… Fuckin’ crazy. He’s not really… Keeping it there. Y’know? Like, the government… Keeps nuclear weapons.” Gin said between breaths.
”But, unlike the real world… You’re safe when we spawn!”

A vaguely unsettling segue into the screen showing a big loading bar and a quote.

”The most certain way to succeed is to try one more time.”

T. Edison

And then they were in a world of bright blue. Each of the four characters loading in spawned on a small grassy plane the size of a small room. There was a single tree and a single box.
”Alright… Ed, you and the girls get started. I’m gonna get more Mon- Water. More water.”
Ed giggled.
”Alright… So, you’ve never played, Trisha?”

“Nope, never,” Trisha said. She experimentally moved her character about - which was just the default skin - before jumping around a bit. Then she clicked the mouse and… accidentally punched one of the other characters that she’d jumped near.
“Oops, sorry. Do we just punch things to destroy then… then what? I thought there would be a massive world to explore. Is this because of one of the mods?”

She played around a bit more, figuring out how to open up her inventory. It didn’t seem too hard… then again, she wasn’t playing minecraft for a challenge.
“We’re definitely not fitting a nice house in this space.”
”Yeah, pretty much. What I watched, we’ve got this tree, right? So we should be really careful, cuz if we lose it starting here and don’t get another sapling, Gin has to like restart I think. But like, we can… Get dirt? Like, dig down a block? You just look down and left click hold.”
Her character jumped up and down, then smacked the ground until it popped out a block and she sucked it up. Then she moved over to the area near the tree.
”The video I watched said we should make the platform around the tree wider, so we don’t lose anything.”

Mia’s character looked down and also began to beat the ground.
”Wait, can we fall?”
”Yeah, that’s the whole point, so don’t dig too far down. Only like a block or two. And don’t dig so we can’t get to the tree.”

“Al-right,” Trisha said, furrowing her brow. She moved her mouse to look down, destroying the block right underneath her and pulling it into her inventory. Then she got the one next to her.
“So we get dirt, widen the platform… then what? We just keep expanding until we’ve got a really wide platform and one tree? I don’t-” she cut herself off. She wasn’t going to start questioning how fun this would be from the start.

“I don’t really get it, but sure. Should I just keep digging? If we fall is that, like, perma-death?”

Ed laughed at Trisha’s confusion.
”Not permanent, but whatever you’re holding disappears into nothing, so it's a waste. Once we’ve got a wide enough platform, we cut the tree down and plant more. It's a cycle, we’re gonna start by hand making shit. Gin will be able to, like, make stuff. And while she’s doing that, we’re just gonna make a house and a place to store shit. Eventually we’ll have portals so we can go to real worlds and stuff to get more supplies.”

Eventually the platform was wide enough that Ed deemed it suitable, and built a dirt staircase up the side of the tree.
”So, now we’ll beat the tree up. We’ll get wood, and when all the wood blocks are gone, the leaves will start to die and drop saplings that we can plant. It’s why we wanted the platform, so we didn’t lose any.”
Mia instantly started punching Ed’s character.
”No! NO! Not meeeee!”

There was plenty of laughter from behind as Casey watched on. His hands snuck around her and onto the keyboard to move her forward, then he started punching Mia.
”NO, TRISHA!”

“It’s not me! I’m being framed!” Trisha laughed, wriggling her hand that was trapped underneath his against her mouse. She pushed her fingers up against his to try and stop him from clicking, while reaching over with her other hand to playfully try to pry his hand away.
“I’m a minecraft pacifist, I would never attack you, Mia, it’s all Casey! He’s out of control.” Trisha quite happily threw her boyfriend under the bus, giggling as she did so, body shaking with her laughter.

As she said that, he let go and threw his hands up.
”No! I didn’t, I swear, I don’t even play computer games!”
Mia and Ed were both laughing hard along with Trisha and Casey, filling the chatroom with giggles.

Trisha grinned, eyes narrowing playfully as she turned to look at Casey. Making sure he could see, she held down the left button, going right back to punching Mia.
“Oh my god, Casey?! Stop it- I swear, I’m trying to stop him, but I just can’t! Don’t-” Trisha’s eyebrows raised, lips curving into a wider, teasing smile as she punched Mia enough to kill her. Trisha immediately stole all of her remaining… dirt.
“I can’t believe you! Your sister’s… blocks- haha- are on your hands…”

”Oh my God, Trisha! You’re so fuckin’ rotten!” he laughed aloud, hands moving to begin tickling Trisha’s sides.
”Evil girlfriend! You’re Father Wolf, I can’t believe it!”
Mia respawned and very quickly made way for Trisha, slapping her until she too died; all the while, Casey kept her pinned with his hands.
”Get her, Mia, I’ve got her pinned!”

There was a loud beep from the phone handset, then a voice came over the speaker.
“Hi, my name is Larry with Special Service Claims, how can I help you?”
”Aw, fuck, now? One second, dude…”
Casey moved his hand down to pat Trisha’s thigh.
”Stand up, boo. I’ll be right back.” he said, taking the handset and turning off the speaker.
”-Yeah, hi. My name is Rodney Marco? I was just calling in about a claim having to do with my business?”

Trisha pouted at Casey’s back as he left the room, panting lightly from all of the tickling - she couldn’t believe he’d betrayed her like that! Sure, she’d betrayed him first… but still. She leaned on the desk to catch her breath for a moment before sitting back down, moving right to the front of the chair so she could reach everything fine.
“Casey’s gone, so no more fighting… since it was all him, and he framed me,” Trisha laughed breathlessly, moving her respawned character towards the other two. Her dirt…

“Let’s start beating up the tree while he’s not here to steal my mouse. It is a bit unfair Ed hasn’t died yet, but since I’m a minecraft pacifist, I’ll let it go. I only punch inanimate objects.” She jumped around Mia and Ed a bit, before heading towards the tree.
“Can I just start destroying it?” she asked, even as she started to punch the tree block nearest the ground without waiting for an answer.

”Wait! Trisha… Doesn’t… Doesn’t Ed kind of look like a Tree?” Mia asked aloud.
”No, no ple-”

The laughs and the murder continued, interspersed by periods of genuine effort and coordination. Slowly, surely, between the effort of the three of them, they managed to begin stockpiling wood from the beginning of nothingness on a single, level platform. From there, they learned about rapidly crouching in order to grow the tree quicker, and the three started work on some pretty basic Minecraft architecture.
Before long, there was enough space that they could begin building a house.

Gin had come back since, and with her came automation for certain new blocks. Dirt, stone, wood in greater quantities: She actually wasn’t terrible about explaining how these modified concepts worked in conjunction with the basic mechanics. Thankfully, Ed was there to bridge any gaps.
Now, there were rows and rows of chests with materials being manually shoved into them on scant occasions. Clearly they needed a home…

It was during the planning of this structure, which had been the ultimate goal of the play session, that Casey finally came back to her. Standing in the doorway, he’d brought her a fresh drink and some fruits to eat. Even a slice of watermelon, his seemingly favorite treat for the bees.
”Can we make a dirt level to build it on? I don’t want to put wood on wo-”

”Do you want any of this? If not I’m gonna put it in my little fridge down here before I sit again.” he asked Trisha, unknowingly talking over his sister.
”Tell him to shut up, Trisha. Women are talking.” Mia laughed from the background.

“You can tell him yourself," Trisha shot back with a laugh, turning her speakers back up - she'd turned them down when Casey left just in case it disturbed his call, and because she could just lean forward to hear if needed… but it was loud enough for sitting in front of the computer. Not so much to reach the door well.
“Now he can hear everything. I'm not going to tell him to shut up when he's bringing me good, but…" she tilted her head towards Casey with a smile.
“We’re in important house planning stages, so no taking over again, okay? We've moved past the murder to the building."

The bees in the room, which had settled in various plants both Temple provided and brought by Trisha from her old place, were already making their way over to the fruit. They didn't even wait for Casey to properly enter the room - they weren't human, after all - they just smelled it and went for it, almost all of them immediately gathering on the watermelon and starting to much.
“I’m fi-" she stopped before she turned down the offer of fruit, tilting her head and furrowing her brow for a moment. When had she last eaten? She didn't remember. She'd gotten better generally at sticking to a schedule with that, since she didn't get properly hungry that often, but it'd been thrown off the last few days.

“I’ll have all of it… well I probably won't eat all of the fruit, but I'll have some. Thanks for bringing it for me." she smiled sweetly at him, left hand coming off the keyboard and reaching towards him with little grabby motions.
“Are you all done with your call, then?"

”Yeeees Trisha Bee. I’m all done. And Norm’s active for me, so-” he paused, kicking the door closed with his foot. ”-you’ve got all my attention.”
As she made cute little grabbing motions at him, Casey couldn’t help but beam an enthusiastic smile as he observed her utter cuteness. He was obsessed.
”Hey, no grabbies: Get’cha butt up, lemmie sit back down. I’ll feed you while you go, like a Princess.”

”Caseeeey! You’re so fucking cute, that’s actually disgusting.”
Ed laughed at what Mia said, a shuffle rubbing against her mic as she turned her head.
”Queen of the Cuddle Puddle over here thinks you being cute is gross…-”
There was a pause.
”-Yeah! Yeah, you!”
”I have no idea what you’re referring to.”
”Oh Eddy, Baby? My back is sooooo sore, I was hunched over my desk working aaaaall night…” Ed mocked Mia, pitching her voice up and making it extra raspy.
”Stooooop!” Mia whined in return.

”You’re all gonna make me sick. Casey? Since you’re back, can I ask you something?”
Casey was still coming around the desk.
”Is it about work?”
”Y-yes…”
”Then no, this isn’t an official or secure method of communication, and it’s not been approved by me for use by members to communicate information classified or not.” he spoke very matter of factly, and very plainly to Gin.
”Okay, should I text your work number?” she asked, seeming to take it in stride.
”You can, but I’m not going to answer it right now, so you should wait until you’re done playing games with your friends. Focus on the good things in life, my dear.” he finished, finally coming up to Trisha and patting her on the butt a couple of times while she got up.

Trisha had been quick to stand up, laughing as she listened to Mia and Ed, overall very happy about the idea of getting to cuddle with him again and get fed. And, especially happy that she had all of his attention. In the time she'd been away she hadn't even bothered adjusting the chair back to her own height, just sitting there with her shorter legs dangling.
“Hey, not when we're on call," Trisha joked with a bright smile, catching the hand that had patted her butt with her own. She played with his fingers for a moment before she hopped forward to give him room to sit back down. She spun around and with the other hand pushed his shoulder as if to hurry him and actually push him into the chair… which, again, she couldn't do without him going along with it.

“Casey’s right, Gin, no work talk allowed while we're playing unless it's an emergency. We have a house to build, no distractions… aside from the cuddling and the treadmill." She laughed, making sure to put in that very important aside. Not that Casey should be counted as a distraction, not in the same way work was, and Mia and Ed were playing together.
“I’m a bit of an expert in house decoration now, after choosing the furniture for our place, so I can… well, actually, is it possible to make anything colourful? Can we make carpets? Or is it all going to be dirt brown and wood brown?"

”Gotta dye the sheep.” Gin responded simply. Casey laughed in turn, wondering if she was just focused, or if she was bothered by his lack of desire to know about work. The way he figured, if Furio was still in charge, then she’d wait until she saw him to ask…
So why be treated any differently? Did he not deserve that respect? But he didn’t want to ruin Trisha’s game time by making anything of it. He settled into the seat, threw his feet up on the box, and slid forward to slip Trisha off her feet and back onto his lap.
”There we go…”

As they got into a good position again, Casey was free to tilt back slightly. His hand dipped into the bag of grapes, ripping one of the vines out to pull directly from. His large hand held it up to Trisha for her to take a bite.
”So, sheep… Wool… Uh, we…”
”The… Wait! We can get sheep to spawn the boring way or the cool way, which do you guys want to do?”

”Tell us more.”
”Boring is going into alchemy and making magic dirt that enables mob spawning on the applied blocks.”
”Like how the normal game works… Okay, I’m almost scared of what the cool way is.”
Gin’s laugh was pure evil.
”We go into blood magic and sacrifice ourselves to uh… Baa’phomet? The… Sheep God? And then we’ll be able to trade blood for sheep eggs that spawn fully grown sheep of whatever color you want.”

“There's Gods in Minecraft?" Trisha asked with a laugh. She tilted her head to eat the grapes offered to her, letting her character on the screen stay stationary for a bit longer as she lay back against Casey's chest with a contented sigh. They were just planning right now, so she might as well enjoy the comfort while chatting.
“That sounds faster and more fun. As long as we dump everything we're holding into boxes we won't lose it right? So it's not really much of a sacrifice… I've always wanted to try blood magic. What do we have to do for that?"

The last bit was a joke, but she had always been jealous of the adepts with access to it. Adepts of all kinds, really, with the option to learn and develop whatever spells they wanted. Not that she'd trade the bees for anything. As she thought of them, her gaze moved over to the bees on the watermelon, their happy pheromones adding to her own relaxation. They'd devoured a good chunk of it, and most of them had rolled off onto the plate, just lying there in various positions. Some were even on their backs with their little legs splayed out.
“You’re spoiling them," Trisha said softly to Casey, turning his attention towards the barely moving, far too full bees as she ate another grape herself.
“They’re going to get fat with all the watermelon you're giving them. Look at them, they can barely move."

Casey bit a grape open, ripping it in half with his teeth before sliding it toward the bees.
”Eat, eat eat. Get fat, make Momma lots of honey. Enjoy yourselves.”
His big finger moved toward one, rubbing into its little abdomen. Its legs pressed back into the finger, sticking on with their little hooks still covered in watermelon.
”Of course I spoil them. I told you, they’re part of you. You’re spoiled, so are they.”

”No Gods in the base game: Shit is definitely a Mod of the highest order.” Ed laughed from behind the computer.
”We’re gonna kill ourselves then? That’s kinda brutal, Gin, I’m game for it.”
One could hear Gin’s smile as she spoke on the other end.
”Everything’s like… A project on a project. It’s not fast, Trisha, it’s… We’ve gotta… Like, there’s refinery layers and shit.”

”Is this one of those factory games you keep trying to tell me to play, Gin?”
”It could be, Dude. You’d love that shit: I know you love making automation. If you were a Blind, I bet you’d be a mechanical engineer.”
”I’d probably be a fuckin’ Staff Sergeant in the Army. Never would’ve made it to CW.”
”You’d still be gay too.”
”I am not the gay one here, Carpeteer…”
”I’ll have you know we shave one another thoroughly-”
”EDDY OH MY GOD-”

”I’ll file that image away.”
”Ginara!?”
There was a breakdown of laughs again as Casey tried his best to not pick Trisha up and abscond from the conversation.
”This is too much for me…”
”You literally asked for this.”

“Oh my god, I don't want to know either," Trisha leaned forward, bringing her knees up so that she could press her face into them. Her body shook with laughter as she tried her best not to think about it all. Not that she was a prude at all, or wasn't experienced in an absolute variety of things but… there was just something about hearing about others. Or whatever this was.

“Hey, hey, go back a bit, Mia, did you just call my boyfriend gay? Are you trying to imply something? Cmon, he can be at most ninety percent gay," Trisha said with a light laugh. Her legs dropped back down, and she turned her head around to smile warmly at him. She reached up to stroke his cheek, before playfully squeezing it. As the bees that weren't full moved over to the grape he'd pulled apart for them, her smile grew even warmer, softer. They were munching on it happily, while a few that were full had meandered over to Trisha, crawling onto her shoulders and then Casey's to just rest on them both.

“I’m glad you're the current you, not a mechanical engineer or… anything else." she said softly. Maybe it was partly the specific job Gin had suggested - mechanical engineer, a minor trigger, since it was her mother's job. But she did genuinely like Casey as he was. She'd like him if he was blind too, of course.
“But if you enjoy that kind of thing, maybe I can set something up for you to join us next time?" As she spoke, Trisha's hands came back to her keyboard, moving her character around a bit.
“Let’s… let's move on, back to sacrificing ourselves to the Minecraft gods! Before Casey really decides he's had enough… So, what do we do, Gin? Start with killing ourselves? I'm ready."

”We need a Bloody Grindstone. Which means we need a Bloody Stone-”
Ed and Mia immediately broke into song.
"Like a bloody storm, atsuku like a bloody stone! Ketsumyaku ni kizamareta innen niiiiiiii!"

”Oh my God you two have zero lives put together. Come here, you’re the fuckin’ Bloody Stone!”
Trisha could watch Gin’s character pull out a stone block before running toward Ed. She proceeded to pummel her until she died, then followed up on Mia before turning to Trisha. There was a clear streak of red that now prominently sat on the corner of the block.
”Objective complete…”

“Gin, what the fuck?" Trisha's mouth dropped open. She looked at the screen, feeling an impending sense of doom. Did Gin just need to kill the two of them?
“Remind me to never piss off Gin," she muttered to Casey.

She very quickly got over the shock, though, stealing everything Mia and Ed had dropped before they respawned. At the same time she moved herself away from Gin.
“So you can just use this to make a bloody grindstone, right? You don't need to beat me with a stone too? I know I agreed to sacrifice myself, but I'd rather it be on my own terms." She was laughing a bit by the end.
“I have enough of a life I deserve to live a little longer."

”Yeah, yeah I can make it…” she paused for a moment.
”Wait. No. I need three more stones. Sorry Trisha.-”

“No, no, no-"
Trisha was beaten to death with a stone, and then Mia and Ed as soon as they respawned. But after the necessary murder, they went back to working together. Gin did what she had to for the blood magic (after a revenge killing by the other three), and they started building the foundation of the house. There was a lot of learning involved, and Trisha fell to her death a few times trying to build the house multiple stories high, but it was fun. She was really enjoying herself.

They took a brief dinner break, where Trisha basically had to be dragged away from the screen when the food they ordered arrived. She forced herself to get through what was really half a meal, with very little appetite for it, before going back to the game. There was no way she’d be able to rest until they got this all done.

Building, murder, ritual self-sacrifice to the sheep God, coordination, a couple of arguments about appearance that got resolved with murder and laughter… Eventually, they completed the house. By then it was the middle of the night.

“And… we’re done!” Trisha put the last block on the roof, before hopping down the little set of stairs she’d made herself at the back of the house. She moved her character backwards to properly look at what they’d all built together, gaze moving away from the screen towards Casey with a bright smile.

Surprisingly, two nights of little to no sleep, Trisha wasn’t showing any signs of flagging. If anything, she seemed to get more energetic the further they got into house building. It was mostly visible in the brightness of her eyes and the way she didn’t slow down while playing, rather than any extreme body movements that would’ve disturbed Casey while she sat in his lap. She was engrossed in the game, just like she got when she started anything that she could see a clear path through. Studying, gaming, beekeeping…

“It’s nice, right? We did a really good job… well done, everyone,” Trisha said, turning back towards the screen and the microphone now.
It was a square, three story house - at Trisha’s insistence - with a little gated field to its right that housed sheep in the colours of the whole rainbow. There were windowed double doors at the front, with the exterior made out of a red brick that gave it a rustic look, with sections of wood aesthetically interspersed along with a wooden roof that they’d managed to make look like a proper house roof… as much as was possible in a game where everything was blocks.

“So, do you want a tour of my- our, sorry, we all made it- house, Babe?” She wriggled a bit in Casey’s lap, leaning back against him again with her arms stretched out to still reach her keyboard. A more relaxed, languid position even though she didn’t seem tired at all. She really didn’t feel it. But it was nice to cuddle up a bit again after hunching over her keyboard for a while.
“I’ll show you all the secrets in it.” As if he hadn’t been watching the whole time they were making it.

As it happened, Casey hadn’t been paying his full and total attention to what Trisha was doing. It was fine, he thought, for them to spend so much time together. He didn’t even mind doing it here, even though his aching knees and hips long ago went numb from the awkward hunching position she’d taken… But it was only natural that eventually, one would seek a little shut-eye. Just a tiny bit; not that he was much of a snorer! But as she shifted in his lap, his head jolted forward.

Driving his chin downward into the top of Trisha’s head, Casey clamped down on his own tongue, causing him to moan out in pain as being awake all flooded back into the searing agony and the iron taste of blood in his mouth.
One hand gently moved up to Trisha’s head, gently rubbing it as he realized he’d probably half concussed her. The other went for a napkin from dinner, which he shoved in his mouth to catch the blood trickling from multiple bite wounds.

”Ohhhhw… Ohw phak hahe… Uhm’gd… M’shf’kin shry, Uh fgn… Dzhd uhf, uh shrd m… Ah uh ohe?” he spoke with a muffled accent full of paper towels.

Trisha hadn't realised that Casey had fallen asleep, too engrossed in the game to look behind her. If she'd known… she would've woken him up in a more normal, gentle manner. With her head far away from his chin.

“Fuckkk," Trisha groaned, curling forward as her head throbbed. It was difficult to think through the pain, spreading down to her eyes to the point she was squinting. For a few minutes she was just letting out quiet, pained whimpers and leaning her head slightly into Casey's hand. Did the gentle rubbing really help? Well, not with the pain, but it was a comfort as the throbbing began to lessen enough to process what he'd said.

Well, half of it, just about.
“I’m fine, I think…" Trisha said softly, unfurling herself and twisting around to actually look at him through slightly squinted eyes. He'd hurt himself too… a little guilt trickled in there, but she squashed it. It wasn't her fault. Not that she was blaming him either, it wasn't a big deal.
“What do you have in your chin, steel?" she managed to half joke, tilting her head to one side with a wince. Movement still hurt. But her vision wasn't so bad, she didn't feel sick, she wasn't dizzy… not a concussion. She'd be really impressed if he'd managed to give her a concussion like that.

Her hands moved up to gently hold his face, thumbs rubbing just underneath his jaw. She couldn't quite smile, it was closer to a grimace, and she leaned closer, looking at his napkin stuffed mouth.
“I didn't realise you'd called asleep, should've been more careful… do you need something else for that?"

Casey mustered up what was probably a smile in return. Mouth being so full, it was hard to tell, but having her comfort him despite accidentally hurting her made him feel so much better. It wasn’t like anything he’d had before, that she hadn’t gotten mad and yelled or…

He didn’t say anything. He just curled his head into her and hugged Trisha tightly to his chest. It was a long moment before he pulled away.
”What’s happening over there?” Gin’s voice grumbled through the speakers. Her voice had gotten a lot lower over the night, and now she was so rumbly that she almost sounded like a different person altogether.
”Judging by the cracking noise and the mushmouth, either their chair broke or Casey mashed his face off something.”
”Do you remember the time we were in the Boris Bog and Junior tripped him? I guess I should’ve recognized that sound.”

”Hah- wah FUHFH UHF.”
”Don’t talk with your mouth full, you putrid fucker.”
”Kah-ah-ehr? KAHAHEHR! KER ER HERH!-” Casey grunted finally pulling the now bright red wad of tissue out of his mouth. ”You fucking… Crazy bat…”
”I’m glad we’ve found our manners Caseau. Now were you saying Caramel? Or were you telling me to kill myse-”
”Ohhhhh, stuff a cork in it and decide for yourself, Ginara…” Casey laughed, stuffing more tissue into his mouth.
”Ih-ohe hiff viph, Frpha… Fhu he hur fingh… Hauhe?”

Casey finally leaned in closer to the screen, trying to see what he could.
”Raff Uh hrmbr wuh… Goah Goh…”

“Babe, I can hardly understand anything you're saying," Trisha said softly, unable to hold back a slight laugh at it. She could get the gist of… some of it. But a lot of it sounded similar, and it could be so many words. Her head still kind of hurt too. She was a bit confused too, with the way Gin was speaking… a bit different from normal. Maybe it was because she'd hit her head, she was hearing things differently?
“The chair didn't break… just my head and his jaw."

She shifted herself again, gently caressing Casey's cheek before moving her hands back to the keyboard and mouse. She leaned a bit to the side so that Casey could more easily lean past her and also look at the screen.
“Since I can't understand, I'm just going to assume you're telling me how amazing our house looks. All of our blood- literally, I died a few times-, sweat and tears went into this. Look at the roof! I spent so long on it."

She was able to actually smile, tilting her character's vision up to take a proper look at the roof. It was pretty nice, a proper pointed roof as much as possible with the blocky base. As the throbbing in her head continued to lessen she got more animated again, still strangely energetic for all the lack of sleep - and it wasn't like she'd had any coffee, or really much sustenance to fuel it.
“Want to see inside? It's even nicer. There's even… well I'll show you. But look, we've got all of our sheep, but you can get other animals, so hopefully we get more next? I'd love a whole farm."

”We can totally sack enough sheep when we convert into Tauro and Baski, then… We could do the Bear, the Wolf, uh… There’s like fifteen Gods or whatever. Horses, fish and shit… But, listen; I gotta go. Work’s calling and if I don’t answer it, we’re getting FUCKED up and that’s just not gonna be good.”
”Yeah, Mia’s napping too. Are you gonna leave the server on?”
”Do titties bounce when you run?”
”Not ours…”
”Ugh, whatever… Yes, I’ll leave the fucking server on. Goodnight, my zombie bitches.”
”Goodnight, Grandpa.”
”Guh-hih G’mpha!”

“Goodnight, Gin, careful not to break any bones while you're getting up," Trisha laughed. At least Gin didn't turn the server off… she hadn't even shown Casey the house, and she really wasn't that tired yet. There was still plenty her and Ed could do without Gin around.

But it was late, and there was a slight, warm fuzziness over her thoughts that came with the late hours and slight sleepiness… only slightly. She leaned back, tilting her head to whisper softly in Casey's ear.
“Mine bounce when I run.” she giggled immediately after, leaning down and pressing her face into Casey's neck. It was so stupid, but she couldn't really help herself… she eventually stopped giggling and pulled herself away, back to looking at the screen.

“Do you know anything about the other animal Gods, Ed? I guess we can just extend the house more, or make more animal pens in preparation… well first, the tour. Showing off our hard work." She moved her characters forward, opening the front door, and stepping in. It was a large entrance hall, with corridors going off it and even a set of cool winding stairs in the middle going to upper floors. Decorated in a mixture of reds, wood browns and blacks - which Trisha had fought against being the main colour.
“The bottom floor’s common areas… storage, crafting, all Gin's magic stuff. The top floor we each have our own room! So we stopped killing each other over how to decorate… What do you want to start with? My room, or save the best till last?"

Casey stared at the screen, taking it all in as he realized he must’ve been out for way longer than he should’ve been. He remembered the foundation being completely different, like it was a warehouse or a courtyard, he wasn’t sure.
The horde of multicolored sheep constantly bleating sent him reeling into an Alpine countryside, an old shepherd in his scope as he watched the old man wholly consuming one of the flock without breath or rest. It wasn’t pleasant, and he reached his arm out to turn the speakers down. They sang their song without pause, but at least the noise wasn’t filling up the room.

His head turned, and he spat the next wad of tissue out into the trash can.
”The good stuff for last… I thought that was an established human pattern…”
He moved his tongue around a bit, not tasting nearly as much blood. He figured whatever wounds were probably stuffed with tissue, so there’d be no more streaming down his throat.
”Do you really need that many sheep? It’s like… I don’t know, farms… Make me feel weird. I know it’s weird.”
”Is it ‘cuz of Nannie Morgan?” Ed’s voice could still be heard well despite him having turned the speaker down.
”Nah… A lot of Europe. The clean-up.”

The cleanup of one of the most horrible and strenuous tragedies the world had ever seen… The human cattle trains, the bad business… He kept thinking about the sheep, even though it was just a stupid game. A silly mechanic meant to just get you something, from what he understood. An easy way to farm.
For once, Ed didn’t have a quip. Few had forgiven, but none had forgotten. She’d had plenty of family members wrapped up in the nightmare of her own from her Father’s side.

Clearing his throat, Casey tried to push past it.
”Sorry, sorry. I think I want you to show me the stuff you’re most proud of, Babe… So that I know what’s actually important, and what’s just Gin being a psycho.”

“We can move the sheep. We need one of each colour but they can be further away," Trisha said, as she turned her character around to shut the house door. It seemed to dampen the bleating a bit more. She then took her hand off the mouse, putting it over his and gently squeezing. It was possible to move and look around with just the keyboard, and one hand, so she moved our character forward and down the hall on the ground floor.
“Storage, storage, craft room- we all use that-, more storage," she said as she walked past open doors, looking in briefly. These ones were mostly plain, with walls lined with chests or craft stations and forges. The next door was closed and she didn't bother opening it.
“That’s Gin's crazy magic room. She said not to go in there, and I don't want to risk exploding or something."

She continued moving forward, fingers lightly scratching Casey's hand.
“But this is my communal masterpiece. Well, Ed and Mia helped a lot… but it was my idea." She opened the door and moved her character into a large room. The walls were made of warm, red wood, with a grey stone section sticking on the left wall. It had a large fire at the bottom, indented in and lighting up the whole room with a soft warmth. Two couches, made of wood blocks with red wool as the seats, faced each other with the fire beside them and a table in the middle, of alternating dark and light wood. The walls were lined with bookshelves, with plant decorations dotted about. The wall on the right even had a few little designs on them - bees, and other things. They'd all had fun trying to make pictures out of the blocks. One the wall opposite the door was a large window, the full size of the wall, looking out onto a garden - also part of the room design, in Trisha's opinion, seeing as the three of them had laboured over making it look nice too.
“This is the living room! Not sure if there's any practical Minecraft use but… it looks nice."

Thankful that the door being closed, and moving further into the structure, Casey could relax a bit more with Trisha’s comforting touch. As she moved the camera through the structure, or the character behind it, he was gently twisting his head left and right. It continuously brushed his clean-shaven chin against her shoulder in an equally comforting manner.
His eyes followed the massed storage, and watched her make her way into the common room she was so proud of.

”Huh…-” he intoned gently, leaning in a little more. ”-Reminds me of the house in New York… That’s peak comfy, Babe. Makes me think of my Nana and Papa’s house. Did Mia do that fireplace?” he asked, curious to see if it looked so similar to a structure Trisha had never seen on purpose.

“We did it together, so she had a lot of input into it," Trisha replied, tilting her head against his. She hadn't realised there'd be any real life inspiration there, seeing as she'd avoided that where possible. But she hadn't exactly lived anywhere that felt like home. This place with Casey was the closest to it.
“I was mostly inspired by movies I've seen and just what I thought would be nice… But Mia could've been inspired by that. Is that… which side of the family are they on?"

An effort to find out more about him, and his family, and the parts that were maybe not so toxic. She wasn't sure.
“Do you still like it, even if it reminds you of their house?" He'd said it was comfy, but that wasn't completely a confirmation… for her at least.

Casey grinned and nodded, thinking about the idea of his little sister subtly suggesting colors, or maybe how to place the block so that it looked just a little more familiar.
”The Richoux estate is kind of like living at the Temple: My Dad’s family. But, they really spoiled us. Even me. It was the only place we went where I didn’t feel different.”
”Do you still remember that time Nana got in an argument with your Mom and Dad?” Ed asked in a matter of fact way.
”Yeah, that’s… It’s definitely the first thing I think of, usually. Mom says she was really worried they were going to take me, and sometimes I wonder how things would’ve gone if they did.”

He turned his face to smile at Trisha.
”But then we probably never would’ve met, huh? If I’d gone to live in New York, I really wouldn’t have any reason to come back here. No festival, no fight, no feeding you a little pie.-” he paused for a moment, both arms twisting into her a little tighter. ”-But, yes. To answer your question, I like it a little more because of that. Makes me feel safe, like its a peaceful place.”

Trisha let out a soft hum, nodding. She was glad he liked it, even if she struggled with the concept of them not having met. Selfishly glad they had, selflessly sad he didn’t have the opportunity of a nicer childhood. As it always did, the selfish feeling won.
“Good… it’s a peaceful place for me too. I’ll keep making you little safe places, and I’ll spoil you too, so that coming back was really worth it. Well, it already was, because you have me, but so it’s more worth it.” She smiled back at him, gaze soft. She really was glad he was here…

“But… the fight would’ve happened anyway! I’d just still have a broken nose.” She laughed slightly at that, looking back at the screen and moving her character. Not that she didn’t have access to private healthcare, but when it came to magical healing… her sister that could do it was out of town. It wasn’t so easy to access.
“Speaking of spoiling, let me show you my room.”

Trisha moved out of the living room of their minecraft house, back down the corridor and up the stairs.
“On the left we have Gin’s room… which is probably just like her magic room. Then the two doors on the right are Ed’s then Mia’s… I’m pretty sure they knocked down the wall between them. I don’t want to go in there… but here!” Trisha stopped her character in front of another door further along the corridor upstairs of the house, tilting her head towards Casey.
“My room.”

She opened the door into a moderate sized room. Looking straight forward, there was a wall of plant life - vine and leaf blocks - climbing up. There was a ladder to the left, but Trisha turned to the left to take in the rest of the lower level of the room. More bookshelves, windows lining the walls, and a small table with two green wool blocks as chairs. The floor was made of various colours of wood.
“It doesn’t look as impressive from down here…” She went to the ladder, going up it, revealing a little loft blocked from the lower half of the room with foliage. She immediately turned around, and looked down.

The floor was, somehow, made in honeycomb patterns from different colours of wood.
“It took me ages to make it look like that,” Trisha explained, before turning around to look behind her at the loft. It didn’t have much to it - two beds put together to form a double one, with green sheets, and two chests at the end - one green, one yellow. A candle lit it in soft light.
“I thought that if you ever played the game it could be… our room.”

From her excited smile and expression, to the way that the room almost mirrored a tiny version of their own home, Casey could only cherish the moment spent with her in her most self-pleased form. Every bit of her moved him in a way that made it hard to feel anything but pleasure. He looked at the little thing she made as well, not wanting to completely glance over the trees for the forest.
They were details she loved, and he saw the way she paused over each one to relay how satisfied she was.
”Aw, Babe… You know how sweet you are? Like a little watermelon woman, I could just-”

Casey tucked his lips over his teeth, proceeding to playfully bite at Trisha with false gums while he made playful eating noises. At the same time, his hands tickled at her stomach to force her into a giggle. At the same time, Ed’s voice became exasperated over the mic.
”Oooooh my God, Trisha!? Trisha, dude, like… Gin said there were a lot of mods in here that she never uses? I fucking found one, dude, it’s like a fucking jackpot…”

“Hey, hey, stop it,” Trisha giggled, curling forward and grasping at the hands tickling her, trying to catch them and get them to stop. She wriggled in his lap as if to try to get away without actually putting any effort into it. She even tilted her head away from him to give him more access to her neck, hair cascading down her other shoulder.
“There’s hardly any of me to eat, don’t,” she whined cutely, quiet enough it shouldn’t be picked up by the mic.

But around it, she managed to listen to what Ed was saying, and as much as she enjoyed playing around with Casey like this she really wanted to keep going with the game too. Not that she couldn’t do both…
“What is it? Don’t just leave me hanging, I need to know… is it something we can do now?” Trisha managed to lean forward just a bit towards her computer and mic, holding on tight to Casey’s hands so she could actually talk without laughing more.

”Actual factual carpentry, bro… Like… These blocks break the fucking game, what the fuck? Dude, we’ve gotta tear the house down. I’m sorry, there’s no other way.”
Ed’s voice was solemn through the microphone, as if she was being exposed to cosmic horrors beyond her control. She wavered slightly.
”Actual fucking furniture, TrishaaaaaaaaaaaaAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!”

“Like… furniture that isn’t completely blocky? It looks like actual furniture? Fuck.” Trisha frowned, looking at her room which she’d spent hours perfecting. Hours making perfect, but… the furniture wasn’t actual furniture.
“Do we really have to tear it down? Can’t we still use the foundation? Just gut the rooms?”

”I mean, at the very least we have to redo the roof, I mean-”
Ed’s character sprinted into Trisha’s room, dropping a literal slope block at her feet. It was so strange, so against the grain in a typical Minecraft fashion that just staring at it alone felt like one was staring at a strange alien artifact.
”-fuckin’ look at it. Is it not worthy of its own… Like… I don’t know, give it a fuckin’ shrine or something? Like, it’s divine!”

Casey sighed slightly, hugging a bit tighter and more sweetly into Trisha.
”You’re not doing it tonight, right? I’m not sure how much longer I can last, especially since I need to test the new wards and things before bed…” Casey intoned, his voice apprehensive in not wanting to ruin Trisha’s time.
”I mean, you don’t have to go to bed with me, but… I’m not gonna stick around much longer. Norm’s still outside in the main office, he’ll be here all night. And you have Ed to make sure the cats aren’t-”

”They shouldn’t be bothering you tonight… Uh… I heard about what happened through the grape vine? After we talked this morning, or I would’ve said before… But since I know, I can do my best to catch them off guard.”
Casey’s brow furrowed.
”Catch… Kane and Abel off guard?”
”They’re still cats, y’know? They get lazy and complacent; so a little M-Strain to mellow them, and then an E-Strain keeps them locked in for a while. And when they wakes up, I H-Strain and he leaves me the fuck alone.”

Casey could only laugh at the idea of the cat getting absolutely blasted on junk and then getting paralyzed for his troubles.
”Well… That’s morbid. Thanks, Ed, I… I mean, that can’t work often, right?”
”Nnnno, definitely not. I worry they may just be… I don’t know, you know how it is with that fucking thing. It looks like it works, but then you turn back and it still has an eye open, and… I don’t know…”

Casey took a deep breath. It was exhausting thinking about that thing being down there with those girls. Leon was supposed to be protecting them, keeping the beast occupied, but with the Father Wolf bullshit…
”I’ll do what I can to send them away, but we know that’s just a bandage.”
”I mean, come down… You still have that super special gun you worked on with Andrade, don’t you?”

Casey took a long, thoughtful pause.
”There’s… There are a lot of factors between me and doing something like that. So, yes I do, but I won’t use it…”
Taking a deep breath, he shook his head.
”I mean… I guess at the end of the day I don’t need to worry about the short trip between the roof access and our door, so… If you really wanna stay up? But, I’m gonna turn in when you’re done showing me everything you want to show me.” he finished, kissing Trisha’s neck gently before moving to plant another on her cheek.

Trisha had zoned out a bit while Casey and Ed talked about the cats - partly on purpose to not remember the morning, looking at the slope dropped in front of her character before starting to look up recipes on her second screen. She’d even pulled out a craft table in her own room, trying to figure out how many roof blocks they’d need and of what type - and how to even make them in the first place.

But the soft kisses brought her out of it, and she was paying enough attention to hear everything that was said… Which left her with a dilemma. Sleep, or minecraft. Casey, or no Casey. She didn’t really want to sleep, but she also didn’t really want to be without him. Even if the cats shouldn’t be a problem…
“It’s- it’s not that late is it?” Trisha said, looking between Casey and then her computer with wide eyes. Her eyes drifted down to the clock at the bottom of her screen… oh…

She pressed her lips together, hands coming off the keyboard so she could twist herself around and put her arms around Casey’s neck. Her face moved closer to his, rubbing their noses together.
“Just another thirty minutes? I’ve… shown you everything I wanted to… But a new roof shouldn’t take long. Right, Ed?” She said the last bit louder, face still right next to Casey’s. This close it was much easier to see the dark bags underneath her eyes from two practically sleepless nights, only lightly covered by makeup. They contrasted the energy in her eyes, even as she widened them to try and look extra cute.
“Please?”

Casey’s eyes narrowed as he stared at her pleading face. She was adorable, even looking like a sleepless raccoon. For a moment, he held a straight face as he looked back, trying to psych her out with a stoney expression. But he broke within seconds, shaking his head and closing his eyes.
”How are you awake? Did you take some weird nap while I wasn’t looking?” he asked with a laugh and a deep breath behind it. ”You… Really just love your game… I’ll feel real bad if I let you go, y’know. You’ve got me in a headlock.”

Ed laughed.
”I mean… I should probably sleep, since it’s a work day tom-day… Today. Like, six… Six hours. Mia’s been asleep at the table for probably an hour, and like… I really want to get this fucking roof done.” she groaned slightly.
”You were supposed to help me with temperance.”

Trisha’s head tilted to one side, a little confused expression appearing on her face.
“It’s not been a full day, so we’ve been pretty moderate with it? Anything less than twenty four hours is fine, really. That’s pretty normal.”
She tilted her head up to kiss the tip of Casey’s nose with a light laugh.
“No naps, I had that one yesterday, so of course I’m still awake. Normally when I’m working or studying, I just get it all done and then sleep. It’s easier that way. It’s just staring at a computer, anyway, it’s not like I’ve done much? I’ll catch up a day I’m more free.”

It was pretty clear that Trisha had a very skewed view of what was normal when it came to sleeping, and the amount of time spent on something. Get it done, then sleep… That was always how she’d done things. It was a bad habit from her teenage years, studying while putting up the facade of a social rich girl and sacrificing sleep for it all. It wasn’t like there’d ever been anyone in her life to teach her what was healthy, and bedtimes just didn’t exist in the Vanburen household.
“If we get the roof done in an hour, you’ll get five hours sleep… but if you need six for work, you should get that.” Then, to Casey.
“I don’t want to keep you up either, Babe… well, I do, but I shouldn’t. Oh, actually, maybe I can swap to my laptop and bring it upstairs with me…”

Casey was utterly caught in between thinking about how wonderful of a soldier she could’ve been, and how crazy she really was for thinking that any of what she just said was normal. It was one of the many things he went to war never thinking about, and then coming home and realizing that nobody cared about the little things.
The little things like being able to sleep whenever you wanted, or to stay up at all hours of the night because you had no real fear of what was coming next.

At least she got the fear part. She’d seen. Maybe that was it, and he was making a poor judgement upon her when she was really just… Afraid…
”If you don’t mind that, Babe, I don’t even mind you bringing it to bed with us. We can even sleep on the comfy couch; that way you can have that platform to keep it on. So you don’t burn your beautiful leggies…” he chided, hand slipping down to playfully pinch at both her legs.
”I can use you as a pillow too…” he cooed.

”That sounds so fucking good… I’m gonna wake tall pale and lanky up, force her to give me cuddles too… Trisha, I’m not gonna stay up. But if you’re really gonna go hog wild, just change the roof for now. Just don’t forget to make the right crafting bench: the recipe for it is in the normal bench, it’s like all sticks. Okay?” Ed asked expectantly from the other side of the computer.

Trisha giggled again, kicking her legs as they were suddenly so ticklish. Like her skin was extra sensitive right now… maybe the lack of sleep? It didn’t really matter.

“Alright, yeah, it’ll just be the roof, I won’t do anything more. I wouldn’t want to redo the whole house without your input… Even if that’d be fun,” Trisha replied, meaning it, but also knowing that once she got into it there was a chance she wouldn’t stop. But she’d try to.

“Aren’t the blankets and pillows still on the couch, anyway? Let’s-” she stopped, smile fading as she remembered that morning. She wouldn’t be able to sleep on the couch at all tonight… she’d just keep worrying that Casey was going to disappear. He’d never disappeared from their bed.

“Actually, I’d like to sleep in an actual bed. I can use a book or something to protect my legs… Don’t worry, you can still use me as a pillow too,” Trisha’s smile returned, leaning in to lightly kiss Casey.
“We can properly cuddle for a bit before I get going again. I need payment for moving.” She giggled a bit, though the laughing turned into a half yawn. She turned back towards her desk, head looking from side to side.
“My laptop’s… where’s my laptop? Oh, already upstairs, I think. Somewhere… I’ll find it while you check the wards. Ed? I’m going to switch my desktop off now. So, uh, good night.”

”Goodnight, you beautiful souls…-”
There was a little stir on the other side, and she cleared her throat. ”-Go ahead…”
The voice that came through was like a little girl. A very little girl, no older than a toddler… But the toddler was drowning in some kind of viscous liquid; or like a test tube baby talking through its amniotic fluid housing.
”Goodnight… I enjoyed listening.”

Casey let out an audible bleh from his gut, pushing up.
”Goodnight, Eddy… Goodnight, Serenity.”
”Oh, uh… Trisha? Our… Our Adjoined support group is meeting for dinner tomorrow. Maybe me and you can go together? Gin will be there hopefully, and… Bitchface Lena doesn’t go anymore.” she offered before Trisha had the chance to leave.

“Uhhh… Sure, if I’m not too tired,” Trisha replied, in a very non-committal way. It was a bit ironic coming from someone who’d just talked about being awake for more than twenty four hours at a time… but tomorrow evening was probably around when she’d crash. Sure, it would be nice to speak to other Adjoined, but a support group through the Temple? She wasn’t so sure about that.

“Just… text me, I guess. Goodnight, Eddy… Serenity…” her voice was much quieter naming the Apparition, following Casey’s lead. She wasn’t used to Apparitions that spoke with people they weren’t adjoined with, outside of the always awful encounters with Emily’s during the old days of the Coven. Her own barely talked to her! So it was just a little strange.

Sluggishly, Trisha got to her feet, leaving the chat room and shutting down her desktop. She yawned again, covering her mouth with a hand.
“I don’t need to bring out my Apparition if I go to that, do I?” she asked Casey, turning back around to him. She was more visibly sleepy now, focus on the game quickly disappearing along with her ability to stay awake. But she still wanted to build that roof… She held out her arms towards him.
“You need to help protect my beautiful legs from doing too much work.”

Casey scooped Trisha by her knees onto the desk, letting her sit a moment while he regained the feeling in his legs. There was a shooting pain from a dead nerve left unrepaired too long, never to be magically recovered.
”Oooooh, you… Kraut fuck…” he moaned, reaching down and grabbing at his thigh with a wince.

”There was this fucking Hemomancer… German tank tech, we pulled him out of the burning wreck and he repaid us by ripping our shit apart. The purple Luxer fuckin-”
He stopped himself, hand still rubbing at the spot that burned the most in his leg. It was beyond uncomfortable, and all he wanted to do was bitch about it… But he was explaining it to her…

”-Africa wasn’t awful… But it had the worst moments. I know it sounds morbid, but… That desert was so beautiful sometimes, the way it looked like the sun was cooking the horizon. A big sunny-side up egg…”
He gave the leg one last shake, then pulled Trisha up from the desk and into his arms.
”It’s easier to sleep next to someone: Makes a soldier feel safer having a buddy.” he nuzzled his face into hers, noses brushing together.

Pushing through the door and out into the office, he tried to remember what the policies were for the little get-together of Adjoined. Leon had long taken over as the leader of the group, which Trisha may not love…
”Uh, to answer your question from earlier-” he paused, sliding the little footstool across the floor to Norm who was sitting at the main desk. The two exchanged a nod, and he made way for the hall.

”-no. There’s plenty who are either too reclusive or whatever to come out. Leon, he’ll… He’s in charge? Kind of. I mean, they do a lot of things together; he hosts gym days, they do charity stuff, sometimes they’ll join him when he leaves town for boxing stuff. He organizes it, but they always have dinner together once a week. They get a schedule I guess… But, he can’t just let Lelou out. She’d be way too horny. Or hungry. Probably both.” he laughed.

Trisha’s expression scrunched up, but she tried to hide it by pressing her face into Casey’s shoulder. Of course Leon was in charge. Casey said kind of, but if Leon was anything like he had been ten years ago… Well, he was different enough that they’d agreed to move forward from any issues they had then. And she was trying. She should give it a chance at least…
“Both of those at once sound like a nightmare, but good… The Queen doesn’t come out. She could, she’s just too lazy to.” She let out a little huff, air blowing against Casey’s neck.

“Going along to one dinner doesn’t mean signing up for the rest, does it? I’m definitely not doing gym days. I never really understood the whole group exercising thing… But I’ll give the dinner a chance so I can talk to other Adjoined. I don’t really feel like I need a ‘support’ group of any kind, though. Those kinds of things are for people who are struggling.”
Something she definitely wasn’t doing… sure, her control wasn’t amazing, but that was a lack of knowledge more than anything. It wasn’t like the people from Sycamore stuck with Apparitions making them destroy everything they touch, or pushing them to kidnap innocent women.
“... is the dinner at the Temple?”

Casey wound up hooked on what she said. The phrase for people who are struggling implied that things were… Problematic… Some people were struggling, sure: But maybe Ed had given the wrong impression by giving it that label. Casey was torn between correcting her and just answering the question.
”It… Yeah? Probably, usually. Mone cooks. She’s probably a better cook than Andrade is, but she’d never play around in the back of a restaurant. Home cooking is all she and Avula Nah do, really. It’s kind of compulsive.” he laughed, thinking about the enormous woman and her equally enormous ghost.

”She’s adorable. Like the grandma you wish you had.”
He pushed through the exit door and up into the stairwell. Back outside, it was cold. The moon hung low in the bay as the sunlight burned the lowlands back into the day. There was still a few hours between them and the first precious rays. Enough to sleep in the pale eye’s view.
”Y-you don’t have to go, either. I’m only satisfied with letting you go because Ed goes with Leon directly: He comes to pick her up, it’s their little time. And I trust them, obviously.”

If it was at the Temple, that meant Trisha couldn’t actually eat. But that was fine. She wasn’t a fan of dinner in larger groups anyway, and never had much of an appetite. She could easily wait until she was home afterwards or just skip the meal entirely.
“My lola- uh, grandmother- is pretty terrifying, so she already sounds way better than her… I think I’d like to go, just the once, even if I don’t think I need it. I might change my mind tomorrow, but I do want to talk to other Adjoined… Leon included, I guess.”

She pressed as close as she could to Casey to avoid the cold night air, the drop in temperature cutting through the sleepiness that had started to take hold of her. She furrowed her brow, fixating over something he’d said. Repeating it in her head. Phrasing…
“You’re satisfied with ‘letting’ me go? I know it’s something with the Temple but… you don’t get to let me or not let me do things. I don’t need permission.” Trisha pulled back slightly so that she could look at him, eyes narrowed. Growing more irate the more she thought about it… the lack of sleep really didn’t help.
“That’s such bullshit, are you serious? ‘Let’ me?”

Casey’s eyes narrowed to meet Trisha’s as he took a slow, deep breath.
”Without me… I meant letting you go without me… There’ll be plenty of people, I won’t be worried about you getting hurt, you’ll be… Safe. That’s all I care about. And when this Father Wolf bullshit is finished, you’ll never hear me say anything like that ever again. I promise, Trisha, I didn’t mean it like that…” he frowned at her, frantically explaining his position.

Trisha lips pressed together as she thought about it, slowly. It made sense, she supposed… She didn’t want to die. Though she didn’t really think it would happen, because why wouldn’t Father Wolf take the many opportunities over the last few months? But of course Casey was worried. It was nice that he was worried. It had warmth bubbling up over the annoyance in her chest. She really wasn’t used to having someone who actually cared.
“Okay, I understand, it’s just about Father Wolf. And safety. I just… assumed… the worst…” her voice got quieter with each word until it was barely more than a whisper. She didn’t want to get into it, the past experiences. Dating so many people, most of whom were so obviously toxic from the start, came with all sorts of problems.

“It’s alright since it’s because you care.” She nodded, leaning forward again to kiss his cheek before curling back in at his neck. There were still a bit of background worries there- about how restrictive that seemed- but him actually caring was enough to bring her from sleepy grumpiness to sleepily content.

Casey could only tilt his head back in thankful bliss that this wasn’t suddenly a shouting match… He wasn’t a shouting type. Not at this point. Not with her…
”It’s all because I care, Baby… Cuz, I love you.”
It was only the second time today he said it… Twice a day was enough, right? It didn’t devalue the concept solely on the basis of overabundance, it didn’t scream desperate to not be alone.

”I’ve done a lot of things I’m not proud of so that we could have the freedoms we do. Or, at least I contributed, I feel like… So, coming home and dictating your life would be stupid. A waste of what people are dead for. Personal liberty.”
Shifting Trisha in his arms, Casey popped the door to the house open and stepped in. He could feel the vague weight of Lux influence crawling across the walls and floor of the house. Blue, black and orange trailed across his vision in little rays that split the air with their vibrance.

Above, the railing that kept their loft closed off had been repaired, quite literally put back together from the splinters. The pool of blood had been washed away, and everything was still and silent.
”It already feels better. Safer.” he took a deep breath. Bringing her past the den and up the stairs into the loft, Trisha would find the bed pristinely made with the blankets tucked under the pillows.
”I came up here a while ago and made the bed while they were working… I’ll get your laptop from downstairs…” he finished, slipping her onto the bed and hugging into her stomach.

He didn’t move. Just sat like a weight on top of her, his head turned and laying with an ear pressed against Trisha’s belly.

“It’s somewhere beside the couch, I think,” Trisha said about her laptop, struggling to remember when she last used it. Before she went for Casey’s ceremony, probably. That felt like a long time ago. A lot had happened.

At least things were safe, now. She trusted Casey when he said it was. It allowed her to properly relax in their home again, on their newly remade bed, not thinking about the intrusion from that morning. The place was theirs again.
“You’re not listening for anything in there, are you?” Trisha found herself asking with a soft giggle. She curled forward around him, pressing her face into his hair and letting her arms loosely drape over him. Her eyes half closed. Now that she was up here… she really was tired…
“Just food. Probably not even much food… nothing to hear there…”

She rubbed her face against the top of his head, arms tightening around him. Determined to do what she said she was going to, to build that roof, but already getting too comfortable to really think about it.
“Don’t bother with the laptop right now, I’ll get it later… I want cuddles first…”

”You’re just so soft…”
Without another word, Casey lifted one leg and pulled himself up into bed, sliding in next to Trisha and wrapping both arms around her so he could hug her tighter to his chest. He could only feel warmth in that moment; the love he knew he had. A tear silently rolled from his eye, a reaction he couldn’t control.

”You’re gonna have a hard time getting your laptop if I fall asleep…” he said lazily.

Trisha burrowed herself into Casey’s chest, pressing as close as she could. She was warm and comfortable… so safe. She felt safer than she ever had before in his arms. Like… home…
“I’ll get the bees to bring it to me,” she mumbled, half muffled with her face pressed against him. It wouldn’t be that hard with enough bees… she’d just have to calculate the number. It would be… she wasn’t sure.

“It can be… bee strength training…” Her voice got quieter and softer as she spoke, eyes properly closed. The roof… she had to… the bees…
“They can…” she trailed off, not even finishing the thought or sentence, breathing growing deeper as she already pulled into sleep.

Casey didn’t respond, except with his grip loosening only slightly. The warm, soft feeling of having that little body in his arms, feeling her heartbeat with his… To hell with every nightmare, every little pain and ache and fear. She was here, and he had something to protect. Someone who needed him just as much as he needed her. He’d have his guts pulled from his body a million times if it meant keeping her safe.

Because just as much as she felt safe with him, he felt safe with her. A partner. Someone to watch his back… Like she had that morning. The Pale Eye of the Moon stared down upon the Earth, upon the St. Portwell Bay, and its iris shone directly upon them through the glass walls of their home.

Before she was finished talking, Casey let out a little grunt from his mouth… But his mind was already black with sleep. Comfortable. Vulnerable.

[FernStone]

---

Home > The Gym

---

Even though she’d claimed she wasn’t tired the night before, Trisha’s body completely disagreed. It wasn’t until the morning was practically over that she properly woke up.

She could mostly remember hours earlier when Casey woke up. The sleepy kisses and clinging on her part, far too weak to keep him there and too tired to wake up and go with him. There were enough morning cuddles to satisfy barely awake Trisha, anyway, and once Casey left she’d replaced him with his pillow. It smelled enough like him that she fell back into a peaceful, dreamless sleep.

Waking up alone had some benefits, even though she much preferred waking up with him there. It gave her a moment to think about the things she needed to do. Areas she’d been slacking in the last few days because of all the chaos.

The bees, and exercise…

Her bees were the first priority. She hadn’t had time to visit the hive since before the ceremony, and she could feel their agitation already. It was an easy, routine, fix - going into the Greenhouse for a little while, bathing the hive in her pheromones while various groups of bees cycled around to crawl their fuzzy bodies all over her. It was a bit tiring just having to stand there and let them do their thing until they were content. It was easier when they were in her bedroom.

But she got it done, and the bees were happy again, a small group coming with her as she made her way downstairs. She assumed Casey would be in the office so she’d just pop in on her way out, let him know where she was going… except he wasn’t. But Norm was, and he directed her to where Casey actually was - the ground floor gym.

Which was fine. She had to go downstairs anyway.

A quick trip down the elevator, with just a couple of the bees getting freaked out by the shaking of the lift as it went to the normal floors. She was pretty used to it now… at least, it didn’t bother her when she was in a good mood like she was this morning. She didn’t even mind going out of her way a bit to actually find the ground floor gym!

“Caas-eeyy?” she called out as she stepped inside. She looked, deceptively, like she was dressed to be there. All in white, wearing a tennis skirt and a sports tank top which stopped at her waist, leaving a small gap of skin on show. Her high ponytail swished from side to side as her head moved to look for him. She did have a small backpack on, which was maybe a bit more out of place…

Loud, frankly nonsensical music was blaring through the speakers as a mixture of drum beats and… Sirens? So many different noises painted in layers across their auditory canvas in different signatures, like stereotypical “alien” music. Out of this world.

”Sloppy!”
Against the chaotic background, the sound of padded slams echoed around the brick walls of the well equipped gym. It seemed like every Temple facility had one of these: Even this one was associated with the famous Gravity brand, a boxing glove holding onto a black hole strung from a band like a medal. Leon and Casey were both shirtless, lacking any sort of padding save for some trimmed down gloves. They were actually boxing, it seemed…

Casey’s head spun to look at the entrance toward Trisha, and Leon nearly caved his brother’s head in with a long swing from the opposite angle. Thankfully, the enchanted gloves broke the air around Leon’s fist, causing a less damaging shock of air to smash into Casey’s head. It still hurt, but far less than it could have.

It still put him on the floor…
”Oh, fuck! Dude, dude, dude!?” Leon stammered, quickly kneeling to help as Casey returned to the world of the living.
Casey had a dumb grin when he finally looked up and saw Trisha again.

”That’s funny… I saw an Angel, then the lights went out.” he giggled up at her.

“What the fuck?!” Trisha ran over as soon as Casey got punched in the head, trying not to start trembling at the sight of him on the ground again. He wasn’t dead, he was smiling and awake- but fuck, seriously?
“That’s not funny at all! You got knocked out- why did you look over?” she crouched down beside him too, peering over him with a worried expression, biting her lip. A hand came out to wave in front of his face… making sure he didn’t have a concussion. Though she wasn’t sure if that was any way to check.

Her head then snapped up at Leon.
“Why were you going for his face in the first place?!”

”It was a faint!"
Casey and Leon’s voices blended together as they both finished the sentence. Casey’s arm waved Trisha off.
”Baby, it’s fine… It’s… It never would’ve hit me if I was paying attention, that was just… It was dumb, it was by chance, Leon wasn’t gonna try and hurt me.”

”Nah, no way! I wasn’t, Trisha, I swear…” they both sounded like boys being admonished by their mother.

Trisha’s lips pulled into a thin line as she looked at Casey, then Leon, then back to Casey. She let out a soft sigh, while trying not to laugh at the way they were both defending themselves. It reminded her of when her brothers used to get in fights, and she’d watch them getting told off by their nanny. It wasn’t a particularly bad memory.
“Alright, alright, I get it, it wasn't on purpose,” Trisha held a hand up before they started defending themselves more, leaning back on her heels. She reached out for Casey’s hand, taking one in both of her own, still worried.

“I didn’t think he was really trying to hurt you, just seeing you falling like that after yesterday? I’m not mad or anything, just worried. I didn’t come in here expecting to see my boyfriend punched in the face by his brother… I didn’t even know Leon was going to be here…” She mumbled out the last bit, before squeezing Casey’s hand.
“Are you… actually alright?”

”Yes… Yes, I swear, I'm absolutely fine. The gloves suck up most of the force, anyway: Hi Baby!” Casey belted with a greater amount of enthusiasm. His arms slipped under Trisha's, pulling her close and planting a kiss on her forehead.
”I'm glad you're up! And you look like you're ready for the gym too! I was getting a little cagey after missing it for like a week… You want me to start on the tread with you?” he asked with great enthusiasm.

“Heyyyy,” Trisha giggled back, her smile soft and gaze full of affection. Her arms loosely draped over his shoulders… but she quickly went from pure joy to a little bit of guilt. Just a bit. He was so enthusiastic, cute even, and she didn’t want to let him down. She really didn’t, but she also didn’t particularly like gyms. She’d suffer through it for him, but especially not when Leon was there… And not right now.

“Uh, about that, Babe… As much as I’d love to do that with you, I was actually planning to go on a run outside. I was just coming to let you know… I’m feeling cagey too since I haven’t done it in a couple of weeks. It’s my gym equivalent- I’m happy to join you in the gym normally, I just need the weekly run.” She ended up rambling in her need to explain herself without him feeling hurt, arms pulling back so her hands were holding onto his shoulders, fingers digging in.

”I mean, I should go anyway… I hear you're tentative on our meeting for the Adjoined Society?-” Leon asked Trisha gently.
”I'm sure there'll be food you like.” he intoned, a vaguely conspiratorial wink following.

”Oh, that's perfect! I'll just leave with you then, Babe, we'll go together.” Casey's childlike grin beamed expectantly at Trisha.

“I’ll try to come tonight... but I don’t eat much in groups, no need to worry about that,” Trisha looked over at Leon, partly to shield herself from Casey’s smile. It was too much… but it wasn’t like she could just ignore him. She turned her head back towards Casey, but wasn’t quite able to meet his eyes. She did want to spend every waking moment with him, but this was also the one thing she wanted to do alone. Just a little bit of time.
“You know I really love you-your company, Case, but I meant alone. It’s healthy… It'll only be an hour or so. We probably run at different paces, anyway.”

Casey’s brow furrowed. She wanted to be crammed up his ass the entirety of last week? The end of the week previous? So…
”Woah, there’s no way!-” he said reactively, voice wavering slightly. ”-I thought we talked about, y’know, making sure you’re safe! I mean, we don’t have to talk or be cute together or anything; Hell, I’ll even give you the Governor treatment! Twenty paces back, just close enough that I can secure you if something happens… Babe…” he pleaded with an almost childlike reaction, frowning wildly.

”Caseau… She’s fine in this part of town. Furio said response times are thirty seconds to a minute-”
”With fucking Clarissa, Leon. Remember? The Security Team lynchpin?” Casey replied with a slight aggression in his voice. It clearly stressed him out to think about Trisha going out alone.

He wasn’t going to tell her that he felt like she was bored of him, or leaving him… His vague understanding of her own personal feelings made that option more than a bait for conflict.
”You should ask her for help then! Until you find someone else willing to do the job!”
Casey simply stared at Leon with a vaguely disappointed look on his face, then turned back to Trisha.
”You… Really want to be alone?”

Trisha bit her lip, and looked down, before nodding. It was a conflicting feeling for her, the constant need to be with him versus a dislike for being restricted. Flightiness she couldn’t control… but would be manageable if she went out like this. It was because they’d talked about it last night. It brought out the feeling of being trapped, and she didn’t like it. She just needed to clear it away.

“I know you’re worried, but there’s people everywhere at this time- and I won’t be going far.” She moved forward to hug him, as if she was worried he was upset enough that he’d go away.
“Just one hour, once a week. I’ve been safe for months, an hour will be fine… But if I’m out longer than an hour you can call me, I’ll tell you where I am and you can pick me up. It’s to keep my head clear as much as it’s for exercise… that’s why I need to be alone.”

”Would a suggested route be a decent resolution here, Casey?”
Casey’s face was sullen, frustrated and stuck as his brain rolled from thought to thought.
”W-would that be something you’d agree to? The path with the most Temple businesses on it? You don’t need to know which are which, just which roads to follow…” he almost begged.

“Yeah, of course, if that’ll make you worry less,” Trisha nodded frantically. She didn’t want to worry him, so she’d agree to anything - outside of anyone being there - that would make him worry a little less.
“I normally go down by the harbour and through Memorial Park… well, I’d still like to go through the park’s main paths if possible- But yes, just give me a route and I’ll follow it.”

Unprompted, Leon pulled out his phone and adeptly air-dropped a map with a route on it to Trisha’s phone.
”This is my gym tour. Ignore that it says it took me twelve hours to get through it; I stopped at every gym along the route and did an hour. If you’re just going over it at a leisurely pace, it’s probably an hour and a half? You can cut it shorter by taking whichever connecting street back to this part of the hub.”
The large man smiled and nodded at Trisha, truthfully trying his hardest to be as friendly as possible.
”If it helps for tonight, Gin and Eddy will both be there. Hopefully it counteracts the fact that Layla Hyacinthus and her new Adjoined will be in attendance as well… You’ll probably be interested in knowing that, out of all the people to die and come back as a ghost, Alizee Altiere managed to reconstitute herself…”

Casey tilted his head back and sighed.
”Fucking headache those two…” he commented with an annoyed tone, once more kissing Trisha on the head.
”You’re gonna be alright then? I mean, you will be safe. You’re a grown woman, there’s no way you attract people’s fists to your face, right?” he tried joking, thumb moving to brush against her cheek.

”Adora’s got some pretty serious PTSD. It could’ve been anything that set her off that night, probably wasn’t even Trisha.” Leon offered.

It was definitely her that had set Adora off. What Trisha had said wasn’t that bad but… she’d known she’d get a reaction out of Adora. It wasn’t something she’d admit.
“Alizee Altiere… I didn’t even know she died…” Trisha said quietly, furrowing her brow. She was pretty out of the loop with these things, through her choice not to join the coven and general lack of care. Alizee was like many of the coven were to her - someone she’d tried to be friendly with, but just couldn’t tolerate in the end. Layla… she didn’t even remember. Neither were people she wanted to see, but she’d tolerate them this time.

”I’m only going because Ed asked in the first place, so, yeah,” Trisha shrugged one shoulder, and turned her attention back to placating her overly worried boyfriend.
”I’ll be alright. That happened once! You got a unique experience, Babe, once in a lifetime,” she managed to joke back, smiling softly at him. She leaned in and up to lightly kiss him, not particularly caring that Leon was right there. It was just a brief kiss, anyway.
”Just an hour or two, and I’ll be all yours for the rest of the week.”

Casey nodded his head gently, accepting Trisha’s explanation and taking a deep breath.
”I’ve got my eyes on you the whole time, okay? I mean, not really, I know privacy and trust is the point, but… Y’know… My heart? I guess I have my heart on you?” He tried to sound omniscient and powerful, but realized midway through that it probably wasn’t the way to comfort her.

”I’ll see her out?” Leon offered.
”Fine, if she wants. I’m gonna head upstairs and get showered. I’ll see you soon, Babe.” Casey said, planting another kiss on her forehead.
”Oh, also, I’m headed up to the base for my official discharging this weekend. We’ll talk about if you want to come or not when you get back.” he smiled at her.

“Alright,” Trisha said simply, nodding and smiling warmly at him. She already knew what she’d prefer, unless there would be anything extreme involved… but they’d talk about it after. And she decided not to think too hard about the eye… heart… thing.
“I’ll be back before you know it.”

She then looked up at Leon.
“You can walk me out, sure… Might as well get more used to your company now.” Her tone was light, and she meant it as a joke, even if there was some truth to it.

”Getting used to one another is a good thing, yeah. I’m starting to kinda like you anyway. You really pissed the Cat off, and I couldn’t help but laugh when I heard it. I’m… He already yelled at me. Pretty loudly, and if it’s rank he’s pulling, there’s not a damn thing I can do. My little brother got to scream in my face for an hour and a half this morning, and I had to take it. And, I deserved it. I’m sorry they were around to hurt you guys at all. I’ll make that right.”
Leon didn’t mince words today. He was hoping to see and apologize to her expressly, which is why he stuck around for so long when he was supposed to be meeting a different Coven member.

Holding the gym door open for her, they were able to walk back into the main lobby of the apartment building.
”You’re really not much of an eater, huh? We’ve shared a few meals now; I’ve noticed how you barely touch it, even when you know its clean. Is it a trust thing? Or, just… Not much for food?” he asked casually.

“Low appetite. I trust Casey enough to eat anything he gives me,” Trisha replied shortly, in a way that made it clear it wasn’t something she wanted to talk about more. It was technically the truth. Group meals were the worst, but it was all rooted in her upbringing. Not something she wanted to talk about, or even think about. One of the many touchy subjects in her life. Her parents had never cared if she ate or not… she just got used to not doing it.

“Since Casey already yelled at you about the Cat, I won’t bother going on about it… so long as it doesn’t happen again. Because that thing almost killed him.” Funny that the topic of her boyfriend almost dying was a more comfortable one for her than food. But she tilted her head up towards the much taller man so that he could see she was being genuine.
“I appreciate and accept the apology… I’m glad it’s pissed off. Next time I won’t miss.”

Leon nodded, a smile crossing his face as he avoided the brunt of Trisha's ire. The exit had a smaller coat lobby where the mailboxes were. The signage already had a mailbox for “T. Vanburen & C. Richoux”, and there was a phone inside a little glass box with a sign that read “Caseau Richoux: Superintendent”. It had been a nice little moment Casey shared with her, one where they came to replace the old signage.

It was a satisfying status symbol, putting the little piece of paper with their names on it into their mailbox slot. Leon opened the door to the outside as he noticed it.
”Awww, that's pretty cute. You guys share a mailbox… Thank god porn doesn’t come in the mail anymore, huh?”

He laughed, waving Trisha out the door and walking down the steps with her.
”So, Ed will give you a call. I'll be here around five-thirty to pick you guys up. See you then?” he casually asked, reaching into his pocket to pull out some earbuds that slowly climbed up toward their destination.

Trisha rolled her eyes at the porn comment, but didn't snap at it, because she was too satisfied with him calling it cute and looking at their names on the mailbox anyway. It was just so nice…
“Yeah, I'll see you then." She nodded, hand raising in a slight wave. The bees that had been moving around her shoulders gently buzzed to more hidden locations - her hair, under her skirt. Her own earbuds went in, and she checked the route Leon had sent her at the same time as playing some relaxing orchestral music to run to. Then she set off in a light jog out of the apartment parking lot.

It should be a relaxing run, with absolutely no problems, and she'd come back feeling refreshed and ready for the week ahead.

---

The Birds and the Bees: A Companion Post

---

Memorial Park > Home

Trisha let Casey chastise her the whole walk through the forest and out of Memorial Park to the main road, not saying a word, just nodding occasionally where it seemed she should. Her gaze was firmly downcast, just up enough to stop her from tripping over as she walked, and her lips pressed into a thin line. Even though all of her wounds were closed up she was still covered in blood, staining her white clothes, and mixing with snot and tears across her face from where her nose had been continually bleeding. She looked a mess, and she felt like one too. A mixture between a need to flee further, to avoid any stern words or possible shouting from Casey, but also to stay and appease him and not have him leave.

She was really scared of that.

With the inner conflict she ended up in a halfway there state where she wasn't fully paying attention to what he said. She was counting the losses of her bees - four thousand and seventy, four thousand and ninety, no, four thousand a ninety seven - and thinking about what she could say. Because she knew it was mostly her fault that he was worried. She wasn't at fault for the fight… but him being so angry and concerned meant that he cared. Enough to stay, right?

She was still trembling, whole body in a tense with her hands grasping her skirt and digging into her thighs. But eventually there was a gap for her to talk. She didn't want to but… she didn't want to be apart from Casey either, or ignoring him.
“It was a faster route back, I was going to get home early," she blurted out, eyes firmly stuck to her lap. She'd managed to send back most of the bees, with about two hundred still left clinging to her, mostly around her upper body.
“Running along the road didn't work. It would've been fine and I would've been back before an hour was up, then I wouldn't have gone out again. But then I saw Lila and I thought I'd be polite, just five minutes, I'd still get home early, but then she said stuff, and my bees got eaten, I couldn't just leave. It wasn't on purpose." An absolute mess came out of her mouth as she struggled to word it while knowing that really, nothing she said was going to just fix things and calm him down. But she didn't know what else to do.

”And you wanting to get home is fine: We planned for this! I was satisfied with you being on the route, and any detour you may have tried to take that kept you in that grid… But if you remember correctly, we met because you got into a bloody fist fight with another Sycamite!”
Casey wasn’t the type to get angry. Even now, it wasn’t anger so much as frustration; that the literal first time he wanted to not worry about things, something like this happens.
”Leon is trying to change. He wants to be better! Part of that is respecting the both of us, not just as a couple but as individuals! That means doing good things for you, even if he fucking slips up… But we cannot expect that to happen every time you meet someone who doesn’t like you! Like, Edict for example… That guy is scum at the end of the day, and I absolutely wouldn’t trust you alone in a room with him! Imagine if he’d wanted to hurt you the other day when we saw him and I wasn’t there? He could’ve! Easily!...”

“I’m not stupid, I know," Trisha interrupted, trying to clamp down on her own frustration. If it had been almost any Sycamore member she would've kept going. The list of ones she'd consider approaching with good intentions, though previously zero, was still small. Luca, Jasper, Sully, Lila… until now. She hadn't been like that before.
“She wasn't that- we never fought before. She was quiet! I just thought… it should've been fine. I wouldn't approach someone I thought was going to hurt me… I really didn't think that would happen. And- and I hurt her just as much as she hurt me."
She bit her lip, hands trembling. She wasn't supposed to be arguing or getting angry back, but she just couldn't help trying to defend herself, because otherwise she had to admit… She was wrong. At fault. That wasn't the case.
“I’m not that weak, Casey."

”Really? Because honestly, I feel like she could’ve kept going. How many bees have you lost? How many, Trisha? What’s that going to do to your hive, how many girls is that? Totally avoidable! Fuck, Babe, why’s this… Why!? Why do people attack you!? Does it make any more fuckin’ sense to you why I’m so anal about making sure you’re…-”

Casey paused as they made it out into the main street. It was the first time Trisha would’ve been able to see him completely: In this strange black jumpsuit, with body armor and gun magazines… He really looked like a soldier; and it’d be a little hard to explain that to anyone driving by. He was just thankful Norm was quick, and their car was pulling up quickly.
”-I just wanna keep you safe, Trisha… I fuckin’ love you! Why are you like a fucking lemming?!”
His arms wrapped around her, hugging her and rubbing her shoulders. He kissed her forehead, but the ceramic plating in his vest made his chest feel hard, harsh and unwelcoming.

Trisha didn't want to tell him how many she'd lost. She knew better than anyone. She'd felt every single death, and even after eating the Key Lime pie she could still sense it. A loss, pheromones she'd never smell again, a strange fuzziness and disconnect in her brain. She hadn't lost that many since the Stygian Snake. Back then she'd gone down to something close to the number she started with, and the years after were spent growing her hive again. She'd almost forgotten how much it hurt. There was no need for anyone else to tell her how bad it was… she knew. So she avoided answering the question.
“I don't know why people attack me," she said quietly. She knew. It was because she was petty, and because people always took what she said the wrong way. Over and over again. But it wasn't her fault.

She turned her head to the side so she wasn't facing the cold ceramic, not feeling particularly comforted by his hug. She didn't hug him back either, though her body tilted forward in a want to lean into him, then back again when it didn't find the normal, unarmoured warmth. Was he still angry with her? His words were angry, but he was hugging her… she didn't understand.
“But I'm not… I'm not like that. I was trying to do something different. I wanted to be- be-" better. But that meant admitting she was flawed in the first place.
“I know you want to keep me safe. I really didn't mean to worry you… I know. I understand. It won't happen again, I- I won't go out again."

Casey scoffed at the last little comment.
”This is not the end of the world, Trisha… You’ll go out again. You’ll go out again, you’ll probably fuckin’... You’ll probably scare us again. We’ll react accordingly, and we’ll do this dance again.”
Both of his hands grabbed her face gently on either side, lifting her up to look him in the eye.
”Just… Think about it for one more second next time. Even a tiny improvement is an improvement, Trisha… Please, Baby. We’ll do it together.”

The car was there now, and Casey quickly opened the door to let Trisha get in.

Trisha nodded slowly, before getting in. She waited for Casey to also get in before talking.
“I will, I'll try. I'll think about it more… but I wasn't lying this morning, it really doesn't happen normally. It's the… coven… but I'll improve, I'll really try to, as long as you're there. Even if you get angry or upset again, if I- I- don't improve much, don't- I'll try." There was that fear bubbling up to the surface again, so irrational, but also unstoppable. He said he loved her, he said he wanted to keep her safe, he cared for her… but she just couldn't believe it, not that easily. Not enough to push down her worry at yet another point that people would normally leave her. She was still reeling from the loss of the bees, not processing it as well as she could have, still working through attempted damage control even with Casey hardly seeming angry at all anymore.

“I’ll make it up to you today… for scaring you. Whatever you want today, tomorrow."
Casey was pulling his body armor off his chest, the rifle between his legs getting in the way as he tried to slide it one way or another.
”Babe, please… Make up to me? I’m not like that; you want to make this up to me, then you remember what we talked about next time something like this happens. Otherwise, don’t even think about it… Besides, you’ve got bigger problems to worry about, don’t you?”

Finally slipping the chest piece off, he reached out and grabbed Trisha. Sliding her across the bench seat, his arms wrapped around her again… The warm love was back. Nothing was between her and his inviting chest except a thin layer of cloth. For a long while, most of the way home, Casey just held onto Trisha…

”I’m sorry… For being mean. You lost a lot of bees… I should consider your circumstance more.”

Trisha shook her head. He'd feel every movement with it pressed against him, curled up as close as she could get. As he held her the trembling in her limbs had subsided, her breathing had evened out, and the panic subsided. She hadn't expected him to hug her like this… not so soon, at least. She was used to drawn out fights, anger that led to coldness or everything just ending. It always lasted just like hers did. Maybe she wouldn't hold onto things so much if she'd had warmth like this in her life earlier…
“You were worried, I understand. If you consider that mean you're going to struggle when you meet half my family." What was meant to be a joke with some truth behind it was awkwardly delivered… but for once she did understand and she was able to admit it. She'd been scared and frustrated, but Casey's harshness had come from concern. Even if it was difficult for her to believe entirely in that care, she could understand.

“It really hurt," she continued quietly, curling in towards him even more. She turned her face to press it against his chest as she continued, words half muffled.
“Four- four thousand nine hundred and seven. I felt every single one. It hurts the more I lose, but it's the same mentally. I can't sense them anymore. I called them all to protect the ones I had… because I was angry… but more got killed. I haven't lost that many since-" she shook her head again.
“Maybe it would've been better if I didn't call them."

Casey sat there with her as the car slowly pulled into the apartment’s parking lot and into a spot. Theo was waiting outside, a massive rifle slung under his arm that betrayed strength hidden in his small, lithe frame. Soft features crinkled a smile seeing Casey and Trisha making it home in one piece, and immediately hardened upon Norm stepping out.
”Great work, Dickwaffle… I nearly hit you! And I could’ve hit The Boss, what would that’ve been like, huh!?”
”But you didn’t! So, why don’t you go back to bragging about being the best shot in the Temple and we forget about it! It’s bad enough we’ll have to file the incident report and-”

The two slipped back inside, leaving Trisha and Casey to their private moment in the back of the car. Casey could only stifle a giggle in return. He didn’t want Trisha to think he was laughing at her, but the situation was grim enough that his instinctive reflexes were still on.
”Since the Snake… I… I know. That is a lot, and I bet it’s gonna make you a lot more cautious in the future, won’t it? I won’t sit here and blame you: You know how that interaction went down, and what happened now has happened. Just sit, let me hold you… And I promise everything is gonna be alright. Do you want to do something for them? A service or something?” he asked in a very sincere manner, long having pulled tight to her ear so a whisper would be enough.

Trisha let out a muffled sigh of relief, the last bit of tension in her body going with it. She'd still been worried that the car journey had just been a break, and that he'd be angry with her again when they got back. Really, she could deal with the anger, but the blame? She couldn't.
“I don't want them to get hurt again," she said softly, tilting her head towards his. She wanted to properly look at him now - not like her avoidance of eye contact earlier. To make sure and… well, she just really liked looking at him too.

Especially when he suggested something like a service for the bees. She'd never even considered something like that. She silently mourned each one and then moved on. Against the Snake there wasn't even time to mourn the people they'd lost.
“I think I'd like that. Just something small, just you and me and the rest of the bees… they won't understand, but it would be nice. I was never able to do something like that before. I don't know what exactly but something. A little bee service." She half giggled at that, though it was still more hollow than normal, and she pressed closer to Casey as if trying to become one with them - when there were very little gaps between them already.

Casey just rubbed her back for a while, taking a deep breath. Eventually, his hand reached out to his armored vest, pulling the radio from it and flicking the switch. He spoke calmly.
”Theoooo… Could you bring an incense burner upstairs to the bench outside Port One? And some sticks, like a few boxes of popsicle sticks.”

Trisha would only vaguely hear the response from Casey’s earpiece, a gentle confirmation echoing through the electronics. With that, Casey released the handset and moved back to fully holding Trisha.
”You’re okay, Babe… I’m sorry this happened, you know? It really sucks, I know what it's like to lose things that are attached to you… If our unit’s surgeons weren’t so good with their magic, you’d be dating a potato with a head.”
Again, a crude joke, one he knew he shouldn’t try to tell, but after so long that was the only reflex he had for comfort of loss. He was avoidant of the drink, or of other methods of repression: It was the belief that one needed suffering in their lives.

And in that moment, he realized that just as much as he was physically and mentally attracted to Trisha, he was equally attracted to the pain. The feeling of struggle that she exuded, something that was a coiled serpent inside. It was the same thrill he got jumping a line, or making a break from house to house.
Her ups, her downs- She thrilled him. She was unpredictable.

”And… You may think it’s weird? But I’m happy I got to get dressed up and shoot at something that was living… You gave me a reason to… Be.”

“That’s… pretty weird," Trisha pulled her head back a bit so that he could see she was smiling, rather than actually judging in any way. Of course it was weird but… It didn't bother her. She understood a little bit. She did a lot of things other people didn't like, and it wasn't like he'd killed Lila. Or had been aiming to…
“But I'm not going to argue if it made you happy. Which coven member should I approach next, then?" she joked, awkwardly laughing as soon as she said it. Probably too soon… she didn't want to get into situations like this again. She couldn't lose any more bees.

“I’m glad you're not a potato," Trisha leaned her head forward to rest against his, smiling softly.
“I don't think we'd be as good of a match. You wouldn't be able to get dressed and shoot things if I got in trouble… and we wouldn't be cuddling like this." She spoke softly, getting more relaxed. She was comfortable again, not worried… as long as she was with Casey she felt like everything could be alright. She hoped it could be. He wasn't even angry for long when she'd not done what he'd asked and put herself in danger…
“I really, really like you."

It was a tender moment all things considered. One he didn’t want to ever forget. He needed to remember how much the whole experience meant to him. The best of times, and the worst of times. Both deserved his respect, and his attention.
She didn’t judge him, she didn’t speak out… She asked who he wanted to fight next. That was something only a real trooper did. A real commander. There was respect there that Trisha probably never would’ve or could’ve understood. So he kept that part to himself.

”I really like you too, Trisha Bee… And we’ll avoid these situations. One day, you’ll have a lot more bees. And the little memorial we’re gonna make will be a beautiful reminder of lessons we’ve learned together. Ain’t that something to look forward to?”
Rubbing her back for another moment, he finally patted her to prompt her up.
”Come on… I’ll carry you back up how you like… Then we’ll get to work.”

“I can walk, you know," Trisha jokingly pouted, getting up and shuffling out of the car. But contrary to her words, she didn't move very far, turning around and holding her arms out towards him. Just waiting for him to scoop her up.
“I don't really know how to make a nice memorial, so you'll have to be patient… but I guess we have time. Unless you have to work? Then we can do it later… where will we put it?" It was a lot of questions asked quite earnestly. There was the Sycamore memorial but… she didn't visit it. Couldn’t. Not since it had been erected.
“Maybe we should get some watermelon for all the other bees too… They dealt with a lot."

”Don’t you worry about it… I already know what we’re gonna do and how we’re gonna do it. You said four thousand nine hundred and seven, right? So, that’s four thousand, nine hundred and seven popsicle sticks. And four thousand, nine hundred and seven new flowers. We’ll plant ‘em in a nice honeycomb pattern, burn some incense while we’re doing it. You can… You can pray, or whatever you want. Just think good thoughts about them, and honor their memory. And yeah, we’ll put some cut fruits down, all kinds. While we’re doing that, I’ll have Theo get all that taken care of: He loves the bees too; I know you haven’t heard much from him I don’t think… But, he’ll help… Sound good?”

As soon as she was up and out of the car, he already had Trisha tucked back up against him, cradled in his arms like she didn’t weigh a thing.

“Where will we get the new flowers? Are we going to plant them?" Trisha loosely wrapped her arms around Casey's neck, resting her head on his shoulder.
“... I'll stop thinking too hard about it, I'll just follow along with you. That sounds really nice. I've already perfected the honeycomb pattern making so, yeah… sounds good."

She tilted her head to press a light kiss against his jaw. The suggestion of praying wasn't something she planned to do, or particularly liked, but it was fine. It wasn't like it was being forced on her like it had been when she was a kid. Good thoughts… that was easy to do. She loved all her bees, even if there was very little to differentiate between them sometimes.
“If you're not busy or working, we can make the memorial, then we can just spend the rest of the day together… cuddling, relaxing. That would be really nice."

Casey cleared his throat.
”J-just… Just about the whole day. I’m gonna get some serious work done, and you’re gonna go with Leon and Eddy to the Gathering Center. You’re going to talk to your fellow Adjoined, and they’re gonna comfort you about what happened just like I am. You can tell them all it was totally Lila’s fault, and that she did everything to you; a totally innocent person. Because you’ve earned it.” he explained as they came to the elevator.
”It’ll be good for you. Adjoined are some of the most chill and accepting people I’ve ever met. You get real tolerant with headmates like that.”

Trisha pouted, immediately caught trying to get out of the meeting she really didn't want to go to anymore. Not after the fight. She just wanted to stay at home.
“We have very different experience of Adjoined. I guess they're nicer when they don't have Apparitions forced on them…" Of course there were some chill Adjoined in the old coven. Luca, Olivia… but people like Emily really ruined any possibility of Trisha viewing Adjoined as tolerant or accepting. Even if she was one herself.

“I don't need them to comfort me anyway… Do I really need to go? I won't even bother you. I'll just stay at home while you work… I don't really want to go out. Or talk about losing so many bees. Anyway, I've had my fill of other Adjoined for the day. For life, with some of the ones from Sycamore… I'll go next week." She didn't really have any intention of going the next week, or the week after.

”You know that’s pointless as well as I do-”
The elevator lurched to let them know they were on the unmarked tenth floor, its magical locking mechanism loosening up as familiar Lux passed through its barriers.
”-because next week you’re gonna say the same thing. Fight or no, you’re never going to want to go to this thing. The only way we can possibly change your mind about it is by making you go. There’s no time to waste.”

Casey nuzzled his face into her stomach, taking a deep breath of her before coyly looking up.
”I won’t be home anyway… There’s something that needs to be done today, and the timing lines up perfectly. You’ll probably even have some alone time upstairs before I get home.”

Trisha pressed her lips together, once again caught right away. While it was frustrating, and she really didn’t want to go, she also didn’t want to argue with him right now… not when he’d just stopped being angry with her. She still felt like she had to make it up to him, even if he said it wasn’t necessary. She’d rather keep him happy… she could do something she didn’t want to for once. It was just once. Even if she’d much rather just stay at home, alone or not.

“Fine… I’ll go,” Trisha said with a soft sigh, tilting her head down to look at him. Hair that had fallen out of her ponytail during the fight framed her face and cascaded down towards his.
“Just this once, since you want me to and won’t be home anyway. I’m doing this for you, okay? I expect loads of kisses when we’re both back. Loads and loads.”

She leaned down to kiss him gently then, a bit awkward with how he was holding her. But she needed it to push past the annoyance that was bubbling up again. She wanted to enjoy their time together before she had to go to the meeting. She pulled away as the elevator reached the top, doors opening with a ping.
“I’ll need to shower before then… unless I spend the rest of the day looking like I had a really bad nose bleed and got it everywhere.”

Gently patting her rear, Casey waved his free hand forward with a flourish. She’d pulled away as it was, even if he wanted to keep holding her, so if she really wanted to run, he figured he’d let her.
”Are you okay? I mean… Like, do you think you can get upstairs? Or do you want to shower down here? Because I need to file the incident report so we can track resources spent, and I figured I’d do that while you were showering, so…” he let his voice trail off, leaving the statement open for her to answer.

Trisha looked up at him, head tilting from side to side for a moment as she thought about it. She needed to get a change of clothes, so she'd have to go upstairs to get those. Then wouldn't it make more sense to just shower upstairs? But if she showered downstairs then Casey would be right outside. She'd probably have to come back down anyway…
“Aw, I was hoping you'd shower with me," Trisha half joked. There wasn't exactly room, and she'd rather he filed that report while she was busy anyway.
“I’m okay, the key lime did its job… but I'll go get a change of clothes and shower down here. I'd rather be close- and then I can subject you to ten minutes of me drying my hair."

She moved towards the elevator door, then changed her mind, spinning around and going up onto her tiptoes to quickly kiss him again.
“I’ll be back down soon."
Trisha turned around and hurried down the hall, going as quickly as she could across the roof. It was chilly, and she wasn't dressed to be outside unless she was exercising. Actually choosing something to wear took a bit more time. She didn't want to get changed again, so it needed to be something she was comfortable wearing to the adjoined meeting tonight… but also comfortable enough for making a bee memorial. Eventually she chose, and went back downstairs.

After another quick drive by kiss, but not wanting to disturb Casey too much, Trisha got into the shower. Another thing that took a while - she had to wash away all the sweat and blood, which was most difficult where it had gotten on her hair. Just washing hair as long as hers was enough to a pain without getting blood in it. Eventually she emerged, wearing a cozy dark green wool jumper tucked into wide legged jeans. She stopped just a bit before Casey's chair, holding up the hairdryer she'd brought down with her.
“Where should I do this that won't bother you? My office?" Not that she wanted to spend more time apart from him while they were actually together before tonight, but after the sheep in the game last night… she was a bit more aware that random sounds might be an issue for him.

Having swiftly dispatched the evil paperwork meant for himself to read and keep record of (a redundancy he was more than used to in the military), Casey was free to worry about the current situation that needed his attention. He didn’t love that he was being tasked by Grace to a situation where he felt like a glorified mobster. There was no joy in intimidating or hurting mundane people who chose to get into the way of the Temple’s path. The only way he was coping right now was by imagining that the Temple itself was a cruise liner or a battleship in the ocean: Stopping the momentum wasn’t reasonable in such a short period of time.

Did he want to keep the engine running? Of course not: And he’d already discussed this sort of thing with Lynette. Classically, she redirected toward God’s plan and the Temple’s status as the Chosen Peoples. It made him a little sick; especially after having spent the last part of the war fighting a group of people who took that sentiment with them in every part of their life…
No… Not all of them. Only the cream atop the milk was spoiled.
He liked to imagine that people were inherently good, and that it was more often circumstance which allowed evil to fester and rot the soul.

It begged the question: What did he think of his mother? Even he didn’t know for sure, and every waking moment involved with her was a gamble with one’s morals and sanity. He felt the problem with evil was that it never saw itself in black and red. Evil, in its own ego, was bedecked in white and gold in appeal to its own self aggrandizement. Maybe it was to protect itself, but Casey thought it was almost always ignorance. It had to be if one was going to accept all humans were good…

The bad guys only see their vision as good… How could they ever stop what they thought was right?

But the stressful feeling that had Casey cupping his face and self-soothing all melted away when he saw Trisha fresh, dressed and squeaky clean. He looked at her with those same warm, bright blue eyes he always looked at her with, and a smile crossed his face that hopefully told Trisha everything was okay.
Spinning his chair to face her, he patted his lap.

”You can do it right here. I’ll even help you get it dry quicker.” he said gently, almost longingly as his feet scooted the chair toward her.

“With magic?" Trisha smiled back at him, quite happily closing the rest of the distance and climbing into his lap. She twisted herself to sit sideways across his legs. The tension that had come back just in the time she couldn't see him disappeared the moment she was close enough to feel his warmth. Those little worries that he'd think about it when they were apart, or the paperwork would be so annoying he'd be irritated with her… but he wasn't. He was looking at her and smiling at her just the same as normal.
“Either way you can hold it, just point it towards my hair." She handed the hairdryer over to him and wriggled a bit as she pulled a small comb out of her pocket. Then she pulled her long, damp hair over her shoulder so she could actually reach most of it.

“Sometimes I think about cutting my hair much shorter, because it's so annoying to deal with sometimes… but my mom always had shorter hair, and I don't want to look like her. I like it, really, it's just a pain." As she talked she quickly brushed through it to get out any bad knots before it was dried.

As Casey took the drier, he started to tussle Trisha’s hair, teasing out little knots he could find. Having his own hair so long, and that being the Richoux’s common styling since they were children, gave him a leg up on helping her deal with the long, thick mop of hair she was dealing with herself.
”No matter how your hair looks, you’re still an Angel to me… Hey, look-”

Still in his lap, he spun the chair slightly to look at his desk. There were pictures where there hadn’t been before; apparently a slow process of moving into the space comfortably. Most of them were full of people, almost all of them in uniform. His free hand pulled one of the pictures down and placed it on the desk so Trisha could better examine it.
Honestly, it would’ve been terribly difficult to figure out which one was Casey were he not so fucking tall. Though, many of them looked freakish just the same. It was actually astonishing how clear the fact that this was a group of magical individuals was.

There was Casey, bald and beardless, holding this massive kind of rifle Trisha hadn’t even seen in movies. Then another man, dark skinned, shirtless with a helmet. They were flanked by a woman, and the very clear Apparition attached to her which seemed to replace an arm with some old naval cannon. An individual of indeterminate biological orientation, as they appeared to be more animal than human overall; not a bear, not a lion, not a tiger… But somehow all three and more at once.
And those were just a few of the dozens who posed for a picture surrounding and clambering atop this massive construct or undead behemoth… Something big that they’d probably killed. The scenery didn’t offer much in the way of interest, as it was mostly sand and sky… Clearly somewhere in North Africa.

”That’s my short hair… I started growing it back as soon as I could.”

“That’s… really short…" Trisha leaning in towards the desk, eyes squinting to look at the picture. It was a lot to take in, both Casey completely shaved and all the different types of magic on display. It was like some of the pictures the old coven had gotten… more obvious, because there were so many adepts in that group. But she still tried to take it in as best as she could, looking over everyone there, and everything in the background. She looked away from the photo and back over at Casey, head slightly tilted.
“Good to know you'll still be really handsome even if you start to go bald… though I like how your hair is now."

She smiled at him - though she felt that wouldn't really matter anyway. She was attracted to him for more than just his looks… really it was the other stuff, his personality and how he treated her, that made her like him so much.
“Shortest I've had mine was just above my shoulders when I was… ten? My mum made me cut it." She shrugged as if it hadn't been a terribly traumatic ordeal during one of her summer visits. She understood, she'd barely been able to maintain the long, messy waves she'd had then but it was still… the lack of choice. Her head turned back towards the picture.

“Is that your… squad, then? I don't really know the terminology." She stopped brushing her hair as she asked, having got most of the knots out, and reached up to tap his hand holding the hairdryer to indicate he could start it.

The whirring of the dryer almost drowned out his mostly soft voice.
”That’s the Platoon, Baby. Squads are usually around ten people, and three or so Squads make a Platoon. Sergeant Pasqual was in charge of our Squad.-”
Casey pointed to the dark skinned man next to him in the picture. Then his hand slid upward to tap on one of the men standing at the very top of the behemoth they were gathered around. This one too was a giant of a man, only he really made Casey look tiny. He made everyone look tiny, and the harpoon thing he was still gripping onto that was stuck out of their hunt looked like something you’d find holding up a barn.

”Lieutenant Gerber led us all. He was in charge of our ragtag group of hellions, and I’ll probably miss him every day of my life. He was just one of those guys, you know? Everything slid right off that massive back. We called him Baby Huey… He liked it. He liked being mercilessly teased and bullied and… And I don’t think I ever met a person who took advantage of that. He was just too nice, too kind. Too willing to be a good man.”
Casey had stopped moving the hair dryer, indicating his slow transition into another time and another place. Focus and attention drained, the warm air from the dryer blowing just perfect enough in his face that there was no way it didn’t feel like Libya. It was hot and dry and he didn’t like it.

Finally the annoyance of it brought him out, and he took a deep breath before kissing Trisha on top of the head. The dryer began to move again.
”Sorry… I know I keep the pictures, but I don’t look at it every time thinking about how many of those people are dead. You know? Maybe you’d get that way seeing a picture of the Coven together before stuff got bad…” he offered the thought.

Trisha didn't think she'd get that way seeing a picture of the Coven. Was there even one? She remembered a few people took them… Bianca Manalo had been especially annoying with it. Things weren't so bad when she'd joined… aside from what had led to her joining in the first place. But was she really close to anyone who died? She liked them enough… dated some of the dead before they were killed… The memorial she refused to visit… Martin…
“I don't know if I would, it wasn't the same. There were so many of us." Trisha looked down at her hair, brushing through it on autopilot as the hairdryer moved over it.
“Nobody died from the main group I was in." Which was technically true, if she just thought of herself as part of the rich clique, as opposed to one of the members that very actively mingled. Trying to make friends and find a family she didn't have elsewhere. It didn't work out in the end.

“I’m sorry I made you think about it," she reached out for his free hand with her own, gently tangling their fingers. It made things a bit awkward for her with her hair, but that was fine. She didn't really know how to offer comfort otherwise… it wasn't like she had the same issues. Definitely not, she avoided a lot of things related to the former coven, like the memorial, because it was awkward. She gripped his hand a bit tighter. It really wasn't the same.
“If you don't want me to ask about them, I won't… and if you ever want to talk about it, I'll be here."

Casey frowned slightly, tilting his head and kissing her scalp again.
”I love those people. I always wanna talk about them, remember them, think about them. I’d say it’s not their fault I’m still alive, but I can point out a couple of people who probably died directly because they chose to save my ass… But I’d be dead in their place if the roles were reversed.”
His free hand still ran through Trisha’s hair, separating sections to get them dried quicker and more efficiently overall.
”You know I would’ve died to protect you today, right? Today and any day.” he whispered into her ear, his head moving to the side of her head to speak it.

Trisha froze, not responding at first, breathing quickening slightly. Her hands kept moving on autopilot through her hair as Casey did most of the work. It should be comforting, but it wasn't. She didn't want him to die to protect her. Because then he'd be leaving her. He'd leave her in a way she couldn't get him back. She'd have to watch him die and live with knowing he'd thrown away his life for someone like her. Just like…

“I don't want you to die for me," she said quietly, staring straight ahead without quite seeing. The shadows cast by the table and the screens were increasing in her sight, like they were creeping towards her. Phantom pain across her abdomen, one hand dropping as if to cover the scar already hidden by her clothes… she didn't remember it, just the pain, the bees that didn't listen, the unnatural screams. The emptiness afterwards. Suppressing it.
“You’re not allowed to die first. I'll- I'll stay out of danger, just don't leave me like that. I don't want that. I'd rather we both died." Because dying was better than going back to living all alone.
“Don’t make me go through that." Again.

There was a moment where, probably just after Casey abruptly turned the blow dryer off, one could hear a horn in the far distant bay signaling its return to port. Casey didn’t turn Trisha to look at him, but if she chose to look back to see what the holdup was, she’d be greeted by a stone-faced Casey staring far off into a wall.
He didn’t want to look down at her, didn’t want to feel her vague sadness as he imagined the infinite worlds where she could possibly put herself in harms way trying to protect him. His teeth clenched into themselves so tightly, the veins around his neck were starting to pop out.

”Then maybe we’ll forget it. Who needs to die, huh?” he said, voice straining slightly. He took a brief moment, a deep breath pushing out of his nose. Eyes closed, he took his free arm and wrapped it around Trisha tightly, and then he sat for a moment in that silence, face buried in her still-damp hair.
”Lets just make smart choices, and watch one another’s backs. Deal?”

Every bit of that moment was his post-deployment behavioral therapy being fully deployed to deal with a situation. He was mere milliseconds away from escalation, from the bring of maybe touching off an argument, maybe just shaming her into crying more; he didn’t know and he didn’t care. He hated his base instincts, and in that moment had the urge to drown himself in a tub of flaming petrol.

But that would be just as bad, wouldn’t it Soldier Boy?

“Deal," Trisha whispered back. She was trembling slightly, bringing her knees up towards her chest so she was a tight ball on his lap. Her body tilted towards him, and underneath his face her head seemed to move up and down in a constant, slight nodding motion. Forget it. Yes, that's what she wanted to do. What she always did. She took a deep breath, eyes moving to look at her knees rather than the creeping shadows around the room. They weren't real, anyway.

As the irritating panic subsided to just a background noise, she tilted her head up to look at Casey. Her eyes were slightly red, but she hadn't actually been crying. Unshed tears, from what he'd initially said and an event she was trying her best to completely forget again. There were still hints of desperation in her eyes, more fear than she should have over some simple words. But she managed to smile at him all the same, forcing it out.
“Didn’t you… you said this morning about going for your official discharging this weekend? I'd like to come… unless there's some reason you think I shouldn't?" Changing subject seemed best, though she wasn't sure if it was the right subject to change to. But her mind was filled with noise - bee death, human death - and she could only think of something he'd said they'd talk about.

Casey’s eyes lit up at the thought like he was a coin-slot doll coming to life. He had mentioned his discharging… Maybe that was part of why he was so on edge. He’d been so far gone from his position for so long that it felt like he left the military months ago. But, the reality was he was still reporting, and the only reason he hadn’t been in recently was approved leave for the Halloween Festival. Which meant, it was his last report and technically his official discharge. He didn’t imagine too much was going to happen to see him off considering the unit he was a part of in the Reserve…
”What? No, Babe, there’s absolutely no reason you shouldn’t come. It’ll be the most tame thing you’ve had to adjust to around me, I promise. Magical security is the shit; we’re actually allowed to bring our significant others to bases and shit because the White Adepts are all Federal narcs. Super Rats, practically; they’ll fuckin’ shit on you if you steal a pen. So, I guess just don’t take anything?” he laughed aloud.

The blow dryer flicked back on and he began to dry her hair again, thinking about the few people he’d bother going to say goodbye to. It wasn’t like active duty… The people just weren’t the same. Agnew, Deetz, Sheffield… Obviously Commander Kurgan.
”If anything, it’ll probably be quick too. I can’t think of too many people I care about seeing before I go.”

“Good thing I've got enough pens I don't need to steal any," Trisha laughed lightly, unfurling her body and her hands moving back to her hair to brush it out as it was dried.
“Will it just be a day trip then? The discharging- I assume there's paperwork- and seeing the people you want to, that's it? That does sound pretty tame in comparison… really, magical soldiers just sound like less immature Coven members."

Casey laughed.
”It’s the Coven of the United States Government… You’re perfectly correct.”
Petty, lazy fucks: Sounded just like Sycamore to him.
Looking at his clock on the table, he saw it was still fairly early. Early enough that he wanted to relax before real work started.

”Hey, if we get you all cleaned up like this, is a nap out of the question?” he asked her casually.

“Already tired from the day?" Trisha asked back with a soft smile. She raised a hand to her chin as if thinking hard about how to answer.
“It’s not out of the question. As long as my hair’s properly dried first it'll be fine. If I lie down with it wet it's an absolute pain to deal with afterwards. I don't sweat much when I nap… I don't think… we can go lie down if you want to. Some cuddling sounds really nice." Her hair was almost dry, anyway.

She could feel his fingers starting to search for any more damp spots, which he quickly began to target with the dryer as he smiled to himself.
”When you’re out in the field, you try to sleep whenever you can. You’re always exhausted, your hours are never regular, and you’re on the go constantly; you don’t think, you don’t worry, you just fucking sleep while you can. Some guys had trouble with that, but I didn’t. I only started getting bad nightmares when I got home…-”
He sounded like he was just talking about whatever, but as he did one last search and found her scalp and hair dry to his standard, he cleared his throat.

”-But with you, they’re gone. It… It makes me remember how much I used to love just fuckin’ napping.” he giggled at her, putting the dryer down and kissing her gently on the cheek.
”You make me feel so many things, Trisha… Thank you.”
Of course, he was waiting for her to slide out of his lap, but he probably could’ve fallen asleep right there with her.

Trisha hummed softly as she carefully got up, not moving any further than right in front of him.
“Well, we can have plenty of naps together. I only ever really napped because I had to from not sleeping. Especially against… the Snake, because we had to be up all night. I was used to it more then but it's nice to just nap because I feel like it. With you."
She leaned in, hands loosely falling on his shoulders and nose rubbing against his. Her eyes gently creased as she smiled. Yeah, it was the same for her. Casey made her feel a lot of things she didn't normally. Safe, loved…
“You’re welcome for getting beaten up in a place you could find me," she giggled, before kissing him softly. As she pulled away she held out a hand for him.

He only shook his head with a stupid grin, taking her hand gently before rushing forward and scooping her up off her feet. It wasn’t his shift right now; he didn’t care about the office being empty… He only cared about being with Trisha. Only the comfort so long denied.

[AtomicEmperor]

Home > The Dolly Apartments

Hours later and the sun was once more setting upon a St. Portwell evening. Fall was well on its way and trending toward a typical wet winter; the little beading droplets on the windows of the rooftop abode gently trailed downward with gravity’s pull. There were tiny gutters covered by a thin plastic mesh that allowed the water to travel away from the emerging foundation, though it wasn’t so heavy that they were necessary today.
Casey was standing in the middle of the main room stretching, his work suit unzipped with the top tied around his waist. As he bent himself backwards, the glove on his hand vibrated slightly with the influence of White Lux.

He could see the ice forming in the spots where the water was thinnest, frosting up and blowing away in the wind as a vague cloud of evaporated moisture…
Everything back to the Water Cycle.
There was a certain level of preparation that went into what Casey was best at. In days past, it wasn’t so deliberate. It was a survival instinct that led him to discover that past trauma made up for present discomfort. It was understanding that everything his Father had taught him about war and fighting had all been real, applicable, and stuck to him like hot tar.

Of course, the kind of disconnect he experienced now, getting back into that mindset in order to do things he otherwise didn’t want to… This wasn’t a natural way to live. He felt boiling energy screaming for an exit from his body. Today had been a tease; the Maiden of Murders’ visage stuck in his mind, the rifle in the line of sight. The feeling of the recoil against his shoulder, the adrenaline of the potential fight. The abject fear of death that he railed against every time he had to go back to that place…

There was a gentle chime: The new doorbell that let the two of them know someone was looking for rooftop access. It was particularly intelligent, one of those full-spectrum systems with a camera and a microphone. Knowing Trisha was still getting dressed, he put a stop to his routine and made way for the wall where the main panel was located.
In the image of the camera was Ed… He didn’t have the capacity to be too jovial in that moment, so without flair or humor, he simply buzzed the lock to let her in.

The click prompted Ed to push the door open to head up the stairs.
”Trisha? Ed’s here for you, Babe…”
As Ed approached the bright light of the glass house, she could see Casey in his jumpsuit, and turned her eyes slightly to see the hardware laid out across the kitchen island. She was aware of the situation vaguely, hearing about an internal dispute through the grapevine. One of their partners was delisted, and as far as she knew any product they were holding had been scrubbed from the inventory.

Chalked up to “loss”. Apparently they weren’t lost, or now they were at least found… She pulled open the front door for herself and spared Casey the details.
”Hey…” she said very simply, waving.
Casey did his absolute best to push out a smile in return.
”She’ll be right down, Cuzzo.”
Ed nodded in return. There was no drink offered, no courteous hospitality. Trisha probably would’ve noticed this as the hours had gone on and her usually jovial golden retriever man became less bubbly and more aggressively clingy.

Which only made it more weird when he got pissy that he had to walk away to get ready. Or maybe because he was making her go? His problem could never be transparent; it’d be too unthinkable to explain, and a burden he had to live with.

It was a few more minutes before Trisha appeared, coming down from their loft bedroom with a slight smile towards them both. Her delay had been twofold: fussing about whether she’d chosen the right outfit for an audience she mostly didn’t know, and worry about how Casey was going to act. As much as she’d liked the clinginess, she didn’t understand why he got annoyed in the end. It wasn’t like she even wanted to go in the first place.

It made it difficult to not assume she’d done something wrong. She hadn’t, but…
“Hey, Ed… Guess it’s time to go?” She asked, as if the answer wasn’t obvious. She went to grab her coat of choice tonight, pulling a white puffer jacket over the casual, black dress she’d ended up changing into. Even though she was feeling nervous over how Casey might be, she gravitated towards that spot right by his side.

“Good luck with work. I’ll miss you loads…” she took his hand in her own, gently squeezing it and looking up at him with a warm smile. Her posture was tenser than normal, showing the anxiety she tried to otherwise hide. Because she didn’t actually understand what the problem was, it was all too easy for her to start spiralling, thoughts getting worse and worse until she reached the same conclusion as always: abandonment. It was so silly… he didn’t want her to leave, right? Right.
“Oh I’ll text you when I get back too, just to let you know I’m home if you’re not yet… Well there’s probably some magical ways to figure that out so maybe that’s not necessary? Do you think you’ll be back much later than me?”

Casey’s hand in Trisha’s certainly didn’t feel like it wanted to leave her. He held onto the last finger as she drifted away closer to the door.
”I’ll take all the luck you can give me… Be good, don’t get into any fights, and try to learn something. I don’t know when I’ll be home, but I’ll try to clean up before I come up. And keep her safe, Ed.”

Ed nodded, slipping her arm into Trisha’s playfully. She needed to feel the tension ease slightly, especially knowing that Casey’s look was the same one she’d seen Leon get… Or Gravity… Before the fight.
”She’s the girl, Chief. Snug as a bug.”
Casey nodded to accept her word, and his back turned on them before they were gone. He’d made way for the kitchen island, fiddling with his rifle in a desperate attempt to not watch his beautiful evening saunter off into the darkness.

I refuse to do this forever.
”I love you, Trisha…” his words echoed as Ed had already shifted them both to leave.

“Missing you already.” Trisha’s words were muffled by the door closing behind her. It was cold outside, and she pulled her jacket tighter around her with a slight shiver. As they made their way across the roof, a soft buzzing announced the presence of about fifty bees making their way over from the Greenhouse, landing on various places on her. Most of them immediately crawled under her clothes for warmth… after all, bees weren’t made for the cold, even if hers were tougher than most.

“I don’t know why he thinks I’m going to go in and start stinging or something. I’m not that aggressive…” Trisha muttered light heartedly, trying to ease the grumpiness she could feel settling over her. That wasn’t fair on Ed. She could get through tonight and maybe even enjoy herself. At least she could just stick with Ed and Gin.
“Is Leon already downstairs, or will we have to wait in the cold for him? I’ll need more bees if I’m spending more time outside.”

”Uhhh… With the Layla stuff, Leon’s actually going to be separate from us. I’m pretty sure he’s already at the venue setting stuff up, so… Just us girls for now.”
Like a cartoon character, the Poppy Doll eerily made her way from behind one of the poles holding the walking path awnings.
”Hello, Miss Trisha.”
She was utterly pale, dressed in a Victorian style gown with sullen eyes and manic curls that threatened to cover her face. Her figure couldn’t have been more than fourteen; her expression was truly something to behold as a downturned frown looked eerily like all three of its constituent parents at once. Mia’s lanky features, Ed’s expressive eyes, Hari’s quiet grace, each little piece was like a patchwork of her Mothers, and in turn, she looked at the world with all the love she was given and sighed.

”I like your jacket.”

Trisha was actually relieved that it was just them, as much as she was trying with Leon. There was still that discomfort there, whereas she found Ed easy enough to be with… At least until her Apparition appeared. Trisha stared at her for a moment, putting out soothing pheromones as her bees got nervous at the strange presence they couldn’t quite understand. It wasn’t that she was unused to Apparitions, exactly, but she wasn’t used to friendly ones. Everyone in her main group in Sycamore had been Adepts (aside from Jaska), and there were just more of them than Adjoined in the coven as a whole…

“Uh, thanks… Serenity, right? I got it in Chicago, it’s actually from a thrift store. Surprising, huh? It’s nicer and warmer than a lot of my expensive jackets.” The last bit was for Ed, of course, she didn’t expect Serenity to understand why it would be strange for her to wear thrifted clothes. It wasn’t like she’d gone in there herself, or with the intention to buy anything… she’d been physically dragged in by Cass.
“Does- does she come out often? By choice?” Trisha asked Ed, after a brief moment of wondering if it was appropriate with Serenity right there. But she hadn’t seen her own since the day they adjoined…

”Well, our relationship isn’t… I’d not call the setup conventional, right Ren?”
The Poppy Doll took Ed’s hand in a tender, unsure fashion.
”We like to Thrift. Right?” Serenity looked up, the question leaving her lips as light as the air around them. Entering the building to head down, Ed chuckled to herself.
”That’s right, Sweetpea. We love vintage.”
”We love Vintage.” she repeated, inflection placed in a strange manner as she spoke.

Ed cleared her throat, shrugging slightly.
”Maybe we mentioned it, maybe not… But the three of us willed her into existence. I didn’t have any Lux, so I took her as my responsibility. That being said, she’s our daughter. I can’t really look at her any other way besides my sweet little girl.”
Ed’s hand reached up, pinching the ghost’s cheek.
”So, she’s sort of free to do as she likes, so long as she follows the rules that we’ve established with her.”

”If nobody asks to feel good, I won’t make them feel good.”
Ed nervously nodded, clearing her throat again.
”Right… Like that.”

“Right. That is an unusual setup… I think. I wouldn’t really know.” Trisha decided not to dwell on whatever that meant, or question it. She could guess, from the phrasing and what she’d smelt the first night they met. The strange scent signals similar to her own but not… probably from Serenity. But it really wasn’t her business.

“So she’s only a few years old? Young in ghost terms, at least… I can see why you’d have a different relationship because of that. It’s just strange to me, most Apparitions seem to stay inside… At least the Adjoined I knew. The ones that did come out…” She shivered for a moment, thinking about Babylon and The Black Rose Killer. The latter had been especially uncomfortable to be around when he managed to get out of his host’s active suppression of him.
“I rarely talk to mine. I don’t think that’s normal, either… It seemed to be intrusive for most Sycamore Adjoined.”

”Well, when you don’t really have a basis to understand how you should act, everything becomes difficult. I feel bad for people in that situation; at least when Serenity was born, we could fall back on the Temple. If not the physical resources, certainly the lessons of patience and acceptance.”
The elevator came, opened and closed on them. Serenity eerily slipped through the floor of the elevator, sliding down the line to the bottom like a firefighter. It made Ed smile and giggle to herself.

”But, her circumstance is pretty special I’d say. Even if she was around in some other form before, the individual we got? She’s… She’s just a kid. Doesn’t know anything about anything, but she knows that she loves cuddling with her Moms, and their friends… And she likes helping. Making people feel good, right?”
At that, her expression became a little shameful.
”All the addiction counselling… The fuck is someone supposed to do when this is the situation? I ask myself constantly: What am I doing with her? What’s the plan here? So… So I go alone to this meeting once a month. And I talk with others about her, and about how proud I am of us. And I admit my flaws, my personal failures, and people accept us. The judgement of myself fades away for a little while.”

“That sounds… nice. That you can talk about it and accept yourself more for it.” Trisha offered, shoving her hands in her pockets to hide the way they were clenched into fists, nails painfully digging into her palms. Would she have to talk like that too? She expected to talk about the Queen, but about her flaws or any of that stuff…
“I don’t really understand the addiction stuff but… uh… It doesn’t make me feel any differently about you, I guess is what I want to say. Even with her… I’m sure she’ll grow with you.” Her words were pretty stilted, but genuine. It wasn’t a struggle she’d personally witnessed - which was probably part of why she wasn’t particularly judging about it. Not something that had affected her before…

”My apparition is closer to a mom, I think,” Trisha found herself saying. Once she’d said it, she realised it was a bit difficult to explain without… revealing more. What kind of mom spent 80% of the time ignoring their child? She knew her experience wasn’t the normal one. It was such a sore spot. But maybe if she talked a bit now, she wouldn’t have to at the meeting. She could still tell Casey that she tried.
“My mom’s smart, and could be pretty strict.” That was an understatement, of course, but it was better than the whole truth.
“The Queen feels a bit like that when she talks to me. I don’t even know where to start with changing things. Honestly, I didn’t even care to until I met Casey.”

”That sounds a lot more classic to me… The way we're taught, if the Apparition willingly Adjoins, there's a high chance they're malicious. Otherwise, what use would they have for you? So I'd say the Queen probably just isn't interested in what you do, right? Like, she's aloof, right? Probably wishes she was independent and in charge of the bees!”

The door to the elevator slid open, and waiting was something unexpected. Maybe laughable, as the transition clearly made Ed giggle. It was Serenity, or at least as close to Serenity as possible. The eyes were lost behind a set of prissy shades that covered half the Apparition's face. Curly hair was tied into tight braids down the back of her head, and she was wearing a puffy jacket just like Trisha's.

To the latter, this form may've seemed like she transformed into a miniature Tansy. Bitchy rich girl vibes radiated from Serenity as she blew a bubble with the gum in her mouth that didn't actually exist.
”She's probably bored out of her socks listening to you both yap. Come oooooon… I want to see Mr. Weatherman.”

”Go get into the friggin’ car then. I don't know why you bother waiting.”
As Ed's hands waved Serenity off, she tilted her glasses and stuck her tongue out.
”So true, so true… Going pla-a-aaaaces, doing thiiiiings, I love being out out oooout to see th-”

Ed laughed aloud, smile beaming at Trisha.
”It's stuff like that, like… She learns and observes like crazy. It's like having a baby that can backtalk you.”

Trisha found herself laughing too. It was… cute, if an Apparition could be called cute. She smiled, hands coming back out of her pockets and relaxing a bit. A bee crawled out from her hair, tied back at the base of her neck, and onto her cheek. It seemed to wiggle a bit at Ed too.
“Must be exhausting sometimes. Like a kid you can never be rid of.”

As they stepped out of the elevator, she thought about what Ed had said about the Queen. It wasn’t quite right. The Queen had willingly Adjoined with Trisha. But the use wasn’t for anything malevolent. Selfish, maybe, but not evil. A place to rest and regain power without risk of being sealed, and letting someone else raise the bees.

“I actually think I’m just a bed to the Queen. She’s not… trapped or anything. She could unadjoin anytime she wanted to. I don’t actually know why she doesn’t… maybe she hasn’t regained enough power. But you’d think after eleven years of mostly sleeping inside me she’d be strong enough?” Trisha shrugged.
“It was her choice to adjoin with me in the first place. I was only thirteen and I broke one of my dad’s Artifacts. I didn’t even know about magic then…” It was like she was trying to justify the current relationship they had. Or, feel like it wasn’t just a lack of interest. The Queen wasn’t forced to stay. She chose to. The bees chose to…

”Woah, woah… She can leave? I… We’ve always been taught that Adjoining is a life-long commitment! A responsibility, or, like, stewardship! That kind of shit, some noble and high-minded shit!” Ed replied, hands animated as they eventually came to rest curled under her arms. A little self-soothing posture, to prevent the discomforting idea of Serenity simply walking out of her life.

”Not sure what I’d do if she just… Up and left one day. Weird magical cult aside, I… Well, maybe you feel close about the bees? Like they’re yours, you’re constantly with them, they count on you for stimulation… If they all were just gone one day, would-”
As she frowned and looked at Trisha, she could feel a tension building quietly as she suggested the idea of ending up all alone in one’s body.

”Well… I mean… You said you feel like a bed? Like, she’s obscured, withdrawn into her psyche-hold. Not very reactive? I can imagine it’d be hard to know how to please her, or even roust her for that matter… Like, Serenity loves when people are calm; she’s a little somnophile; not in a creepy way, she’s not…-” Ed twisted a little bit as they walked through the lobby toward the side lot.
”-Sometimes, I wake up… And she’s just staring. When I asked why-”

”-The beauty of Humanity can be found in the small peace of sleep. It’s the only time you’re not actively wracked by anxiety.”
One couldn’t consider the ghost “tucked” behind the tiniest blindspot one could find, so much as she was folded into it. As Ed had pushed open the door to the outside, Serenity practically materialized from behind the post of the door to stand in between the two ladies.
”Well, most of you. You sleep with Uncle Casey, right? Sometimes I think he’s more anxious in his sleep.”

“They can leave. The apparition, and anything that comes with them." Trisha said very quietly, not quite looking at Ed.
The thought of the bees leaving her was one Trisha didn't even want to consider… but maybe she had to. Because would the Queen want to stay with her for the rest of her life? If she didn't, eventually she would leave, and the bees would go with her. Then it would just be Trisha. Without the one thing that had never left her. It made Trisha uncomfortable and tense, shoulders hunching up and hands shoving back into her coat pockets. Her bees sensed the agitation and started to move towards her neck, more appearing as they gathered there in what was perhaps a comforting bee scarf. It helped a little bit, but now the idea was in her head. It was difficult to shake. They'd been with her for almost half of her life. All those times completely alone before… there was a small amount of comfort with them there. Even if she still felt so, so alone. But if they left… what would she do?

“Huh? Oh, yeah…" Trisha responded to Serenity after a delay, barely reacting to her just materialising. She forced a smile, trying to appear relaxed. Not thinking about being abandoned…
“Casey has nightmares… but he doesn't have them as much with me. I think his sleep can be quite peaceful right now… definitely doesn't disturb mine. That's not an open invitation to come watch, though." She really hoped Serenity could stray that far from Ed. A Ghost in the room was a perfect way to ruin both her and Casey's sleep… which had really not been so bad so far. Aside from that one time the bell woke them up, and the time she'd gotten out of bed before he woke up. She wondered if she was less anxious in her sleep too. Maybe not right now…

“I know some things the Queen likes. She likes the bees being cared for, and…" Trisha trailed off. Was there anything beyond that?
“It’s just that really, but it's a big one. It's not as simple as just having them. I guess you understand it with Serenity? She's your baby, the bees are mine… I didn't have so many when I started. So I raised them as much as you can raise bees. She definitely appreciates that. As I got better at it she responds more. It's still not often, and it's definitely not like-" she gestured to Serenity, managing a laugh.
“Anything like her. I think I- we've held more of a conversation than I have for a long time with my Apparition. But maybe she likes sleeping so much because it's like Serenity says- peaceful. She doesn't have to worry about her- our- hive because I care for it."

”Sounds lazy to me.”
The transitions this Ghost managed to do were mind bending. Like some strange cartoon character, she would slip behind Trisha one instant and pop up from a different position in the very next. Actual horror movies could only hope to replicate the strangeness of a semi-formed phantom’s habits.
She was like ADHD in ethereal form, and sat cross-legged in the passenger seat as Trisha opened the door to Ed’s car. Her clothes were, once again, entirely different than they had been. This time, it was clear to see there was some kind of pattern going on with her styles.

Maybe she was imitating what she perceived? Some kind of strange desire to connect and disconnect, as she’d somewhat mimicked Trisha’s style only to switch into something more Eddish. Ripped jeans, a beanie hat sagging low at the back of her head, grey-scale flannel with that same slightly inked-in look that the phantom herself had.
Her hands were stuffed into the pockets of her jeans, and she snapped away at the non-existent gum still present in her mouth.
”D’you ever just, like, fuck with the bees?”

As she asked, Ed opened the door at the other side and tapped at Serenity’s arm.
”Back fuckin’ seat… And don’t ask questions like that.”
Poof- Serenity was sprawled across the back bench seat.
”I ain’t mean anything by it… You know, Trisha. You’re not tight about silly shit, right?”
”Shit, Bro, who are you right now?” Ed laughed, knowing full well what was going on. ”Don’t make it an excuse, ‘kay?”

Trisha got into the passenger seat of Ed's car silently. The question did bother her, but it was easier to handle if she thought about it coming from a child. A young child, really, even though Serenity looked like a teenager. She didn't know any better…
“It’s fine, though you should listen to what Ed says. Most people aren't as relaxed as I am." That was a lie, of course, Trisha was often 'tight' about silly shit. But she was trying to be a bit better. She liked Ed's company enough to clamp down her initial reaction anyway, along with the age justification… ignoring all the younger siblings she'd snapped at before no matter the age.
“I don't fuck with them. I talk to them with pheromones… like scent signals. They can sense mine, and I sense theirs. So if they're anxious I know, but it also affects me. So if I messed with them, then it'd be like messing with myself. We're too connected and affect each other too much." As she explained it as simply as she could, Trisha held out a hand, a couple of bees crawling into it. They let out agitated buzzes, but as Trisha seemed to relax, they did too.

“They could hurt other people too." She then looked over at Ed.
“Can I let them spread out? They like being able to see all around a space if they can."

”Of course, Dude. As long as they’re cool, I’m cool.” Ed smiled as she started the car. It had quite the noise, and the strange seatbelts made it feel a bit less like a car and a bit more like a jet fighter.
”I wasn’t askin’ cuz I want you hurt… Just like, I thought if someone fucked with the bees, she’d come out, right? Maybe it wouldn’t be good, but while she’s awake, you could try to ask her some questions.” Serenity tried to explain as best she could in the face of her nerves spiking slightly.

”I-I… Really didn’t mean to make you mad, s-so,- Please, no stinging?” she pouted.
Ed could feel the spirit’s agitation, and she threw a hand back for Serenity to hold.
”Hey, hey… Nobody’s stinging, nobody is mad. It’s all cool, Susie-Q.”
She was a natural caretaker, comforter, lover of the innocent and meek… It was only natural that Ed bore this spirit as she grew. She could feel the anxiety fade away, and there was an instant where she almost let it all slip.

Too much comfort.

Ripping the hand away, she coughed for a moment. There was a slight scent of repugnant chemical waste in the air.
”Serenity!? No, no!”
Rather than simply retract, the phantom turned its head in a pout.
”It’s not that much…”
”Fir-first off… We’re going out! I’m driving… And SECOND-”

Coming to a stop at a red light, Ed’s brow furrowed tightly, and she turned her head slowly to Trisha.
”Fu-u-uck… G-god… Goddammit, Serenity… Trisha, you-you g-gotta… Drive… I’m s-so-”
Serenity slowly faded away into nothingness, leaving Trisha entirely alone in the car stopped at a red light…

While Ed slipped into a narcotic stupor.

“What the fuck?!" Trisha immediately panicked. The bees panicked, agitated buzzing filling the small space as they crawled out from her clothes and clung to her as if there was some active threat they could deal with. There wasn’t. They couldn’t help at all. It just made her panic more even as she tried to suppress the pheromones leaking out of her, at least curbing the ones that started mingling with the chemical smell in the air and make her panic worse.

What the fuck did she do? She could drive, that was fine, but she had no idea where she was going for this stupid fucking meeting. Did she just go back? Then what? Carry Ed inside herself? She couldn’t even get into their apartment, so it would have to be hers, and then what the fuck did she do? She didn’t want to deal with that. What the fuck.

“Oh fuck off!” Trisha yelled as someone honked behind them, raising a hand to flip them off. She reached over and awkwardly pulled Ed over, trying to get her more into the passenger seat than the driver's seat… At least enough that Trisha could take her place. As the light went red again, she got out, running round the front of the car to get in at the driver’s side.

“Spread out, I can’t have you on me like this,” Trisha whispered, directing the bees through her panic. They followed, flying off her onto the roof, the dashboard, the doors of the car. A few remained on her shoulders where they wouldn’t get in the way. Ready for more orders. Thankfully they were used to taking them under stress, and she was used to giving them…
“Fuck, fuck, okay…” Not wanting to stop at the traffic lights any longer, Trisha started the car again as they went green. She kept going in the direction they’d been heading, no idea if she’d have to turn at any point… the Temple was outside of the city, sure, but she didn’t remember where. It wasn’t even what she was aiming for right now. She kept going until she found a parking lot for some supermarket. She pulled in and parked. Fuck. Maybe she should’ve gone back…

“Ed? Ed? Where the fuck are we- you’re not going to know are you,” Trisha bit down on her lip, reaching out for Ed’s arm. Holding her wrist to make sure she was still alive… of course she was. It was a magically induced high. Fuck. What did she do? Call someone… But who? Her first reaction was Casey, but she couldn’t. He had work. Either he was out, or going to be. Would he even pick up? It would be worse if he didn’t.

And she didn’t want to worry him.

Leon. She’d call Leon first… hopefully he’d pick up. And if he didn’t… she’d deal with that when she got to it. Tense hands pulled her phone out of her pocket, fingers shaking as she went through her contacts. The bees started to fly around the car as she hit call, circling her head as she heard it ring, waiting, growing more agitated. Please pick up.

There weren’t too many rings before a familiar voice picked up the phone.
”Yoooo, what’s up, Trisha?”

“How do I get to the Temple?” Trisha asked immediately, swapping her phone to speaker so she could put it down. Her hands were shaking too much to keep it up to her ear comfortably, and bees kept crawling all over them… The buzzing would be more obvious as she did.
“Can I even get there? By myself? Well, not by myself, Ed’s-” Trisha looked over at Ed, gnawing on her lip more. Just deal with the situation, pretend to be perfectly calm, then she could… fuck, she wasn’t even going home, she’d have to suffer through the dinner before she could even curl up at home. It was fine, totally fine.

“She’s passed out. Serenity… it was an accident but…” Trisha grimaced. There was still that part of her that hated that she couldn’t just get on with it. That she had to ask for help in the first place. Like she wasn’t capable… but she wasn’t. Not here.
“What the fuck do I do?”

”Gods damn that little ghost… Are you in her car?” Leon asked, voice clearly frustrated by the situation.
”I ask her to do one thing for me, and- Sorry, I assume you are if she’s there… Go into the hatch in the back, and there’s like… A rug? Pull it up and there should be a few different boxes of shit. You’re gonna need to jab her with one of those purple epipen looking things, anywhere’s fine. It’ll shock her awake if you don’t think you can get here. But if you’re good to drive, I’ll text you the address; you can put it right into your GPS. We’re not hidden or anything out here.”

“Not sure I trust her to drive even if it’s some high curing magical injection,” Trisha muttered, shaking her head. She needed to not get too agitated. Not before going to a dinner she really didn’t want to where she had to try not to snap at everyone. But it was really, really hard. Fuck. The bees gathered on her again, and she didn’t bother telling them to go away. She wasn’t driving yet.
“Text me the address. I’ll- I’ll see if I can jab her, but I’ll still drive. See you there, I guess.”

Though she didn’t actually hang up immediately. The bombardment of bee pheromones as they got increasingly agitated made it barely a thought compared to calming down. She buried her face in her hands and took deep breaths, trying to even out the signals she was giving out. Fuck.

Without skipping a beat, Trisha’s phone vibrated in her hand, and an address link to press was in her inbox.
”Trisha, I can send someone over if that’ll be better for you: This sort of thing happens from time to time with Ed.- It’s a concession we make. I’m only sad that it was today of all days… But I really don’t want you to suffer for it. We’re happy that you’re coming at all, you know, we can at least try and reconcile the situation for you as a guest…” Leon’s deep and bass-filled voice echoed through the phone in a gentle offer.

“It’s fine, I've seen worse," Trisha said eventually, unfurling herself to check the address. She was talking about the Stygian Snake years of course, and the medical duty that they all had to participate in. There just weren't enough actual healers… Sure, most of the other rich kids skipped it, but Trisha never had - at first at least. When she was still desperately trying to be part of the coven as a whole.
She'd rather deal with it all herself than have some other Temple stranger turn up.
“I’ve got it. I'll get us to the meeting soon as… just make concessions there with how I won't be particularly chatty."

Then she hung up before Leon could actually respond to that. She shoved it back in her pocket, turning her head to look down at Ed. Now she wasn't so much panicking as she was pissed. She couldn't just fucking suppress it. She’d do what she had to to go to this stupid meeting, but she wasn't happy about it at all.
“Never going to this again," she muttered. What was it Leon had said? The hatch in the back… Trisha shoved open the car door and made her way round. Wasn't hard to locate it or the rug, which just as he said revealed a bunch of boxes filled with weird fucking magical shit. Trisha didn't even bother questioning it- Temple of course- as she located what she was looking for. Magical narcotic fixing epipen… she slammed everything shut and got back into the driver seat.

As much as she’d said she could do it, Trisha had never actually stabbed someone like this before. Badly wrapping wounds, shoving alcohol on shit, making sure people stayed awake sure… they didn't exactly have an abundance of magical needles in the coven. Any non magical medication they got was just the stuff they could steal from destroyed pharmacies.
“Alright, anywhere," Trisha whispered to herself, hands shaking as she uncapped it. She squatted in the seat so that she could lean over towards Ed more. Where was easiest? Neck? Shoulder, maybe… somewhere that wasn't too bony or too much effort to get to. Neck seemed too risky. Shoulder?

As Trisha thought about it, one of the bees flew away from her, hovering over Ed as if it was about to demonstrate by stinging her first….

”No, no please!”
Serenity’s hand reached out from nowhere behind the seat Ed was half-slumped into. Only, with Trisha holding the pen, it simply had no effect. This only drove her more wild with panic.
”Please, please Trisha no please don’t make me go away! Please!”

As the phantom sobbed, milky white tears streamed from her face and stunk up the cab of the vehicle with that disgusting chemical burning smell.
”I swear I didn’t mean it, and she’s just gonna nap Trisha please, she needs it! I need it, I need her to… To relax, you know? And you too, like let’s just relax and please don’t stab her and make me go away again… It hurts, Trisha, and they don’t listen to me! They don’t care… They call me bad! I didn’t…”

She reached out again, trying to take Trisha’s hand with no avail as she pleaded. But Trisha would be able to feel the subtle poking at her Emotional Field… Whether it was intentional or an emotional response, one couldn’t know… But Serenity was doing her best to block Ed with a body that simply didn’t exist. At least, not to Trisha…

“What do you mean no?! She's knocked out cold and that means I'm alone- do you even know what that means?! I could get murdered right here and then my blood would be on Ed's hands and it would be your fault! You don't count because you're a ghost!" From the moment Serenity appeared and tried to stop her, Trisha got more and more angry, a harsh banana scent clashing with the chemical burning in the car. In the tight space it bounced back and increased her agitation more. Coughing, Trisha's hand slammed out to hit the button to put down all the windows. The smell and pheromones leaked out… she was able to breathe better, and think better.

Anger lessened, and the heat was replaced by a chill. Please don't make me go away again.. What? Trisha looked down at the pen, then at Serenity. She flinched away even though the ghost couldn't touch her, bees automatically moving to coat her hands as if that would prevent the pokes to her emotional field too. Was it not just a magical narcotic curer…
“She didn't need to relax, she was fine. You- don't tell me to relax. I'm not going to. You're just trying to defend yourself." Trisha's voice was quiet, cold. Different from the heated anger from before - which had come from being pushed to her limits and hitting herself with aggression pheromones. This was normal what she was like. Cold, scathing… and a little bit scared underneath it all. Her hand shook slightly more, hidden by the bees all over it. It was clear from her tone that she wasn't in any way relaxing.

But she was uncertain. She hadn't moved any further forward - she'd flinched back, crouching in the driver's seat and watching Serenity coldly. Trying to suppress the panic that was coming back up again as her pheromones continued to flow out the car. It was just a Ghost trying to justify her actions, a scared child, right? But… Why would it hurt her?
“What do you mean ‘make me go away'?"

As Trisha spoke, Serenity was pathetic with tears and tiny repeated phrases. I’m sorries, pleading for understanding; she couldn’t help but stop herself from shaking and crying.
”You’re a human! You don’t get shoved into a box because you did what came natural… Sometimes I get scared and I can’t help it, so I try and make people relax and they call me a monster! They make Ma take that, and when she does I can’t see anymore, Trisha! I can’t see, I can’t breathe, it’s all dark, I can just… It’s all empty! It always feels like I could fade away, and like nobody would even care because I’m evil and bad!!! Why!? Why, why, why!?”

She was clinging to Ed, like a scared child would cling to its mother with half of herself obscured under the seat of the car.
”It stops everything I’ve done, and it sends me away… And it’s scary, Trisha… I don’t want to go away for an accident…”

“What?" Trisha intoned, voice scarily emotionless. Internally, she was slowly processing what Serenity was saying. It… temporarily sealed Serenity? Severed their bond? That… was possible?

Trisha stared down at the purple filled pen, watching the bees that were crowding to defend her from a threat that couldn't get to her. Her resentful anger still remained but now it was overpowered by panic, and a hint of sympathy. Being judged and punished for doing something that was only natural… forced to be alone in the dark. Scared that no one would care if you disappeared… it hit too close to home. Isolation. She'd been isolated so much, but-

Did that mean it could be used on her?

Trisha shut her eyes for a moment, trying to even out her breathing. If she was jabbed with this, would she be cut off from the Queen? Then she wouldn’t have her pheromones. Her bees. They wouldn’t recognise her anymore. No, they'd still recognise her, but they wouldn't listen to her. Not while she didn't have her magic. But that would never happen. Casey wouldn't let them… but what if Lynette told him to? Then what. Would he really choose Trisha? Then she'd be abandoned without any bees at all.

“If I don't use this, do you promise not to touch me?" Trisha asked, calm and cold. As if she didn't suddenly feel like she was also about to be trapped inside the dark, lonely box… her pheromones switching from aggression to panic, continuing to spill out the car windows.
“And- and you'll tell me more about what it does." Even though she really didn't want to know. She didn't want to believe it was a thing. There was that need to run again. From all of this… but she couldn't. Casey was too good to leave over something she may never have to fear…

”A-apparition Suppressant.” Serenity said with a fearful, almost reverent tone.
”P-please… Keep the bees away, s-so… So I can relax… N-no jab, no sting, no… No sharp pricking objects. Needles. No needles…” she was still very much curled up and visibly fearful.
”No take-backs…”

Trisha nodded.
“It’ll take a moment," she said quietly, about the bees. She put the cap back on the pen, still holding it as she concentrated on calming down enough to call off the bees. It was difficult… so difficult as she thought over and over again about how she could lose them to the thing in her hand. Eventually, that was what worked - the need for comfort had the bees crawling back into her jacket and huddling against her body. Completely hidden from Serenity.

What did she do with the pen? Just put it back… Hands trembling, Trisha stuck her head out the car window. The parking lot was empty. She shoved her arm out and threw the pen as hard as she could at the closest wall, watching it smack into it with some amount of satisfaction. Relief.
“There. You said… formula four. Are there more? Does it- does it work on everyone like Ed?" As Trisha asked, she turned the car back on, pulling up the GPS. If she didn't get going there was always the chance someone would try to find them…

And it was a bit easier to hide her barely reduced anxiety when her eyes were forced to stay on the road.

”Formula One doesn’t get used. It kills the host, so they won’t use it. Formula Two is the heavy shit…-”
Settling into Ed’s lap like a child would, Serenity began to speak in the same cold, absolutely emotionless voice that Trisha would be able to recognize in herself. Someone somewhere else, thinking about something they didn’t want to think of.
”Uncle Lee gets hit by Two, when Auntie Lou can’t control herself. ‘Cept his dosages come in bullets. Last time, he was asleep for a week. Auntie Lou says she likes the dark… Like it’s a vacation to her. B-but, it hurts Uncle Lee. His heart, his brain, he has to get put on oxygen or he can’t breathe.” she explained what sounded like a nightmare… Whatever this stuff was, it was nightmarish in its implicit usage.

”Three is… In between? I guess… I don’t hear much about it, so I don’t know who it gets used on. I’ve only heard that there’s a lot of it, and that it’s good at getting around in the air. Miss Gin says it’s like a virus. But, then… Four is like…-”
She stammered, trying to find the words to use to describe the sensation.
”-Ma has a memory? Where she got surgery? Or something? In her belly; the doctor put her to sleep so it wouldn’t hurt her. It’s like that, except We… I… I dream. I dream about sad things, like if Ma was dead, or if we never saw Mommy and Mimi again… It’s like a show, where it tries to show me what happens if I’m bad.” she explained.

”It’s awful… I can’t move, I can’t do anything. It makes me scared, and my chest gets really tight, and I try to scream and cry with Ma, but I can’t. I have to listen to her confess, and apologize for me. But when it’s all over, everyone treats me like it never happened… Like they didn’t put me away in the box to make me see…”

“What the fuck," Trisha whispered, feeling like she'd been submerged in icy water. Four different types of Apparition suppressants… one that even killed the host. The fourth one was the weakest, and it was enough to do that? It was chilling. The thought of Leon being knocked out for a week like that… she shuddered. They could take out Adjoined so easily.
“I’ll never use it." As if she'd be in a position like this again where she'd have that choice. She was painfully aware that she didn't have the power to stop something like this from being used on herself, nevermind on Ed…

But it was painful to listen to. Trapped in a nightmare. Trisha understood that - she had too many herself. Plenty like that where she was alone. Where she lost the few people she had, or watched the deaths of those she’d already lost over and over again. Even people she didn’t care about but had wanted to. Former covenmates, her dad… But being forced to see all the worst things… like the cats did. Like the Stygian Snake did too.

Then having to confess to and apologise for something that she hadn't even done. As Trisha stopped at a red light she looked over at Serenity, then Ed, frowning. Just like what happened over and over again as she grew up… here it was religious bullshit. What had Ed done to deserve that? Serenity, too. It was just in her nature. She was just scared. Fuck. Trisha was finding a ghost's words hitting far too close to home. It wasn't quite the same, of course, but the similarities… those fears. The helplessness about not being able to do anything about it but accept the blame… but resenting that. It wasn't her fault…

“It’s not your fault," Trisha found herself saying, a hint of emotion slipping through the cold wall she’d put up. They were the words she told herself constantly even though she never believed them, deep down. Used to blame others even though she really knew the problem was herself. She was saying what she'd always wanted to hear herself.
“Even if you make a mistake, you don't deserve that. You or Ed. It's not something she should have to confess to like she's sinned or some shit. Like you're something to be ashamed of. It's like if I had to beg for forgiveness every time a bee stung someone."

She bit her lip, forcing herself to try and remain detached. Otherwise she'd lose herself in the fear… if she lost control of the bees, would that be used on her? Would she be forced into some kind of horrible confessional? To apologise for natural instincts? Would Casey let them do it? Would she be able to forgive him if he did? All roads led to being alone again.
“Do they ever use Four on… non members? People around the Temple who aren't part of it?"

Serenity's face dipped slightly, brow contemplative with eyes looking for something. An answer, maybe.
”I don't know… Probably the first one on enemies: people who won't play nice…”
She sat there for a moment, a blank expression drawn tightly across her face. Every bit of her processing power was being used up as the young ghost tried to put two and two together.

”You… You think they'll hurt you? Then why stay?”
It was a question without weight to Serenity, rolling off her tongue as if she'd just had a silly thought… She simply couldn't comprehend having the option to leave and not.

“I don’t know if they’ll hurt me,” Trisha said quietly, biting her lip. She hoped that Casey wouldn’t let them. She believed he wouldn’t. But she just couldn’t trust that. She was always waiting for the other shoe to drop. That inevitable abandonment… and if it was at a moment she lost control of her magic? Yeah, he’d let them hurt her.

“But I stay because…” Trisha trailed off, seriously considering her answer. The question was insensitive, but Trisha was already so much in her own head it didn’t upset her anymore. She was already thinking about it all… and her anger had already switched off Serenity.
“You don’t like being put in that box because you’re alone and feel like you’ll disappear without anyone caring, right? If I leave Casey, that’s what I go back to. I’ll have no one. I would be completely alone, trapped in a narrow, shitty life. And if I died, I don’t think anyone would care. Not even the bees.” She continued to speak in that detached monotone, even as she told Serenity things she’d never voiced otherwise. Here she was telling a ghost things she hated saying… but maybe it was because it was a Ghost she was talking to.

“I really like Casey, and it’s worth risking getting hurt. He’s the first person to actually love me, I think.”
Not that Trisha could bring herself to entirely believe in that love…

Serenity tried to process the thought. She even tried to wake Ed up, so she could quietly ask questions that may give her clarification on some of the abstract concepts of love and affection… But she was simply incapable of recalling the effect on her own. It took Ed, her personal responsibility and influence, to draw any lasting effects away.

But she was the affected one, and only darkness remained in her unconscious mind. It left Serenity feeling particularly alone.
[Hr]

City driving turned a ten minute distance into a thirty-five minute excursion. Stop and go traffic, Ed's crazy manual transmission car stalling out at most stop lights… Trisha would find herself pulling into a place she'd maybe seen once or twice but never had a reason to enter. The building was nondescript for this part of St. Portwell, its only outstanding feature being the lack of street-side access. One alley and a gate between the buildings barred entry, magically swinging open as the registered vehicle approached closer.

Inside was a small, boxed in parking area that fit twenty or so cars. The main entrance into one of the buildings was wide open, and a few people who were waiting began to descend the stairs. Their approach was toward the car as Trisha parked it.
Looking out, Serenity seemed to get a bit more excited.

”I promise nobody will hurt you here, Trisha… Look! Mr. Weatherman and Miss Felicia!” she pointed out.
”I bet they're here to help Mama!”

Getting closer, the duo looked fairly standard for the Temple. The male had a style that could be described as “Gentle Goth”, not wearing anything overly risque or aggressive while somehow still making all the goth goals. The woman, by contrast, seemed to be going for a much more punk look with chains and patch-covered denim over a sweater and leggings.

“I’m not worried about being hurt," Trisha said, because she wasn't. Not right now at least, when she had complete control… she was pretty confident that Casey wouldn't hold back on anyone that hurt her, even Leon. But that wouldn't happen here. She didn't bother explaining to Serenity that her worries were for something much more distant, just turning off the car and getting out.

“Hey," Trisha raised a hand towards the two with a slight smile, pushing through her want to just not be there. She had to try to be nice… she was used to meeting new people. It just normally wasn't in this kind of situation. Clubs, bars, flirting… but it was fine. She had this.
“I’m Trisha- uh, I'm sure you already know that anyway. I guess you're here to help with Ed? Serenity certainly thinks so." As she spoke she moved around to the passenger side, opening that door too. She was calm and seemingly friendly, but there was a certain amount of detachment.

”Serenity thinks-”
The woman spoke in a clean and crispy voice, about to question what Trisha meant when Serenity made her way from the car alongside her.
”Miss Feliciaaaaaa!”
She ran across the parking lot, diving into the woman’s arms. A burst of static electricity began to create pale blue arcs around the two of them.
”Oh my God! Serenity, stop! Stop, stop, stop!”

The ghost was sobbing, absolutely weeping. Presumably, her powers were being released as the thick scent of melting plastic filling the air before being vaporized by the lightning. Felicia’s face twisted into a mixture of sadness and confusion as she looked between Serenity and Trisha.
The one she called “Mr. Weatherman” approached Trisha and the car slowly, his hands in his pockets. His head slowly cocked between the car with the sleeping Ed and Trisha.

”You… Huh…”
His head spun to look at Serenity, slowly calming now, then back at Trisha.
”Well, I guess it's good you’re not really into her. We’re lucky to have you, honestly.” he said, looking at Ed, one last time before holding out his hand.
”Waldermen. Call me Walt. The living Tesla Coil is Felicia… Uh… Serenity can’t effect you if you’ve never willingly accepted her hand. So, either she didn’t ask for a hug this time, or you’re not the type to comfort a little girl… Kind of funny, right?”

Felicia was hugging Serenity… Ed had held her closely… Yet she passed through walls? She couldn’t touch Trisha because she wasn’t-
”Either way, thanks. Better we wake her up than punish the poor thing… Since, I’m sure you know.”

“Trisha," Trisha said simply, reaching out to quickly shake his hand… though she'd already introduced herself, it was reflexive. Large parties attended where she had to introduce herself over and over again, or forcefully do so when she was introduced as Trisha or just called Miss Vanburen. As if there weren't loads of them.
“You get used to little kids crying when you're the middle child of at least twenty."

But it was good to know that she'd never be affected unless she willingly reached out… which she definitely wouldn't do now that she knew. A long, magically induced stupor wasn't something that appealed to her in the slightest. She didn't like having her body messed around with magically at all, even if this one was ‘relaxing’. She could sympathise with Serenity without ever wanting to be affected by her… it was a good thing hugs were never her first go to, unless it was a partner.
“I know. I'm not cruel enough to use something like that. Ever. You're all lucky I didn't take a detour to throw the rest in the sea." It had been a serious consideration, as the drive dragged on through the city. The only reason she hadn't seen it through was how it might affect Casey… she didn't want to cause unnecessary shit for him, even if she was pissed about the existence of something that could completely cut her off from her magic and bees.

“Can you wake her up, then?" Trisha asked, stepping away from the car and folding her arms. Her tone was still fairly monotonous, keeping herself from falling into a grumpier state that would have her snapping at people she'd just met over literally nothing. A bee crawled out from under her jacket into her neck, forcing her to raise a hand to cover it… just in case Serenity freaked out again.
“Without the apparition boxing and following archaic confessions and begging for forgiveness."

Walt’s face frowned.
”I’m sorry you had to go through this… But it’d be nice if we could do this without the whole… Y’know… It’s not us, y’know? Nobody in this place wants that for her anymore than you do. But we do what we do, and if you can’t at least withhold a little bit of judgement, then you’re just gonna have a worse night…”

As he spoke, he was opening the car door. The jacket he was wearing practically writhed atop his skin as he moved. Serpents, not like snakes, but feathered and winged serpents, slithered from his collar at multiple points. They helped him carry Ed out, holding her against the car.
His hands slowly held her face, and a gentle green haze slowly drew away from her skin. After a few moments, Ed’s eyes snapped open and she stared directly at Walt.

”B-bro?”
Her gaze passed onto Trisha, and the lightning storm behind her.
”Oh, oh fuck! Serenity! Serenity!?”
For an instant, Ed’s entire body pulsed with white… Her face, her exposed arms, looked like the same kind of porcelain doll that Serenity ultimately was. And as quickly as it happened, Serenity was clinging to Ed’s side.

The latter was still trying to figure out the events that passed from then until now through Serenity’s own memories. The two held one another for a long moment; long enough that Felicia was able to make her way closer. A group had formed at the door of the establishment, but seeing the moment’s danger pass, they’d dispersed just as quickly.
”What’s she-”
”The process. Confession. I assume whatever she knew about the serum.”

Looking at Trisha, Felicia frowned and bowed her head.
”Please forgive us, Miss Trisha… Understand, it’s not fair for us to meet you like this either; we really were hoping that you’d be able to just enjoy tonight with us.” she spoke extremely respectfully, despite the punk persona she seemed to display.

“It’s just Trisha." It wasn't that she had a major issue with it, compared to the use of her full name or last name, but… she just didn't like the formality. Ever. As with everything, it reminded her too much of an isolated childhood.

And she was having a really hard time suppressing her agitation. It didn't help that Walt was coming out implying that she was judgemental. Everything from there, no matter how nicely it was said, felt like more along those lines. It wasn't fair for them to meet her like this either… they thought she was being unreasonable. She couldn't stop herself from fixating on it. Once it was in her mind they were viewing her that way she just couldn't get it out.

“It’s fine- and I know it's not all of you. The fact I didn't go home is me withholding judgement." As Trisha spoke tersely, her eyes moved from Felicia to Walt. Her eyes narrowed.
“If you take it as judgement of you, that's not my problem. It's not fair, right, you were all expecting someone who could just integrate and accept all the cultish background- sorry. That's not me- Fuck."
The bees started to buzz again and she took a step back, pinching the bridge of her nose and taking a deep breath. It wasn't them she was mad at. Who was it? Leon for suggesting she used that? Casey for not telling her about it in the first place? For forcing her to come? The Temple's fucked up leadership for making this whole situation a thing?

Or herself, for being so easily shaken?
“Don’t judge me and I won't judge you," she said, voice quieter, soft floral scent entering the air as she forcefully calmed down the bees to stop them from swarming out of her jacket. Because that was how she irrationally felt. Judged for her reaction and questions.

”If it matters to you: We don’t do a confession when we’re among our own. There’s no guilt in being who we are among one another. This i-”
Felicia stuffed her hand out, slapping Walt’s chest.
”We’re sorry. That’s all.”
Ed was next to Trisha without a word. Her face was cold, sad, stonelike. As they spoke, she turned her head to meet Trisha’s.

”No luck around here… Try and do right? You get your judgement questioned. Do wrong? Get your head lopped off. The life of the Adjoined Aberration in the Temple. Come on, Trisha… Let’s get you angry at someone who deserves it.”
She started to walk forward toward the golden, glowing light of the open door ahead.

“My anger is at people who deserve it-" Trisha, obviously, didn't mean the group here, as much as they'd taken the initial snap. Leon, Casey, Lynette… all of them were people she was pissed at in this moment.
More so with what Ed had just said.

“But I'll direct it at whoever you think is best to start with," she snorted, following Ed to the door. She looked at Ed, then the open door. The bees were still agitated underneath her coat even as she continually calmed her, and she was incredibly pissed… but Ed was right that nobody here deserved that. But Leon was in there - and in her mind, he sure as hell did. So she didn't even pause before walking right inside, head immediately snapping around to find him.

Leon didn’t give her very long to wait. He was dressed, as she’d seen him now so often, very casually compared to his public image of flashy gothic suits and skin; a t-shirt, a pair of jeans, boots… Like anyone else except nearly seven feet tall.
”Etienne!? Jesus, a-”
Ed instantly threw a finger up. Trisha would never have seen her this mad, but her face looked like pure rage. Evil almost.
”Leon Richoux… Private place. NOW.”

He threw his hands up, instantly turning and making way for a door nearby. It looked like some sort of common area or function hall for… Maybe a restaurant? Or it was some assigned event space, but it was full of tables with people casually talking, drinking food and eating, otherwise with books and games covering the tables.
People seemed to be having a nice time…

They entered behind him, and the door closed. There was enough of a gap for Trisha to start in before Ed could.

“You piece of shit,” Trisha immediately laid into him, tilting her head back to glare up at Leon. While her face contorted into ugly anger, her voice was cold and quiet. No shouting, but that wasn’t needed to know that she was incredibly pissed off. The bees filled the room with a buzzing that she tried to suppress, if only for Serenity’s sake - but it was difficult as anger radiated off her.
“‘Use the purple epipen, it’ll shock her’ - are you fucking kidding me? You seriously told me to use an apparition suppressant on her. What, so you could feel all high and mighty, enforcing twisted justice just like you used to in the coven?”

She was trembling slightly, facing up to a man over a foot taller than her like she was ready to get physical at any moment. The bees were, of course - but she didn’t actually plan to go that far. Rarely did.
“I’m not helping with your fucking religious punishments.”

”This is too much coming from you, Trisha, do-”
Ed stepped up close to him, pointing her finger in his face.
”Leon, you fucking told me you would never do it again… You said anything but that! Didn’t you? You fucking TOLD ME YOU HAD MY BACK!”

”Oh, God fuckin’ dammit! Go ahead, fucking yell. Scream. Get it all out so I can explain it to you both. It’s fine; I’ll wait! I’ve got nothing but time, you know not like this isn’t the place for talking about this kind of stuff, right!? Go ahead, my dearest Adjoined Sisters! Keep up the insults, all that anger on m-”

”Self righteous cunt! Leon!? Are you going to fucking sit here and blame us!?”

Trisha didn’t bother getting as close as Ed did, but her arms folded over her chest as her whole body tensed up. Bees crawled out from underneath her jacket, onto her hands and neck.
“You think I’m yelling? You would not like it if I was yelling- it sounds an awful lot like thousands of bees,” Trisha hissed, volume still barely rising, even as her tone got harsher and even colder.
“You haven’t fucking changed. You tell someone to do something, you expect them to jump, then when they don’t fall in line you get pissy about it. Fuck off. This is on you. You knew there was someone here that could wake Ed up but you still suggested I use that. You said ‘you’re gonna need to jab her’ like it was the only option. Self righteous cunt is right- you think you can just take it all, ignore us like we’re hysterical, then we’ll nod when you fucking explain?”

”Oh, I’ve got this one Trisha… Hang on, let me-”
Ed cleared her throat, puffing out her chest and flexing her arms downward with her fists at her sides.
”-’Nooooooo, but I expect to be listened to!’ That’s it, right? The dog-trained expression that comes out of your mouth every time you think you can just talk away your fucking problems?”

”Am I not listening to you!?” Leon growled out, finger coming up before balling back into its frustrated fist.
”No! You’re absolutely not, Leon, you’re bristiling to get your fucking point across! That doesn’t count as listening, that counts as waiting!”

Leon’s big hands gripped at his hair before sliding into his pockets. He just looked down, apparently breathing deeply.

“Exactly- you think you’re perfectly justified, and won’t let us leave until we agree with you!” Trisha scowled at him, words almost drowned out by the cacophony of buzzing. She quieted them slightly.
“You’re not.”

Leon had a sour look on his face, throwing his hands up again and waving them both off.
”Nahhh, you fuckin’ go ahead then. Leave, I don’t care. Fuckin’ leave the room and try to go have fun with the others, go the fuck back to your home, I don’t give a fuck. I was wrong, I was going to say that, but everyone thinks they’ve got me figured out. That’s totally fine… It’s great, even. I love it.”

He moved back toward the door, body steeping slightly to open it for them.

“Are you fucking with me, Leon? Really? You were really going to say you were wrong, that was your ‘explanation’? Save your self pitying shit.” Trisha didn’t budge, arms still folded and still glaring at him. Sure, she really fucking wanted to go home… but she wasn’t going to. She was far too angry to just leave it, and unnerved by the whole fucking thing. And if she went home… all of her anger would be redirected to Casey when he got back.
“Do you have any idea why I would be so fucking upset about almost using something like that?”

Maybe it was unfair, hypocritical, but she quite frankly didn’t give a fuck. He could be sad they were making assumptions - it all came from how he’d been acting right up until that point.
“We’re not done. If you were really going to say you were wrong, start by apologising to Ed.”

”FUCK an apology. Every single time Cairo or Andy come into the fucking office, I risk getting dosed by Serenity because she’s terrified of them! She knows Leon! She fucking knows that they make the shit, and she’s smart enough to know that they would be happy to use it on her! On all of us! I should fucking go out there and make a big deal of this! Do you want Tamara to hear? What about Mr. Cabrera? Your favorite old man? You think he’d want to hear about this!?”

It was subtle, but the force of Leon crushing the doorknob with his bare hand made the door rattle. So subtle, in fact, that it was difficult to tell what kind of a mood Leon was in purely based on that. Mad? It had to be some kind of upset: One didn’t just crush a doorknob for no reason. And certainly not for a happy reason.
He took a deep breath through his nose, and his voice was clear and steady when he spoke.

”You can… You can be sure that I’m deeply sorry. Sorry for breaking a promise, and sorry for making the wrong judgement call here. You are absolutely right Ed: That I have abused your Apparition Companion and neglected your care.”
”You’ve traumatized the only daughter that I will ever give birth to naturally. She is not an Apparition Companion, Leon, she’s my fucking soul!”

He had feelings about this. Opinions. Things he knew he would be less for expressing to anyone. Only a few knew, and he couldn’t help but feel the shame the two of them were trying to push.
”Unlike most of you, she comes from me! Is it wrong, is it fucking sick that our parents let me become a fucking heroin addict without a care for my supervision and then tried to excommunicate me because I wasn’t a fucking spell-flicker? Absolutely! Is it sicker that she’s everything I thought I hated about myself, and I spent the first few years of her life abusing her myself!? Yes! But now that I’m trying to be good for her and for our family, and you want to start jabbing me now!? Six months ago, you said never again! And I haven’t hit anyone on accident. She’s been incredible! Then she stumbles once and now this!?”

“She was scared of the bees,” Trisha said, almost hollowly. It wasn’t that she wasn’t angry anymore- she was- but what Ed had said was so heavy. She felt like she shouldn’t be there… but she also found herself sympathising. A lot.
“Because of the needles. She thought they were going to sting her- when she hadn’t even done anything. That’s why it happened.”

Ed’s finger pointed at Trisha without her head turning. She was still looking dead at Leon.
”I hope you heard what she just fucking said. I hope you heard her loud and clear, and that you understand what the fuck that means from now on. More therapy. More behavioral work. She is a child Leon! A fucking CHILD! The same scared little girl that I was… That same person your little Brother was! But you have no fucking sympathy, Mister Perfect Magic Man… Mister Give-it-up! Big fucking sacrifices for the good of our people, right? Save St. Portwell alllll by yourself right? The Adept who gave it all up for his people!”

Ed’s hands slipped upward, gripping into her hair before she turned to face Trisha.
”I’m so fucking sorry to you, Trisha. I’m sorry that you have to put up with this, and that you were asked to deal with us… I’m so fucking embarassed that I’m sick to my stomach, and I don’t know how I’m supposed to make this up to you… Especially not after all the other shit that’s happened…”

Leon cleared his throat. Her head didn’t turn.
”Nobody was fucking talking to you Dog.” the phrase left her mouth with such deep and hateful venom that even he knew this had gone beyond what he thought it would. Leon simply kept quiet.

“It’s not your place to apologise.” Trisha looked back at Ed, lips moving from a harsh scowl to a lighter frown. Her eyes were still dark with anger, but it wasn’t towards Ed. It hadn’t been since she found out what that thing did, and how scared Serenity had been. She got it. As much as she hated that she did… because that required admitting that she was just a little bit broken herself.
“You can ‘make it up to me’ by still spending time with me after this. Don’t leave because of it- because unlike him, I sympathise. I understand. I’m not upset at you or Serenity.”

Her arms tightened around herself, going from being folded to closer to a self hug. As she did, the bees withdrew back into her jacket. She hated the anxiety it brought out in her… because her bees were her soul just like Serenity was Ed’s. She hadn’t grown up around magic, but she’d grown up practically alone, then abandoned by the only person who gave her even a little bit of attention over something she couldn’t control. She was never good enough. She’d been the scared and abandoned child… just like Ed, just like Casey, just like Serenity. Unlike Leon.

“But I’m here by choice. Here at this meeting, because I told Casey I wanted to learn more from other Adjoined. And here dealing with the Temple at all by my own choice. But-” she spun around towards Leon, eyes narrowing back into a glare.
“I’m not part of it. I’m going to get fucking angry over every shitty thing done. You, or any others, I don’t care. I’m not just going to fucking roll over and accept it. Don’t think you’re special and the only person I’m pissed off at right now.”

For a second, Leon’s eyes narrowed.
”There’s nobody else to be mad at, Trisha… The buck stops here.”

”Leon, don’t fucking cover for them. Your fucking Adept friends. The people who wouldn’t piss on you if you were on fire except to laugh at it? Why won’t you… Fucking actually treat yourself like you’re one of us?”
He didn’t look so good after that. Just frowned, shook his head… Didn’t speak for a few moments despite both ladies still staring at him.

”I’m sorry… I panicked. I wanted a better impression of this for Trisha, and my judgement completely lapsed. It’s not an excuse, and it’s not a redirection; just me trying to explain my mindset. I thought there’d be no way you’d come if one of ours didn’t get you here, and Casey has been hounding me about how important it is that this went well… And it’s nine thousand things piled up on top of one another, and I wouldn’t ever think of bringing a Confessor into this space. I was just going to mark it up as me having a flareup and strike the log for the syringe… I don’t know what else to say. I really don’t…”
As he released the doorknob, it sagged and unhooked from the door, falling onto the floor with a gentle clanging noise.

“Of course he did,” Trisha practically whispered, nails digging into her arms.
“I called you asking how to get here. I wouldn’t have called at all if I was going to go back- but that doesn’t matter. Remember this. Remember how fucked up it is to do this whole apparition suppression and confessional thing. You even have Confessors, or whatever? What the fuck- but both parts are fucked up. Ed’s right. You’re adjoined like us, so put yourself in our fucking shoes for once. Think about how fucking terrifying it is to find out the thing you’re holding could completely cut you off from your magic. Think about that.”

She took a deep breath, head tilting back.
“And don’t tell me who to be mad at. Maybe if you try to understand, you’ll see why I’m not just going to calm down about it.”

How could he protest? How could he even think the thought that crawled through his head? The creeping, gnawing feeling…
Oh, Baby… You’ll never be rid of me.
His hand wriggled slightly. A nervous tick.

”I w-was… Cut off from my magic, Trisha. I had to Sever before I could accept Lelou. I know the feeling of the void it leaves: That decision wasn’t made with a light heart. I empathize with the fear, and… And I’m extremely sorry.” he hung his head, bowing in front of them as much as a giant could bow to normal sized people.

Trisha was shocked enough by Leon bowing to them that she didn’t say anything for a while. Just stared, and thought. She was still upset by the whole thing, but she couldn’t keep going round and round when he was apologising. She wasn’t used to the apologies. Up until this point almost everyone just saw her as unreasonable.
“Then you understand… and remember that for us-” she gestured to herself and Ed.
“- we lose company too. Serenity, the bees… but I accept your apology for the shit that affected me. Up to Ed whether she does too.”

Her arms finally unwrapped from around herself, only to pull forward her ponytail and start fiddling with the thick waves.
“And I guess I take back a bit of what I said. You have changed. You wouldn’t have apologised before.”

”I can only do what I can, Trisha… I spent a lot of time-”
”Yeah yeah, your fucking virtues. Can you go? I’m still utterly fucking furious with you, and if it weren’t for the sanctity of this group and this space, I’d go out there still looking like it. But for my daughter and for my people, I’ll stand the fuck up and be a Woman. How about you be a man in return.”
She was prepping to spit at his feet, throat rolling to catch phlegm before she stopped herself and spun her entire body around. Having to swallow it back up just pissed her off more.

”Ooooh, Leon, you’re so fucking lucky dude… So fucking lucky that I still have some sort of familial love toward you or I’d so- So… Fuck! Fucking, fuck! Just, just go! Get out, give me fucking ten minutes to not see your stupid fucking face!” she growled, her hands gripping in and out in front of her, pointed toward him.

He cleared his throat.
”Sure, fine.”
With that, he spun, hooking his finger into the half-destroyed door knob and pulling it open. The door closed behind him with an equally frustrated snap.

For a moment the two women were alone in the dark, the quiet. It was only broken by the gentle whimpering of a child.
”Y-you… Both are… S-so a-aw-esome…”
Serenity was there again, clinging to Ed and holding her tightly. Milky tears still filled her eyes, and they turned to look at Trisha.
”T-thank y-yo-u… For l-i-ste-ning…” she expressed between sobs.

As Serenity reappeared, Trisha made sure that all of her bees were once again hidden in her coat. Her hand enclosed into a fist around one that refused to leave her fingers.
“It’s… no problem. Of course I listened. I-” Trisha bit her lip, carefully depositing the stubborn bee into her coat so she could clasp her hands together.
“I listened like I always wanted to be listened to when I was a kid. Nobody ever listened to me either.”

It wasn’t something she’d really expressed before, but in that moment she felt comfortable enough to. Maybe it was because Ed had bared so much of herself - or maybe because she hadn’t forgiven Leon. She was holding onto it in a way Trisha often did, and got so much shit for. Enough similarities for her to feel like she wouldn’t immediately be judged for it…
“Hopefully one day you’ll be able to be around the bees. I think you’d get along with them.” She spoke softly, before moving her gaze to Ed.

“Oh, uh, Ed? I don’t know much you got of what me and Serenity talked about, but please don’t tell anyone about the… last bits…” She was talking, of course, about admitting to never having felt loved before Casey.

Ed’s stony face turned warm like an ice cube melting on a hot surface. Her hand slipped upward, stroking Serenity’s head and hair.
”My girl keeps her secrets. I’ve got no clue what you’re talking about.” she said, winking slyly.
”Thank you for listening to her like nobody in the Temple does. Even around here, sometimes there’s a little judgement given her birth. The circumstance doesn’t sit well with some of the older folk. They don’t understand, and I don’t really expect them to; so, maybe if they say something to you, cut them a little slack? For us. They… They’re no better than little kids sometimes…” she giggled.

”If not, I understand… But at that point, I mean… I guess I’d be in your corner for arguing with Casey to let you stay home. Only if it gets that bad. There’s probably still good you can get here. Like, I guarantee Gin’s outside that door waiting for you.” she implied.

Trisha had to laugh at that. She was sure Ed was right and Gin was right outside ready to ambush her. The thought… filled her with a bubbly warm feeling that let her push down the still simmering resentment. Hidden away, for now. It would come back out later, she was sure.
“She’s probably waiting to bombard me with a million questions about the bees…" she smiled, hands unclasping. One still crept up to tangle in the bottom of her hair, playing with the strands. Just a slight anxious tic.

“I’ll try, for you… much as I'd like an excuse to go back to my warm bed," Trisha openly admitted, hand tugging her hair slightly.
“No promises, but I'll try. I do want to talk to other Adjoined… learn how to control my magic more, yknow. There were plenty of us in the coven, but most of them… had just adjoined. I was one of the most experienced. There's some things I just won't be able to tolerate but… I'll look past certain comments for that, and you, Serenity and Gin." She really would try. Really, she already had been - there'd been so many opportunities to run and she'd resisted them. So she could cut people slack if they said stuff about Ed and Serenity… so long as none of it hit a nerve.

“And I'm pretty sure if I get into a fight Casey will be the one keeping me at home, no arguments needed," Trisha joked, as she tried to fully relax to face a whole room of mostly strangers.

---

Tarantula Hawk: Casey Interlude One | Home > Worthurs Labs

---

She took the sun with her, down those stairs and out into the parking lot. Into the car that he watched from above as the turbo-charged engine spooled up on their way out. The sun was setting over St. Portwell, and with it, all good things left the eyes of Casey Richoux. Only the last moments of preparation were left between him and work.

Courage and Nostalgia were both easy to dredge up… A small shrine was all he needed to commit to ceremonies which he’d not participated in for the years since the final battles outside of Berlin. There were no singing men, no clergy, no preacher upon the pulpit to channel their fervorous rage into boldness in the face of horror. Only his voice, which did not waver as he prayed.
Before him, candles. Ten. And the picture which Trisha had taken such interest in beforehand. That place, that moment, was his magical forge. The intricate weaving of Orange Lux across each piece of equipment he touched: pads, vest, the plate within, the jumpsuit around him…

And the gun… And the rounds. Twelve gauge in all sorts of funny colors, each he’d made for himself for a different purpose. Where he was headed, any kind of resistance was possible. Casey knew the Worthurs Group as a Coven: A small one, with some very smart and talented Adepts who knew their way around some pretty complex formulae. Their main point of contact with the Temple was Clarissa Natale, who would be accompanying him; recently she’d been tasked with integrating their work into Project Eden in a more direct way.
It wasn’t going well. Blame was cast on both sides…

But Mary Worthurs went to Lynette over it… Suggested someone else should run the project.

Lynette intended to oblige, but not in the way Mary imagined. New management, new staff. How were they expected to handle it? Like a sick animal. You kill it for its own sake. All this preparation was in the event that something went wrong. The intent on the other hand, was far more sinister.
He begged her to warn them. Part of the prayer meant he had to be brave, and ready to take on any threat. He wanted them to be a threat. To have a fighting chance.

But they were technomancers. Machine-oriented Adepts who rarely, if ever, spent their time on developing and using magic to defend themselves. He almost wished that the security team assigned to the property was still going to be there, just so there’d be someone there to really put up a fight.

But life didn’t always work that way. He’d learned well enough in Italy that people crave their doom. Inexorably, one will march ever on toward their demise, and only the guiding hands of Fate herself would mark the path. Everything else was just the illusion of chance and choice.

They fucking earned it. They fucking earned it. They fucking earned it.

So he prepared like he hoped there was war. The plate’s protective properties were applied across the rest of the clothes, making him highly resistant to bullet penetration across his body. Impacts, obviously against the softer surfaces, would still do a tremendous amount of damage internally… But broken bones and internal bleeding actually healed faster than flesh wounds under the influence of the Key Lime.
A small camel-bag system held three different Temple-made cocktails meant to assist in Anti-Magical operations: the eponymous, sweet green treat that heals wounds, a fruity, peppery jam to boost Lux capacity, and an Emotional Field-bolstering banana custard. Flicking the nozzle at the base of the bag swapped which the straw pulled from, with an option to open up all three at once.

He didn’t want to drink any of them, knowing what they were doing to him slowly… He’d already started getting cravings for it, which only made it harder to keep from opening it up to have a pre-mission parfait from a plastic tube. It was a truly sick organization, who made such dangerous magical substances taste dangerously good at the same time.

He tucked the setup beneath the back plate of his carrier as it came down over his chest and gut. The weight was crucial… To make him feel that he was doing something. One more mental checkmark toward murder…

Wretched twisting and snapping metal noises ripped through his sanctity, the home he had only recently come to call his own. Familiar noises that brought a new wave of nostalgia, causing his potent White Lux to ripple across the air.
Casey hadn’t ever seen what Clarissa’s work outfit looked like… Everyone had one; some kind of persona, almost. It was fitting that the Crone of Violence would be this… She stepped from the portal she’d ripped open with the thumping of tall boots, and he quickly realized that he could've guessed…

Like a nun, she was garbed in a full Habit; a square-shaped veil over a bandeau and coif, covered like a crown in different fineries. It was all wine-red, and he could feel the long-lasting enchantments of his Father radiating from each piece. It was a fully functional battle garb, even bolstering her Emotional Field through particularly interesting hexagrammic placement of certain jewels and metals across the headpiece.
Though, he could tell that the habit itself was mostly for modesty… The vague stretching and tugging noises gave up the presence of the skin tight leather bodysuit beneath.

She was carrying her channeler; the .38 snub-nosed revolver she'd always called “Sadie”. For a long moment, she simply stood staring at him. Sizing him up as he shuffled around with his equipment. For Clarissa, anticipation was the only sensation required to push her forward. Casey knew, and he knew that just like Furio, she reveled in the act. The taking of life was something to look forward to… She thrived happily during the war against Sonnenrad, taking life and giving birth to grudges that would be settled time and time again with the blood of “lesser” folk.
He noticed she hadn’t said anything like that since he’d come home… Assuming Leon was the reason, he’d not asked. He didn’t want to know where her prejudices went, frankly.

Donning a ski mask, then a ballistic mask over it, Clarissa could only see her sweet Nephew’s eyes. In her own mind, he was still that little boy; the timid and shy one, the one who needed the extra help that never came… And she could tell that he wasn’t that. He wasn’t even the man who lived in her old home now.

There wouldn’t be words tonight. Only blood between them. This situation between herself and the Worthurs Lab wasn’t conducive to business… She needed full control. Needed something new to do. The portal-based manufacturing methods they employed in their productions had been Mary’s idea, sure, but Clarissa did it better. And the only reason things weren’t going well? Mary. At least, in Clarissa’s mind… So, with Lynette’s express permission, she was going to handle it.

And Casey was going to handle it. Whether he wanted to or not, this was partly his jurisdiction: The summary execution of Temple members. Wordlessly, Clarissa opened the portal again as Casey stepped forward with his weapon. Letting him step forward, she followed behind without hesitation, and the portal closed behind them. Only the dark, empty apartment remained.

[FernStone]

The Dolly Apartments
_{A Companion Post}

By the time Trisha came out of the side room, she was feeling a bit calmer. At least calm enough to deal with a whole room of mostly strangers. She'd just pushed all the remaining anger away - the parts she hadn't taken out on Leon. Anger at the whole fucking existence of apparition suppression needles. But she'd done her best to suppress it so that she could at least get something out of tonight. While she expected to be ambushed by Gin as soon as she entered the main room, she didn't expect a whole group to have gathered in the area. They looked… like the older folk that Ed had mentioned.

One hand went in her jacket pocket, to hide how it clenched, as her gaze quickly went around the room at everyone that was watching. Felicia and Walt were still around… an odd group of young women silently watching. She paused, catching sight of Layla and Alizée with them… or what was presumably her ghost. But she didn't look long - because quite frankly she didn't plan to interact with them much, or treat them any differently than anyone else here. They'd barely interacted ten years ago, anyway. They might as well be strangers. She didn't bother looking much beyond them - most others didn't seem to be paying attention to them, and she couldn't give less of a fuck about where Leon was right now.

“I feel like I'm on display a bit," Trisha murmured to Ed, subtly stepping back towards the door behind her and the person she felt most comfortable around in this place. She then cleared her throat, and spoke louder, though still directing it at Ed.
“Do I get an introduction or something, or do I just get thrown in the deep end?"

From the group of older folks, a friendly face immerged. Hair pulled back and styled, Ginara Rasmussen traded her lab coat and simple clothes for something more stylish. Black jeans, boots untied, no glasses… All five feet of her looked more like a rockstar than she ever had in front of Trisha. She grinned up at her friend.

”Trishaaaaaa come on, dude… This is the fam, I mean… There's no deep end here, right?”
”Everything is the deep end until you step in. Wait your turn, Jekyll…”

Tamara's voice was cinnamon warm as she spoke up in front of Trisha. Ed was quick to step forward, opening her arms.
”Trisha, this is Tamara… She's in charge of making sure this particular commune stays busy. Her fellows here are part of the Second Council.”

”Saaaaame, which is why you should probably just stick with me!”
Trisha would be able to recognize this Ginara from the brief amount of time she spent playing games like this… Less thoughtful, more aggressive: The speak-my-mind kind of Ginara, socially adept and entirely unwilling to participate in the games before her.

Tamara could only give a weak smile, but it was mostly blocked out from Trisha's view by Ed hugging her tightly.
”It's been one Hell of a day… Trisha, why don't we get you a drink? Sit and talk?”

Back at the table with the No-so-Silent Sisterhood, they were staring contentedly.
”Well, no chance of hanging with Ed for a session tonight…” Mazie grumbled.
”Tawny, what info do you have on Trisha?” Nora asked slowly.
Tanya only shook her head.

”She's definitely not part of my cast… That whole section of Sycamore never appealed to me.” she replied.

Irina grinned and leaned into Layla.
”We maybe… Do a little fiction writing about you guys. Alternate universe stuff, our favorite ships get together, or we save people we like… We used to listen to Alizée tell stories about being there and seeing it and stuff…” she coyly explained.

Layla's eyebrows went up. ”Fiction writing? You mean there's a whole fandom on me and the rest of Sycamore?!

“...Can I read it?”

Alizée patted Layla's hand, her red eyes still very much focused on Trisha. ”Don't pry into their fun, Layla.”

”We really love you guys! It’s a shame you didn’t stick together… there’d be more material,” Annalise said, excited and maybe a bit too loud. She found Leon and looked at him for a moment, then her gaze moved over to Trisha. She let out a sigh, gaze almost dreamy. ”I think we have a new ship forming before our eyes, since Tawny said they were fighting… a fight’s always the best start…”

Layla giggled at that, but quickly covered a hand over her mouth, blushing a bit. Her eyes were on Trisha…

“It’s nice to meet you, Tamara,” Trisha said about as politely as she could muster after all the shit she’d dealt with today, and then whatever was going on with Gin. It was the same, kind of different Gin from gaming the night before. But she’d thought that was just her imagination… It was strange.
“You know I’m here to learn more about Adjoined than make Temple connections, right, Gin?” Trisha looked at Gin, though she smiled to make it clear she wasn’t upset at the other woman or anything.
“But you should come sit and talk too.” Because honestly, she was glad Gin was suggesting she stuck with her - because she was one of the two people Trisha knew here, and knew that she could tolerate. She just needed to push herself a little bit here.

”Duh, I know why you’re here. But it doesn’t need to be boring.” Gin clucked, stepping away from the group of fellow Elders to distinguish herself.

“A drink sounds good, and sitting and talking is… what I’m here for. But just one drink, I don’t want an upset boyfriend if I have too much.” Trisha laughed lightly, shoulders hunched slightly. She felt uncomfortable again. More than the constant, slight discomfort. Like she was being watched. Her head slowly turned around, until she saw the table with Layla staring at her.
“What’s their deal?” she asked quietly, to Ed and Gin.

Ed, now flanked by her friends from outside, didn’t have a thrilled look in her eye. She wasn’t excited like normal.
”Team Whiplash. The Silent Sisterhood…”
”Them’s the girls, feel?” Gin replied with a very sarcastic tone.
”Dude, they don’t like you.” Ed intoned.
”Whaaaat, that’s crap. They don’t like my swagger. But they love my Sycamore Fangames.”

Trisha looked between Gin and Ed, tilting her head slightly. It was an odd reaction, especially from the normally enthusiastic Ed. Trisha’s immediate assumption was that she didn’t like this ‘Silent Sisterhood’, whatever the fuck that meant. If Ed didn’t like them, then Trisha didn’t even want to consider talking to them if possible. After what had already happened that evening she felt much friendlier towards Ed. Friendly. And it was mostly because of that, not her general distaste for socialising with people here in the first place.

“Well I wish they would stare more silently, or not at all,” Trisha said, no longer looking at them. Instead she turned her gaze towards Gin, pressing her lips together into a thin line, even as she let out a little snorting laugh at Gin’s use of ‘swagger’.
“Sycamore Fangames? What on earth or those? You don’t all… pretend to be Sycamore members or something, do you?”

”Uh, well… Yeah, kinda. Like, well, not…”
Gin started up, but couldn’t finish off the sentence before Ed cracked a smile and laughed a bit.
”Go ahead, Ginny… Tell’er about the last Sycamore Fan Fiction competition. That’ll make her feel real welcome.” she chided, a snide grin forming. Some of the others started laughing about her, and there was a quickly mounting sense of cliques revealing themselves from the mists.

Trisha would more than likely feel the gaze of Tamara and her Tortoise in the short distance between them. It wasn’t the same as someone like Lynette, or many of the other Temple members… It was the feeling of being offered a hand without reaching out: A raft in the water, and something to hold onto desperately.

”Don’t pay ‘em any mind. One drink, and we talk.”
She ushered Trisha up the small set of steps into the main room of the hall, where they got quite a bit closer to this “Silent Sisterhood”. They were very clear in their desperation to not stare… But Tamara took pause and turned to face them, addressing from behind dark glasses.
”Layla? Sweetness? You come on. I’d like to speak to you and Trisha both for a moment…”
Near the back of the hall was a wall that had some booth seats. One was clearly well used, full of cigarette trays, butts and beer bottles half-finished. The Elder’s table…

Layla's eyes widened, being suddenly called on. But it was Grandma Tamara and the guests. And Trisha. So of course she would go.

Layla quietly stood, giving a small smile to Irina and the girls, before moving to the Elders table, following after Grandma Tamara. Alizée, of course, was right beside Layla.

Trisha was having a hard time mentally getting past Sycamore Fan Fiction, not helped by suddenly being presented with having to be around the one other Sycamite in the room. She only knew about Fanfiction because of Cass and the type that she talked about was… steamy. And often involved boxers. She’d even tried to drunkenly read some to Trisha before, which had been an awful experience.

“Hello, Layla,” Trisha managed to get out, turning to look at her with a forced smile. A couple of bees crawled out of her jacket, gathering on her shoulders. They were frustrated from having to stay in there for so long in situations they felt they shouldn’t be… And that frustration wasn’t helping Trisha deal with all of this. She’d hoped to avoid talking to Layla entirely. Talking to former coven members hadn’t exactly gone well the last two times.
“It’s nice to see you again.” A lie, but a fairly well told one.

Layla gave a wide smile, about to speak, before a thought interrupted her.

“She's tense. Really tense.” Alizée thought in their shared mindspace.

“Oh?”

“The smile isn't in her eyes.”

Anyone watching could see the flickers of emotion flash across Layla's face. Confusion. Investigation. More confusion. Wracking memories.

“She never rejoined when Auri recalled the Coven. It's possible… She doesn't like the Sycamore? Sure, she got into fights, much like you used to. Didn't talk to me afterward…”

“Let's not talk about Sycamore. Don't bring up anything unpleasant for her. Instead, let's talk about the Temple, about our good news.”

“Right. I'm sure she's never seen me in black. Or this sweet coat.”

Layla nodded softly to Alizée, though to anyone watching it only appeared like she had concluded some kind of mental monologuing. The smile returned to her face, but it was tempered, pursed and pensive.

“Trisha, wow, it's been a while, hasn't it? I wasn't expecting to see anyone I knew here. It's been a big day. Did Grandma Tamara tell you I was adjoined today? Took an oath and everything.” She said with a light laugh.

“Good, you sound completely personable.” Alizée said mentally, glowing with approval.

“An oath?" Trisha echoed very quietly, eyes narrowing slightly.

”I hadn’t, Sugar! But you can surely tell her all you like: That you and Alizée have decided on a partnership…”

Alizée, listening, had found herself fixating on the bees on Trisha's shoulder. Her head tilted curiously as she floated there, before she sniffed lightly. Her red eyes curled upward, brimming with nostalgia.

“You smell like home… With a light dash of honey.”

Home being the Void, of course.

Alizée chuckled. “Learned that scent today, actually. The Temple makes an amazing breakfast.”

“I’m sure they do," Trisha said with a quiet, hollow laugh - though it was probably difficult to tell why. But she knew the food wasn't right, and the Queen had enjoyed the last dose of the Key Lime pie so… it was simple to guess it was something Apparitions liked.
“You can probably smell my pheromones? Most can't." Them smiling like home was a bit strange, but she decided to accept it. She stopped actively telling the bees to stay hidden, no longer with Ed and at risk of freaking out Serenity. More crawled out - some going to visible places, like her shoulders or neck, while others moved from the jacket to bury in her hair.

She then turned to Layla.
“This is my first time here too, but I knew you were coming. I'm surprised Leon didn't tell you." Her soft brown eyes darted around to find Leon, just to stare judgingly at him. She was trying her best to be reasonable with Layla, at least, thinking of Casey and how happy he might be about it. It did mean her words were a bit stilted. She certainly wasn't enthusiastic like Layla was, even as she tried to smile.
“I knew you'd be newly adjoined too but I didn't know it would be a whole… thing. Congratulations? Tamara's right, you can tell me all about it…" Namely Trisha wanted to know what the fuck the oath was.

Her head turned finally to look at Tamara herself.
“Can I get that promised drink? It's always better to talk over a drink…" Or rather it might quiet down all the agitation she felt boiling back up.

Without using much in the way of eyes, Tamara adeptly slid a couple of clean cups off the table along with a sticky bottle of deep brown liquor… Pouring into the glass looked like syrup, thicker than normal booze and absolutely reeking of alcohol. Then she took a bottle of cola, split it between the two cups, then handed them off to either girl.
It was worth noting that Leon was, more or less, gone. Where? Who could know; probably escaped while they were turned and walking toward this booth…

“Thanks." Trisha took the cup, looking down at it with a slight frown. Even with the cola in it she could still smell the strong alcoholic scent. The whole thing was incredibly appealing to the bees as they flew onto the cup rim with quiet buzzes until there was no space for Trisha to actually drink it.
“Shoo," she said quietly, carefully commanding the bees to crawl back onto her. They reluctantly did so and finally let her take a large gulp. It immediately burned her throat, and she could feel the warmth as it settled in her stomach. Shit. It was strong. She put it back down, planning to sip it slowly… though she could already feel the initial gulp beginning to make her mind a little fuzzy.

Layla blushed lightly, accepting the cup from Grandma Tamara and settling back in her seat. “Leon was with me all day, didn't say a word. My, I feel a little uninformed, but, well, it's been a busy day. I've been busy meeting with everyone, talking, enjoying. At this rate, my vocal cords are going to go dry!”

Laughing a little at her exclamation, she gave the interesting liquid a try. One sip, and it immediately brought her back to the night her and Henri misbehaved quite a bit with the alcohol, and made Jea-jie pretty mad with an empty container of food.

It put a smile on her face as the warm, syrupy liquid blossomed in her stomach. Almost immediately, she felt prickling on her skin, like a fuzzy blanket pulled up tight. The alcohol was strong.

She took another greedy sip, in part to quench her thirst. “Mmm…”

Before she set her cup in front of her and glanced toward Trisha, admiring her bees for a moment before speaking. “I appreciate the congrats. Ohh, boy, where to start? Well, Leon picked up Alizée and I and took us to the mausoleum on site. Did not know we had that. Do you… remember human Alizée? She's interred there.”

Alizée gave a quiet nod, “It was quite the sight.”

Layla took another sip of her drink, savoring it, before she continued. “Hari, Lena and Leon were present for the ritual. They laid out cushions, candles, and we all took a spot in front of human Alizée.”

Her head tilted up as she recounted. “Oh, except Leon. He was at the door.”

A slight shrug, and Layla continued. “They gave me a candle and likened it to a body. The body being the wax, and the flame being the soul. Then, they stipulated that an Adjoining was supposed to be a harmonious thing. And…”

Layla turned a bit sheepish, giving Trisha a shy smile. “The oath bit might sound a bit… strange. They're very devoted, something I admire, of course.”

The three sips were starting to make their course through Layla's body, encouraging her to leave no detail out.

“Sooo, the oath. Hari and Lena said if I had any doubts, we could stop there. Because if I wanted to get Adjoined, I had to promise it would be for life. No take-backsies. I uh, had some reservations. Mainly with an old Apparition I uh, have an attachment to. But Alizée convinced me, and we Adjoined!”

A long pause as Layla stared at the table, before she suddenly looked up at Trisha. “Oh! The oath was so serious because they said I'd die if I broke it.”

Layla stared for a moment, before making a face, feeling self-conscious, and instead decided to take a larger gulp of her sizzurup.

Had she really, actually fucked up big time today?

The doubt was left unrestrained as warm liquor coursed through her veins. But as Layla pulled the drink away, she attempted to console Trisha in case it made her feel uncomfortable.

“But I'm fine. It's fiiiine. Lots of girls here have done what I did. It's standard Temple stuff.”

Trisha’s expression got worse the more Layla talked. It started with the mention of Lena - of course she was involved. While Trisha had scared her off the last time what she’d said wasn’t something Trisha could forget… ever. Then, more and more shit about the Temple. Things she should expect, but just added to the uncomfortable picture that had pushed her to shout at Leon earlier. She managed to hide the ugly scowl behind her glass as she continually drank, just letting Layla talk.

But of course, with the drinking came the effects of the particularly strong spirit on a person who couldn’t hold her alcohol in the first place. When she put her glass back down her expression was better, more neutral, but her words weren’t.

“That’s fucked up. It’s more fucked up that its standard Temple stuff.” It was Trisha unfiltered, though she wasn’t looking at Layla with sympathy or anything. If anything, her expression was cold. Not so much towards Layla… Towards the situation. The Temple. Adjoined were oppressed, drugged and killed if they got rid of their Apparition. Did Trisha ever want to be separated from hers? No, but that was her choice.

She hated freedom of choice being taken away, and being trapped. She hadn’t taken that vow… or any of them, but it still made her uncomfortable.

“Leon just let you? You had to adjoin through the Temple? You could’ve done it at home-” Trisha’s eyes narrowed slightly at Layla, before she looked away. The bees let out soft buzzes before she calmed them. It would be hard to tell for Layla if Trisha was concerned about her, or thought she was stupid. Really, it was neither. Her emotional reaction was towards the Temple - and herself. Because she knew this wasn’t enough for her to leave Casey. She could just keep telling herself that she wasn’t actually part of the Temple…

“That means you’ve taken the vows? You’re a full member of the Temple… or whatever. Are you stupid?”

Tamara didn’t interrupt Trisha… Only chuckled very softly and took a slow but sure sip of her own drink. Who would, after all, need any sort of truthspell or hex? Those who were tight would inevitably, sometimes quickly, loosen themselves upon one another.

Layla, completely unbothered by Trisha's tone, was entirely convinced Trisha was speaking all Layla's doubts aloud. Heaving an exaggerated sigh, Layla sprawled her arms in front of her on the table, pressing her forehead against the cool wood.

“Ahhh, I really am fucked, ha-haaa….” She groaned into the table, unable to control her giggles. It all seemed to strike her as quite funny. Her own situation, her lack of control, her willingness to take up chains on herself, both physical and mental. It was fucked. But she couldn't deny it - it was familiar.

Her head lifted, feeling the pleasant sloshing of her brain matter. All fuzzy.

“Well, I already live on Temple grounds. I had these other apparitions attached to me that I needed help gettin’ rid of. Leon actually got really concerned when I said I would have someone else seal them, so… I guess I just let the Temple handle it. All of it.”

She slowly moved to sit upright, supporting her head on her hands.“It's… really complicated, Trisha. At first I hated the Temple. Was scared of them. They stole my apparition. And at the end of the day, I became an official member through default.”

She giggled, seeing flashes of the Rills in her mind. “It got sooo much worse after that. And it was the Temple that saved me. Alizée here was about to get sealed, but Leon managed to prevent that. The Temple removed the oppressors in my life.”

A low growl as Layla's head rolled back, and she looked up at the ceiling. “And yes, yes I know I'm in too deep here, but… they have my Revered and her Beloved.” Layla's eyes slid over the Alizée.

Layla giggled, leaning foward, staring into her near empty cup. “So of course I'm a faithful devotee. Of course I'll do whatever they say. Of course I'll behave and take up oaths that scare the shit outta me.

“Because they have him. And we love him.” She said softly, smiling.

A wide wave of her hand. “Buuuut you don't need to worry, Trisha! I'm part of the Silent Sisterhood's activist group. I'll make it better for eeeeveryone.”

“I’m not worried about you,” Trisha responded bluntly. She thought Layla was stupid. Whatever it was she loved, was it worth all of those vows? Getting trapped like that?
“If he loved you he wouldn’t want you to take those vows for him. You’re so fucking stupid for doing that. I guess he’s a sealed Apparition- but my boyfriend loves me and he’d never expect me to take a vow and be devoted to a crazy cult. And he’s part of the Cult- he’s the security head! The Righteous- I’m not saying all that. You just replaced your oppressors with others- God, you’re so dumb.”

Layla groaned. ”I knowwww.”

Then she paused her drunken tirade, tilting her head. Thinking about that last little bit that Layla said… about the Silent Sisterhood. Activist group? All Trisha knew about them was that they wrote…
“How’s writing Sycamore Coven fanfiction activism? Are you improving things by helping write their strange fantasies?! How does that help?”

Layla spluttered on the remainder of her drink, before swallowing awkwardly. ”Nooo, not that, haha. They're activists, for sure, really! They told me how they got this girl, Ed? They helped to get her punished when she kept getting away with doing some nasty stuff.”

Layla had a big grin. “So those who do wrong do get their dues. Should be equal for everyone, right?”

“What?” Trisha’s voice got quieter, colder. Her eyes darkened and narrowed at Layla. They helped get Ed punished… they got her stabbed. They were part of the reason Serenity was so terrified of needles- and of the bees. All of the anger Trisha had pushed down, the horrible feelings, came surging back up. Her lips twisted down into a pissed off scowl. Buzzing filled the air as all of her bees gathered on her arms and neck, wings moving in what was supposed to be a threatening display.

There was a hushed gasp from a short distance away, eight sets of eyes furtively looking away from them.

Trisha held them back from acting on her anger.
“That’s not fucking activism. That’s cruelty. Nobody deserves punished. It’s such bullshit! What nasty shit did they tell you Ed did? Accidentally using her magic? Did they tell you that her Apparition’s a fucking child. Accidental magic use isn’t a fucking crime. You fit right in here, going along with the religious ‘you have sinned and must be punished’ bullshit.” At no point did Trisha shout, but her tone was harsh and cold. She leaned forward towards Layla, rage clear across her entire, tense posture.

“Hurting your own isn’t equality or activism. Ed didn’t- doesn’t- deserve that. Fuck off.”

There was an awkward, long pause as Layla just looked with big saucer eyes at Trisha and her bees. The anger being thrown at Layla collected in her body, and caused her to tense up, jitter and shake.

Her voice was a tight whisper, creaking and cracking, and disappeared entirely on certain syllables. “U-uhm… Maybe I was wrong. I don't know the whole s-story.”

Her lips were firmly pursed, trying desperately to hide the heat building up in her eyes. Alizée immediately placed a hand on Layla's shoulder, and turned to Trisha.

“...You obviously know more about this than us. If we have been told wrong, you should tell us. Is this Ed truly innocent? What really happened?”

“Innocent of what? Whatever the Temple decided is a heinous crime?” Trisha rolled her eyes. She hadn’t calmed down at all. Layla immediately backing down was almost worst - she’d said those things so gleefully then couldn’t even follow up. While she had no idea about the exact situation that Layla was talking about, she could guess from what happened today and what Serenity said.
“All Ed’s done- and has ever done- is accidentally sedating people with her Apparition. An accident. Her Apparition, who’s basically a toddler, slips up. I don’t know what they told you, but it was clearly biased.”

Alizée's eyes narrowed, before she softly turned to Layla, and nudged her. “I'll take it from here, why don't you go back over the the girls, hm?”

Layla, who was squeezing her eyes shut to will away tears, blearily nodded. She couldn't look at Trisha as she sluggishly got up and stumbled, swaying slightly, as she made her way back over to the Silent Sisterhood table.

“So you're glossing over the fact that she's an addict?” Alizee commented idly as Layla walked away, watching Trisha like prey.

The chains around Alizée twitched, expressing the hint of anger burning up within her. Yes, there was the slight tug, the slight anxiety, of having Layla even a few feet from her. But this was just for a moment.

And Layla didn't need to hear what Alizée was about to say.

“You know what? It really doesn't matter who's in the right here.”

Her mask split along the teeth, exposing the
empty void where her mouth ought to be. A hiss of steam escaped. A growl. A threat.

“You ever talk to my Layla like that again, and I will separate your bones from their sockets, one by one.”

Trisha’s eyebrows raised, just looking at Alizée for a moment. Then she laughed. It was a low, bitter sound, but a laugh nonetheless.
“Oh, will you? Good luck. Did I not make it clear earlier? My boyfriend is the Temple Head of Security. I live with him. You hurt me and he’ll kill you. What was it Layla said earlier? That she’ll obey because they have her Revered? Pretty sure harming the chosen consort-” Trisha couldn’t hold back a slight eye roll at calling herself that. “Of the Lord of Blades is the opposite of being faithful. Or did I not make it clear how important he is?”

Then she leaned forward, eyes narrowing. Alizée didn’t scare her. She fought the Stygian Snake when she was fourteen. There was a serial killer targeting her entire coven, and she’d spent the past few months waiting for the knife. Now when she had someone to protect her? She wasn’t worried at all. Just pissed.
“If she keeps my friend’s name out of her mouth, I won’t have to.”

Alizée's maw snapped shut, and her red eyes curled. “...You little bitch.”

At that, Alizée rose to her full height, towering over the table for a moment before keeping an eye on Trisha as she ghosted towards the Silent Sisterhood table, and Layla.

“Layla, we're leaving.”

Layla blinked, having sat beside Irina again. She didn't question it, though, and hastily wiped her eyes before moving to stand beside Alizée.

In the next instant, chains spun, opening a portal to a dark alley. It was unsure exactly where it led to.

Having maintained a humorous silence until threats began to appear, Tamara cleared her throat.
”Alizée… You are so much the same girl as when you left us the first time. But the tea is strong, isn't it!? And too hot to handle. I understand the wish for flight, but ideals must be met with ideals.”

And she turned to look at Trisha.
”You seem to understand where you are in the structure of power… Outside, but above. A privileged place to be, no? But neither of you are capable of listening to one another. It's good. You're both so very human for that.”

A crowd had gathered, and among them was Leon's massive frame and dumb face.
”Nobody is leaving, and nobody is hurting anyone. This space isn't even for that- Tamara!? Did you give them-”

”The tongue is soft, but rigid. It can be made pliable with elixir.” he slowly grinned up at him. His response was a great sigh.

It was mostly elders, including a darker complexioned young woman Trisha knew as Ginara Rasmussen. If Alizée had any memories dredged up by the sight of her, they probably weren't good. Lots of arguments. Lots of misunderstandings.

”Why make ‘em stay if they're uncomfortable?” Gin asked in a very flat tone.
”Because, acknowledge it or not, we all talk about this stuff. We all have opinions here. Right or wrong be fucked, this is a place to feel safe. Not where we threaten one another without recourse or penalty… Alizée… Dog ears can't help but hear something about bones?” he asked with a slight growl.

”I don't feel very safe about that implication, Leon…” Tamara's gentle voice guided him, rather than ripped into him. He received and accepted.
”Uh… W-well… Something has to happen.” he looked confused regardless.
”You peacefully respect someone's desire to leave, rather than confrontationally force them into staying…” the ancient woman replied with an incredibly sarcastic undertone.

And then her head turned back to Layla.
”Go if you like… But it solves nothing. She'll be here again, and so will you.” she pointed from Trisha back to Layla and Alizée.

“I only said I’d come once,” Trisha muttered.

Alizée and Layla stared long and hard at Tamara.

“Fuck.”

“I want more of her drink. Talk more with the girls. You sure we have to go?”

“You're the one that's on the verge of tears.”

“I'm fine! I swear!”

“Fuck… I'm gonna have to go apologize. I hate this.”

The portal spinning behind Alizée dispersed, chains resuming to hover around her. Alizée nudged Layla back towards the Elders table, pointedly ignoring Gin and Trisha, and keeping her eyes on Tamara.

Layla quietly took her seat again, grasping her empty cup once again. Alizée, however, floated there, staring hard at Trisha. If she had the ability to vomit, it may have been easier than saying what she said next.

“...Sorry, Trisha. Seems we got off on the wrong foot.”

Trisha snorted, staring at Alizée. She was still pissed and upset, and what Tamara had said didn’t make things better. It just made her feel more touchy. She took a deep breath. She’d promised Casey she wouldn’t get into fights. Technically she hadn’t started it… again. But just because she’d said she wouldn’t fight didn’t mean she had to…
“Keep being sorry. I’ll be civil, but I’m not accepting it. Don’t threaten me again and we’ll be fine.”

Then she turned her head towards Leon, lips pressed into a thin line.
“Don’t tell Casey about this. I said I wouldn’t fight- not that I started it. This stays here.”

”Everything that happens here s-”

”-stays here. Exactly. And you don't need to accept the apology, only accept that she is sorry. Now, that being said… Ed!? Etiennette!? Leon, gather the grown folk; we need to talk. Layla, Trisha-”

As Tamara waited for Ed to make her way toward them, she poured out another dose for the two ladies she was currently contending with.

”Nonna? What's up?”
Ed had since taken her jacket off and looked fairly comfortable despite Serenity’s absence from the immediate area. Leon had passed her as he headed out to do Tamara's bidding, and slowly the area with the tables began to fill up.

”We're gonna have our talk. About how things are, and how we can make ‘em better… Together, united. Not divided.”
”Geeze… Nothing even happened this time, Nonna… Trisha got me here safe.” Ed replied, seeming a little more defensive.
”You were wronged. It needs addressing, since it seems to have followed you along further.”

Ed didn't reply. She just looked at Trisha with the same incredibly apologetic look she had when she was woken up. But Tamara's bony finger pointed at the Silent Sisterhood's table.
”And you babies better not get off to anywhere y'all can't hear this… Your friend here spilled the beans!” she actually laughed. Cackled even.

All eight members of the Silent Sisterhood looked at Tamara with wide eyes, as if they’d been caught reading explicit fiction in public.
”We won’t, Nana Tamara,” Tanya said rather obediently, as the one with the ability to flee magically. The other seven roughly echoed her.

”Oh my God,” Annalise said under her breath, looking at the others at the table. ”Do you think I’ll get in trouble for shipping something that isn’t-”
”Are you really thinking about that right now?!” Mazie cut her off.
”I’m always thinking about it…”

”I’m sorry you got dragged into this,” Nora said, quietly, to Layla.

The arrival of Ed and further discussion going on had given Layla a moment to calm down. She had already sampled the delicious liquid Grandma Tamara had refilled her cup with, and was feeling much more at ease. She glanced at Nora, and gave her a wincing smile.

Actually, this was perfect. Alizée too, had relaxed some, taking her seat beside Layla. Both were on the same wavelength, looking at Ed. This was her. The girl where two major contradictions had occurred.

“Now we'll finally get the truth.” Alizée said mentally.

Layla was staring carefully, before she shrugged. Only slightly awkward, as it appeared that she was talking to herself. “I don't think she looks bad. But uh, I'm a little worried.”

“Hm?”

“Will the Silent Sisterhood hate us for spilling the beans on Ed? Will Ed hate us for thinking badly of her at first? Will Trisha tell her the awful things I said…?”

Instead of responding directly, Alizée's eyes tightened. “...Drink more of your drink, Layla. Just try to relax. Like Leon said, this is supposed to be a safe place. Tell her hi.”

So Layla took another large mouthful of her sticky sweet coke mix, let the alcohol settle in her nerves, and smiled at Ed.

“Hi, you're Ed? Nice to meet you. I'm Layla.”

Trisha had been looking at Ed too, with a slight hand gesture that waved off her apologetic look. She had nothing to be sorry for - she wasn’t saying anything horrible. It wasn’t Ed that had made her upset. With her other hand, she discreetly pushed her newly poured drink to the side. She was already drunk thanks to the first one, but not so drunk she wasn’t aware that a second would push her over the edge… and she wanted to be able to enjoy the later evening with Casey. She liked having some awareness still…

“She’s a former Sycamore member, but I’m sure you already know that,” Trisha said to Ed, voice still not quite lost its cold edge. While Trisha didn’t have any plans to repeat what Layla said, she wasn’t just going to sit her and make things nice and easy for Layla. She pointed towards the Silent Sisterhood.
“She’s friends with them. Had plenty to say earlier. Lots of assumptions.”

Layla sweated a bit, taking a sip from her drink unsteadily.

Ed was thankfully a generally non-judgemental person. Mellow, interested in understanding the reasoning behind others actions, she simply stuck her hand out and pulled Layla close for a hug. It felt genuine enough. Layla blinked in surprise, before hugging back, smiling.

Tamara’s arm and finger also extended out, pointing at Irina and beckoning her close. She obliged, clawing her way up from her seat and closer to them.
The room filled up more and more, until there were dozens of adults staring into the little circle. Staring at Tamara.

”Alright now… Out’a everyone here, whose takin’ some kind of drug prescribed to you by either Professor Cairo or Doctor Nedia?”
Hands shot up. At least eighty percent.
”How many of you get the Blue Needle?”
All the hands went down. Every. Single. One.

”Noooo, no… Don’t bullshit. Fuck it, if we got a rat or somethin’ I want Miss Lynette to know. Now, hands up.”
A lot of the hands that fell came back up. Some didn’t, but most did.
”There we go… Now, I’m just going to point out some facts here: Out of the group? I’d say most of you are under the same circumstance: An unruly union that you’re being forced to maintain. You’re given a dose every week, you feel awful for a day, and then you go about your lives until the next time. Covens have done this for millennia… Because who wants to run the risk of some innocent person getting turned into an unwilling husk for an evil demon?”

She giggled slightly. The shake of her head matched that of the tortoise as she swayed too and fro.
”The problem is that we are seen as tools. You all know that our abilities, our skills, the union with our Apparition Companions, are milked. Like cattle. And those who are not? Y’all should ask yourselves why. ‘Why am I not pressured into giving back? Why am I not pressured more by the Adepts in my life to give something?’”

Tamara’s expression suggested that she expected some people to reflect on their situation. She held herself off from speaking for a long moment.

The Adepts in her life… Trisha frowned. Temple Adepts, obviously. Not people like Reyna, or Cass, or her sister… or the group of friends she still had from Sycamore. So that was Casey. Well it was obvious, right. He loved her. That had nothing to do with their magic. Did it? He didn't love her because of her Apparition, or view her as less because of it… Right? He'd taken being stung by thousands of bees the first night and not left her right then. He loved her, it was definitely because he loved her. But… it wasn't just him, technically. Mia, Hari, Clarissa, Furio, Andrade… Lynette, as much as she didn't want to think of her as an Adept in her life. She was and would be for as long as Trisha was with Casey, which she hoped was a very long time. Forever, maybe. So then…

The honey. She was providing honey. Of course. That was really all they wanted her for, right? It wasn't because she was Casey's partner. Maybe for Mia, Ed and Hari, but the rest? It was for the monetary value she brought them - and the magical resource. Fuck. Of course.

Layla swayed slightly in her seat, enjoying the waves of tingles Grandma Tamara's drink sent over her. But in the space where Grandma Tamara stopped talking, her own thoughts jumped out.

“I don't feel pressured at all.”

“That's because you go along with whatever they say. You've moved in, you let them handle the Riils, you've adjoined with me for life… You've been told to wait regarding Vul, without explanation. And essentially told you're not allowed to adjoin with him.

That's actually quite a few demands.”

Layla giggled in her seat, cursing aloud quietly in a long, drawn out manner.

”Now I ask you all why? Why on this good, green Earth, would you turn on one another? Cannibalize one another? What is wrong with us, that we can’t provide a unified front to combat our own situation? It is the sheer fact that we are under constant duress. Our very lives are threatened by the situation which we find ourselves in, and we can’t help but continue to judge our own. Our House must be orderly before we can open it up.”

She looked at Ed.
”What happened today that’s caused a stir?”

”Serenity was scared by the prospect of being jabbed by a pointy object, and I wasn’t able to suppress her reaction on my own. So, I was involuntarily affected by my own magic… Again.”
”And what created this strong reaction to the jabbing?”
Ed huffed and closed her eyes. She was being watched by everyone now… Not like they didn’t all know her business, that just made it harder to have to explain. She felt stupid…

”I was Judged and Punished due to a formal complaint, at which point I was sentenced to a Suffering. I made Penance, but ever since, Serenity has had a strong reaction to anything resembling a needle. I can’t even use a fucking click-pen anymore.”

Tamara turned her head slowly to look at Irina.
”Do you understand your partial responsibility in this? And the situation which we’ve found ourselves in today?”
Irina’s face was full of discomfort.

”I do, Gogo.” she said, squirming a little bit.
”Then for the love of our God, act like it! You say you’re fighting for us, but if you keep looking at everyone else like y'all ain’t both a part of the same situation, ain’t nobody ever gonna get right.”

Irina quietly nodded, accepting the chastising. Without waiting, Tamara turned back to Layla and Trisha.
”Do not feed into this cycle. The two of you have a bond that is beyond our little private world here: Do not let these cycles continue on your watch. As Sycamites, you two have Lynette's ear. Her attention. Do something with it, and try to help us make our lives better… So we can stop feeling pressure from above. Please.”

She offered the thought to the both of them, lingering and waiting for some sort of a response.

Trisha's expression had been especially bad when Ed was talking. Judged, Punished, a Suffering, Penance. Thanks to the alcohol she couldn't hide the disgust in her expression at the whole thing, her hands bunching up the fabric of her skirt in a tight grip. She didn't like it at all. It was fucked up, it was controlling, and it made her feel trapped. Part of her just wanted to run away from the whole thing. Maybe she should but then… then she'd be alone again. No more Casey. He loved her, and she really, really liked him…

She looked up at Ed, then over to Layla, with a light, bitter laugh.
“Well, she's the first fellow Sycamore member out of my circle to not punch me when we've met again," Trisha commented, almost smiling at Layla. It still didn't reach her eyes, and was difficult to see through her otherwise agitated expression. She didn't plan to be friends. But friendly? Amicable? She could do that for people she was beginning to care about.

Layla caught that almost smile, feeling a bit of peace restored to her. So Trisha wasn't about to bite her head off. Thank goodness. And of course, Layla smiled back, feeling too good with her drink to have any other expression.

“I was already planning to do something. There's so much that's fucked up and-" She was stuck in it now. She'd realised that when she spoke to Elise before Casey's commencement ceremony, then after the ceremony too… and now. Normally, she wouldn't say so much about it. But there was that drunken honesty… and it wasn't like she cared about pissing people off, really.
“I think you're overestimating how much Lynette will listen to me- I haven't taken the vows, I'm not actually part of the Temple. In fact, I've been quite clear what I think about it. Now I like it even less… But there's Casey if she won't. I'll try. Because the way you're treated is bullshit- you're, we're, just as magical as they are. Should be treated like normal- well, magical- people. None of this judgment, punishment, suffering, penance bullshit. It's fucked up. I'll do what I can do to make it less fucked up."

Layla giggled. Desperation and fighting spirit from years ago was up on the surface, when her primal emotions were usually locked away under lock and key. Desperation under needle point, fear under teeth. The Riils really had bent her psyche in a dangerous way.

“Activists don't get anything done. What we need is a full on rebellion. Revolt against the adepts and wrest control for good. Make it so we make the rules. Then we can implement punishments for Adepts if we feel like it.”
There was a fairly big uproar that spread across the room when Layla said this. Some laughed, some were concerned, but Tamara just smiled and shook her head.

But before she could respond, Trisha turned her head to look at Layla, eyes narrowing.
“Oh, that’s a great idea, Layla! Everyone kills each other, and we’re all happy. Perfect! Because becoming just as bad is in.” Her tone was absolutely dripping with sarcasm, very much not smiling anymore.
“Some of us have Adepts that we care about. If you want to hurt them, then you can count me and my very helpful, definitely wants things to change, Adept boyfriend out. Because these rules shouldn’t exist, and there shouldn’t be any punishments.”

“Fine, fiiiine,” Layla put her hands up in pacifying surrender. “No revolution. We’ll take the peaceful route…”

A drunken grin.

“We'll talk Her Grace's ear off.”

”Uhhh…Am I the only one who doesn’t have any problems?”
Gin’s voice hadn’t been terribly present since she was eased down a bit earlier. But her fellow Elders snapped their heads in her direction as a collective.
”I take my dose of F3 every week, and the nausea gives me a chance to sleep. After that, I feel great, and Jekyll’s nights are tame so we can get work done.”

There were some scoffs. Especially from a few of the Silent Sisters still glued to their seats, who knew very well that Ginara had zero problems with the status quo. Rather than let anyone point out what was obvious to all of them, Ed took a deep breath and turned.
”Listen, Trisha… Layla… I appreciate that you guys are enthusiastic about things changing, but… Well… We want your support, right? Uh, Leon mentioned something to me-”

He cleared his throat to pipe up.
”-Taking advantage of the Temple. It’s my uh… Well, the philosophy I’ve decided to try and fight back with. If you’re ever offered anything? Just take it. Don’t think about the consequences, don’t think about whether or not someone’s going to get you or not. Just take whatever it is that’s being offered. The way I see it, at least, the Temple of Charming and Graceful Individuals is over. It’s only a matter of time before all the resources we have, all the power as a faction, tumbles out from under us. Because there’s only one person holding us all together. One person who we all believed in until we didn’t.”
Leon had a grim expression, speaking like he was delivering some kind of eulogy.

”That is to say, that person… Once they’re gone, what really was the Faith? A crock of horse shit that people aren’t just going to stick around for. So, we want your support. But not your actions.”

Do nothing.

That was the message being relayed here. That, and accept anything the Temple does, or gives. And, to accept the disappearance of someone…

Layla was far too drunk to really get the implications of that, and simply smiled and nodded. “Whatever you need, sure…”

“Sure, whatever, you already know you have my support. I'm sure it'll all totally work out and fall apart… I won't do shit if you don't want me to, that's easy. Supportive person and all that." Trisha said, not quite dismissive but clearly checking out a bit at that point. If they didn't want any actions from her that was fine. So long as that shit didn't reach or affect her, she could be pretty unmotivated to do anything. Her offering to do anything in first place was really a step outside of her comfort zone so… it was easy to step right back in. Did she really believe it was that simple? No. But it wasn't her place. She didn't even see how they were going to get rid of Lynette… but again, not her problem. It didn't make her feel dismissed at all. Unnecessary.

“Oh but- we should take everything we can from the Temple, Leon? Even the food? Other things like that?" Her tone was a bit bitter as she looked over at him, even though she tried to tone it down. Help, not help… why bother suggesting anything in the first place? She felt like she was constantly in the middle of something- Leon saying they needed to work together, Elise suggesting she take fake vows, Ed saying just to support, Casey saying they couldn't trust any of them and should have their own plans. Both wanted and not wanted, and was it really for her?

Leon’s face wasn’t so nice.
”We are all subject to the fucking food, Trisha. Don’t be an asshole when I was trying to keep you informed and save you from the same bullshit. And yes, that means Casey too. The fucking moron, he may be scared of a slab of meat but he’ll eat a pound and a half of Andrade’s honey loaf before he hits the gym…”
”Oh, fuck…” Ed softly spoke, shaking her head.

Layla and Alizée exchanged a silent look. Sure, Layla knew the food could have effects put into it. But, was it bad?

But Leon just threw his hands up, a sarcastic look on his face.
”You know what they say about horses and water…”

“Fucking seriously?" Trisha's eyes narrowed, darkening, and her lips were pressed together into a frown. Casey was fucking eating the food. Of course he was. She hadn't noticed, they always got takeaway together, but she should've. But they'd only been living together less than a week…
“He fucking- he's eating it? He's been eating it this whole time?! Then why did you fucking tell me to stop him if there wasn't even a chance of it working?!"

”You’re killing me… Seriously, I’m going to have an aneurysm.”
His head tilted back, bridge of his nose gripped tightly.
”You can do your best! Jesus fucking Christ, just… Just keep him away from it!-” he growled. ”-See, this is the problem, always has been. Someone asks you to do something, you just fucking don’t do it! You do what you-”

He flung his hands up.
”-Fuck it! Fuck it, no matter what, I get spit in my fucking eyes. Goodbye.”
He turned, starting to head for the door out of the facility.

“Ohhh, just run away because you're so certain you're fucking right!" Trisha called after him, standing up. She followed him, quick for someone so much shorter, not willing to just let it go - or let him leave so that she had to redirect her annoyance inwards or to someone else.
“You think I'm not fucking trying?! I've made sure we order food in, I even tried to go out for groceries- do you know how hard that is when your boyfriend doesn't want you to go anywhere alone? But you don't care because you just want it to be done silently without complaints? You think I can't be a little pissed that you didn't tell me that before? How can I stop him every time if I didn't realise he was doing it in the first place?!"

Leon spun on his heels, and his voice sounded like a bomb crashing into the building all around them. It wasn’t natural, magically amplified by the leak in the Wind Seal as his emotional state crumbled.
”YOU CAN’T! You can’t fucking stop him from doing what he wants to, he’s a grown man! He knows what the food does, he lived on it for eighteen fucking years! So I didn’t tell you, because it’s not worth making you freak out: And it definitely isn’t worth my brother losing the little bit of happiness he has if you broke up with his ass over it…”

He was breathing heavily, in and out with his hands clenching together.
”Why are you so fucking confrontational about everything!?”

“Because nobody listens to me if I'm not!" Trisha didn't back down even when Leon's voice got magically loud, outside of a slight flinch, craning her neck back to glare up at him. Her hand came up, finger jabbing at him without actually touching. The bees buzzed from across her shoulders, but didn't move. She was in complete control of them right now even as pissed off as she was.
“Then they blame me for shit I could never do in the first place! Don't let him, you can't stop him, what the fuck do you want from me?! And do you really think I'd break up with him over that? You think that fucking little of me?! Great!"

She got even closer, hand falling back down to her side as she pushed up onto her tiptoes - as if it would get her any closer to his height. Her voice lowered into a hiss, drunken need to prove that wouldn't happen beating her want to keep her personal issues hidden. She spoke quietly enough that hopefully only Leon would hear. Tone incredibly cold.
“You know, Leon, one of my exes started hitting me after two weeks of dating. Took another two weeks before he broke up with me. I'm never breaking up with Casey. You're stuck with me too until the day he decides he's done." Fuck. Divert back.
“You couldn't even stick to not telling me, so fuck off with thinking about us breaking up."

Layla stared on, wide-eyed as Trisha and Leon fought. She took a long draw from her drink, before pushing up from the table, and ever-so-carefully walking towards them, moving past the bodies and tables with a careful, drunken grace.

”They're gonna actually fight at this rate.”

Alizée, however, was staring at the words coming out of Leon's mouth with strange incredulous-ness. A couple drops added to the bucket of wisdom as the gears began turning.

”He eats it before working it out… taking benefit of its effects.”

Layla shrugged minutely, noticing the stark height difference between Trisha and Leon as she got closer. “She's so tiny. One smack and she'd be out.”

Alizée's hands drew to the teeth of her mask, eyes shrinking to little pinpoints of light. ”You ate some of it this morning. I… I thought it was just a trick of the mind. But… I've tasted it before. Shamefully.

“The strength, I wasn't expecting. But the taste...”

Layla half-rolled her eyes as Alizée spoke, placing one hand on Leon's arm, one on Trisha's shoulder. ”Guys, let's not fi-”

Alizée's words cut like a whip.

”You ate Void this morning, and I cannibalized him.”

A gasping breath. Layla's hands clenched on Leon and Trisha, eyes pinpoints, her lips pursed, before a flood of booze and whatever remained in her stomach from that day ended up hurled on the ground before her.

Leon’s head snapped out of the fight, whipping around to look at Layla and Alizée.
”What!? No, absolutely not. Ali, he’s fucking… Toxic. We wouldn’t have ever chosen him for the process…”
He stared at her, trying hard to not think about the taste of Void Heart he’d had the other week… The artificial grape flavor… It wasn’t good anyway, he wasn’t sure why anyone wanted Void Heart’s essence as an ingredient… But it’d been right after they pulled him out of her. Mere hours. Since? He’d not seen or smelled or tasted the thing since.

So it was another lie. But not specifically for her situation…
”And, I thought we talked about… Y’know, not… Not thinking about him. Didn’t we?” he tried to redirect, hoping this new situation would give Trisha a reason to get off his back.

Alizée had ghosted to be on the opposite side of Layla. Now the four of them were in a loose square. She gestured to Layla, who had her hands on her knees and looking queasily at the stained floor.

“Does it matter? Leon, you're supposed to tell her when food is filled with… with… body parts of ghosts. Just look at her! …It took me a second, but I know that taste. And I'll tell you right here and now, it's not natural for a voidling to taste another voidling. I'll go as far as saying it's not natural for a human to eat a ghost. That's like… a duck eating a cat. It doesn't work!”

Alizée seemed to bristle at Leon's remark on Void. “Don't change the subject! Void was a placeholder, we, each ghost, are an individual like him. Ghosts prey on humans, that's how it is! It's not supposed to be the other way around!”

“This isn't over," Trisha said lowly, pointing a finger at Leon before she took a step back. At the same time a soft, floral scent came from her - not enough to affect anyone magically, but enough to cover up the smell of someone vomiting. Her expression was still bad, but now she was conflicted. She'd said all that for nothing - and she was relieved to not get a reaction from Leon, but also pissed at herself for even revealing it. He better not have heard.

Trisha then turned her scornful gaze on Alizée. Her lips parted to let out a mocking laugh.
“So you think you're superior to us? You're individuals and allowed to kill and eat humans, but humans can't kill and eat you? Sure it's not natural to eat them- but not because of that!" Trisha rolled her eyes. Her problem with the food wasn't that it was made from Apparitions so much as the effect it could have. It was clearly addictive. She'd seen how much people like Mia, Ed and Hari ate… she didn't want that. It was bad, but not because of some stupid Apparitional superiority thing.

“Also, ‘voidlings don't eat voidlings'? Well maybe that's not how they do it in the Void, but Apparitions here eat other Apparitions. Bet there's plenty who'd happily eat you. I know mine used to eat other ghosts in her prime." Trisha's tone was short, cold and harsh - incredibly snappy even though she wasn't shouting anymore. In some ways she just appeared done with it all.
“The old Alizée used to prey on humans. Humans prey on humans, ghosts prey on ghosts- you're not fucking superior! You're just a hypocrite."

Alizée stared for a long moment. It was true. It wasn't right, but it was true. Voidlings devouring one another. Cannibalism was, in fact, a common practice of the Void. One that she hoped to never be a part of again.

But she did have to disagree strongly with Trisha regarding her other statement. An upcurl of her red eyes, displaying haughty amusement.

“Oh, I can show you just how superior ghosts are to humans…”

“By separating my bones from my sockets? We talked about that earlier," Trisha rolled her eyes, both angry and dismissive at the same time. She wore a grumpy scowl - really, this was more of her natural state. She'd been far happier than normal recently…
“Go ahead, see how it goes. I fought the Stygian Snake and it's Apparitions - I'm not scared of you. I bet no one else here is either."

The tension elicited a sharper motion than expected. It was subtle, but… The circle around the two women closed. Not to the point that everyone was pressed against one another, but there was a very clear unspoken direction that tightened the ring until there were no more gaps in the bodies.
The energy of a hundred Aberrations ramping up to prevent a conflict from breaking out filled the room thick like those days before the battles against the Snake.

”Contrary to the practice you’ve experienced today… We generally don’t suppress our own… But if either of you dare to continue this with violence? You will be removed from this safe space. And I assure you: Things will be far less safe if that happens. So, please, I beg the both of you to end your arguing. Someone please help Layla up off the floor…” Tamara’s voice wasn’t her own… A commonplace symptom of Apparitional Possession. The Tortoise, presumably, as looking at both of the entities revealed glowing cyan eyes.

Mazie was quick to push her way through the crowd, the sound of her chair scraping against the floor in the dead silence. Wendy was close behind with a handful of napkins, only seeing the aftermath with insufficient amount of sopping material.
”Oh, fuck, I need m-”
”Leave it…”
When they looked down again, it was already gone. There was no mess. Mazie’s hands simply wrapped, rather gently, around Layla’s arms and pulled her to her feet effortlessly. Layla wiped her mouth as she was stood up, swallowing a couple times before she nodded shakily, trying to smile.

”Now, Alizée… How you feel? It doesn’t matter… We do eat Apparitions. Every single individual in this room is aware. Show ‘em…”
Mouths opened. Pink tongues, but various stages of mottled flesh filled the mouths and gum lines of each and every person. It wasn’t rot, it wasn’t decay… Simply a changing of the physical form. A symptom of their diets.
”I haven’t lived this long without hunting and consuming. The difference was, long ago, we simply let the apparition do it. Now? It’s clean. Sanitized. Clever curses create physical components, ingredients, all things to keep us strong and ready for our prime directive… The ones who fight and die for the Temple’s Adepts. The bodies upon which Eden is built.”

Tamara’s eyes slowly faded back, hidden once more behind dark glasses.
”And, simply put, we have decided as a collective that we won’t stand for another war. Not after all that happened with Sonnenrad…” she trailed off. The circle slowly loosened up, and the two were only left with her words.

Trisha threw up her hands, taking a step back from Alizée. Her chest was still heaving up and down, the lightest of banana scents pricking the air around her now - but it wasn't enough to do anything to anyone. It wasn't on purpose either, just the result of her emotions which she was trying her best to calm down. The mottled flesh didn't freak her out as much as it maybe should - not after seeing the inside of Lynette's mouth. That inky darkness… but it didn't make the food situation any less fucked up.
“I was never going to start getting violent," Trisha muttered, hands clenching and unclenching as the bees crawled all over her. At the same time she stepped away, even no longer surrounded - she felt trapped. Panicked, pissed and trapped. She closed her eyes for a moment and took a deep breath, carefully bathing herself and her bees in calming pheromones.

Once she was calm enough, she turned her gaze towards Tamara. There wasn't much emotion in her eyes anymore. She was too done. She just had to get through the rest of this so she could go home. She really wanted to go home…
“You shouldn't stand for another war. I wasn't there for Sonnenrad but I… heard. And I- we- Sacrificed our childhoods for the greater good." she gestured to herself and, reluctantly, Layla, Alizée and Leon. Alizée and Layla looked curiously, but didn't comment. Hopefully they wouldn't question how she'd heard, beyond being a former Sycamore. While her paranormal knowledge wasn't perfect, her connections were good - namely, the many information and observation objects in the hands of the Elite. The one group that had kept her connected to the magical world, as disorganized as it was.

“That was a war and… nobody should be fighting one unless there's another threat like the Stygian Snake. And not like that, fighting for someone else." She closed her eyes again, pushing down the creeping anxiety that came with just thinking about it. All that loss… the people she saw die…
“I won't argue anymore."

Layla was looking pleadingly at Alizée, remembering all too clearly how the Void Heart had been defeated in her nightmare. Alizée was too bold, too arrogant. It could get her in trouble. Then who would protect Layla?

Alizée, who still had a glare to her face and was about to push it again, caught Layla's face, that helpless sadness. Almost immediately, the heated aura around Alizée deflated, and her eyes dimmed a bit.

A glance at Trisha. Before she moved to hover in front of Layla, still in the arms of Mazie. Gnarled hands cupped around Layla's face. ”You know I wouldn't hurt you, right?”

As in, hurting her by acting out, and getting forcibly removed. Layla nodded slowly, “You should… apologize again.”

Alizée nodded, hovering a step back to look at Grandma Tamara. The marred tissues were an interesting side effect, to be sure, but it was true. She didn't have a raft to float on when it came to what they decided to eat. “I might not agree with it, but you've treated us well. I won't make any more fuss over it.

“It seems…” A sigh. “I have less control over myself than I would like. I'm sorry.”

Alizée's eyes glanced over to Trisha, including her in the short apology. Layla stared for a moment, before she gently removed herself from Mazie's arms, apologizing for making a mess that was now… curiously gone, and took Alizée by the hand, leading her back through the crowd to the Silent Sisterhood’s table.

She glanced up at Grandma Tamara, her eyes dropping to her tortoise curiously, before she spoke. “I remember fighting for my life when the Snake terrorized the city. I was… really young, but I remember.”

She had an apologetic smile on. “Grandma, I might talk big, but I wouldn't want the Temple to go to war. Not when there are heroes like Leon walking around, trying to set things right.

I'm… still quite new, anyway. My apologies if I came off too strong. It was… well, the booze talking? …Yeah.”

Her head turned to Trisha, who was still standing by Leon. “I enjoy your company, you should come sit with us again.”

Trisha was mid rolling her eyes at Layla calling Leon a hero- sure maybe, but then all of Sycamore was- when she was caught out by what she went on to say. What? Layla enjoyed her company? Seriously? Why? It wasn't like she'd been particularly good company… so few people ever said something like that, or even chose to be with her. Casey, her small group of friends from college… Layla, now. She didn't quite believe it. Maybe she was just peace keeping, or something. But it did make her a little more willing to keep talking, rather than withdrawing into herself.

“Keep anything you heard earlier to yourself," Trisha said quietly to Leon, with a slight glare up at him, before making her way back over to Layla. As she sat down the bees on her seemed to settle, going back to relaxed positions on her shoulders and in her hair. She folded her arms and leaned back.

“So… you went back to Sycamore? Why?" Trisha asked rather bluntly, after a moment of considering whether to just stay there in sullen silence. She vaguely gestured towards Leon. “I know why he did- always has to be involved and in charge- but I don't get it for you, or plenty of the others. Not like it'll keep you any safer from our murderer."

As the crowd dispersed, Tamara seemed pleased enough at the outcome to let everything settle back down. The Elders returned to their table in the back, others redistributed themselves. But there was a low drone: A song that seemed to just take some of the people around into it. It was soft, but even some of the girls at the current table were quietly humming along, creating a subtle choir that echoed through the hall.

Who else but Ginara would cling to Trisha, taking the last free seat at the table of the Silent Sisterhood. Ed had grabbed an extra chair, and while she was present, her focused interactions were on the other side. Both Trisha and Layla would be able to hear her quiet but insistent questioning, leaving Irina visibly flustered as she tried to explain away the group's actions.

”Well, as I know it, Auntie Lynnie didn't want to waste resources on less-than-desirable Apparitions. The report I read deemed the overall entity of the Riil as a parasite; non-conducive to Temple life. Not even worth the material Andrade may be able to extract… Was it really that bad, Miss Layla?” Gin asked, her inflection somehow bold and cocky despite the subject matter.

Layla seemed a bit flustered for a moment, having two questions posed to her at the same time. Thankfully, throwing up the majority of the contents of what she had drank earlier had cleared her head a bit. Her expression darkened a bit at the mention of Andrade, but she smiled as best as she could, despite the heavy question.

“You have no idea how happy I am that they're finally sealed.” Sealed, not gone. She couldn't say that. “You try living with bloodsuckers that tormented you twenty-four-seven, see how it breaks you.”

A pause, before she sneered into the distance, picturing the Riil siblings in her mind. “Those assholes burned down my home and everything in it. I…” She faltered a bit, feeling a little self-conscious. Her voice dropped, subdued. “...Yeah, it was tough…”

Though, the report Gin mentioned was interesting. “Definitely a parasite. You guys uh, know your apparitions well.”

Layla exchanged a glance with Alizée, ghosting in the seat beside her, before addressing Trisha. She seemed a bit more at ease, which made Layla happy.

Connections…

Layla considered Trisha's question before opening her mouth. Sycamore was a touchy subject, of course. But she could answer in a way that made the answer easy to digest.

“I guess… I didn't want to die alone. Father Wolf is coming for all of us. And the group has made a little headway in trying to figure everything out. Not a lot of headway, but more than what I would have accomplished on my own, for sure.”

A pause, before Layla softly said, “You know, you could, uh… you could… always come back.”

Trisha looked at Layla incredulously for a moment. Then she laughed, and continued laughing, leaning towards Gin as she did so. If Layla really knew Trisha - or knew what the Sycamore dynamics were like - she wouldn't have suggested it. Sycamore had been a place Trisha had tried to make a home once, and then she'd destroyed all the relationships herself before it completely crumbled down around her.

“No thanks," she said eventually, once the laughing subsided.
“Go mention my name to anyone there and see how they react. I bet it'd be bad. Of the ones I've met so far, two attacked me, one implied some awful shit- though he's just a dick- and the other two were only polite cause they wanted to bang Leon. Not happening. I'm never going back."

Gin turned her head to the other girls at the table who were paying attention to the ongoing conversation.
”Oh, yeah… Leon x Aryin’s been super hot lately…”
”But that breaks my new ship…” Annalise whispered.

Trisha then gave a slight shrug, unable to completely hide the bitterness in her tone. It wasn't her fault that they all didn't like her… they didn't like her whole group. The rich clique, even though she'd mingled with everyone. But then the rich clique themselves… they always left her out too.
“If Father Wolf is gonna get me I'd rather it be when I'm with Casey than anywhere else, anyway…"

Her head then slowly turned around to stare at Gin.
“Can you not talk about that stuff when we're right here. I don't want to hear that about Sycamore members."

Layla was peeking up over the hands hiding the blush on her cheeks. “Leon and Aryin?!” Before she coughed abruptly, very aware of the fact this was not the direction Trisha wanted this conversation to go. To be honest, Layla'd rather avoid something that could be passed off as gossip about the others.

“Linqian joined them that night too," Trisha said under her breath.

She sobered up, her eyes growing dark at the mention Trisha had been attacked, among other unpleasant occurrences. That didn't sound like the Sycamore she knew. Of course, she simmered with the milder vegetables in the stew.

“Trisha… Can I ask… who?” Already, she was planning on making an appointment to talk with the perpetrators. They needed everyone's hands on the deck, after all.

As an aside, Layla smiled cheekily. “You should tell me more about Casey. He's your boyfriend, yes? I've… well I haven't met him… yet.”

“Adora punched me, and Lila's crow ate one of my bees… then we fought." Trisha said, relatively calmly. After all, the fight with Adora had gotten her a boyfriend, and the one with Lila had been pretty even.
“Don’t do anything about it. Leon already talked to Adora, and Lila… it was an even fight. And Casey shot her a couple of times."

Layla's jaw dropped a little. “Shot? Damn…”

She shook her softly. From what Trisha said, it seemed fairly resolved. But resolved in a bad way. There was still bad blood between Trisha and the Sycamore. Would it be just as well, then? What business did Lila even have drawing first blood?

Layla sighed a little, and continued to listen.

Trisha was quite happy to give names, and she did hold a grudge against both - but it was her grudge. And it would be hard to get around her part in it… especially with Adora. But talking about Casey was something she could do. Loved to do, in fact.
“I actually met Casey cause of Adora punching me. Him and Leon separated us… then we went to a bar, and it just continued from there. He's great. Really great. He's really kinda goofy, but it's cute, you know? And he treats me really well… goes out of his way for me even if he's a bit overprotective. He's great with the bees too. Always feeding them fruit, and they're already attached to him. He's just… really nice. And attractive. Living with him has been great too."

As Trisha spoke about Casey she started to smile, much more genuine than her other smiles that evening. Her eyes got a little softer too. She missed him… it hadn't even been that long, but she just wanted to go home and hug him.
“I’m sure you'll meet him at some point. He's nice to everyone- but nicer to me, of course."

As Trisha spoke, Layla's eyes grew starry and wide. The romance! It sounded like true love. Layla's smile matched Trisha's, and she let out a childish giggle.

“Aww, that's really sweet. I'm happy for you, he sounds amazing. It's always a good sign when someone takes care of something you care about. Of course, I uh, I'm no love expert! Just my thoughts.”

Her thoughts drifted a bit. Did she ever have a lover? Between the torture of the Riils, the Snake, and just trying to survive, nothing came to mind.

Except, of course, a ball of smoke and piercing eyes.

The Void Heart.

Was it even possible to love a ghost?

Alizée felt the heat welling up in Layla's chest, and gave the girl a small, playful nudge. Layla covered a hot cheek with a hand, and nudged Alizée back. A slight clearing of the thought, before Layla's eyes settled back on Trisha.

“Can I ask you something… A little personal, Trisha?”

“Uh… sure," Trisha said simply, tilting her head. Whether she answered it or not entirely depended on the question. Personal about her? She was unlikely to answer, or at least tell the truth. She didn't like being open about anything below the surface where she could avoid it.
“What is it?"

Layla had a serious look about her face, as if this was a thought she had been wrestling with privately for quite a while. “Well, you're not uh, actively a part of Sycamore, at the moment, though I believe you to be Sycamore in your heart! So, maybe I can share this… this doubt… with you…”

She leaned in, whispering. “Do you think Father Wolf could be… one of us? …One of the Sycamore?”

Trisha raised her eyebrows, before shrugging one shoulder.
“Could be. I wouldn't entirely be surprised if it was someone like Greyson or Sloane… neither have the right magic, though. Not sure anyone does. But there's plenty of motives in Sycamore. Or with people who haven't rejoined."

Layla stared earnestly, before nodding. “That's exactly my point. But whatever the issue with magic is, they could bypass that like this-” She snapped her fingers,“-with an artifact.”

She leaned back and shook her head, before raising her hands in a surrendering gesture. “It's just… if it's not demons, or godly apparitions, it's serial killers. Can't ever catch a break…”

Layla's eyes moved to Trisha's bees, staring for a moment. Curious. “Your bees are connected to you through a ghost, right? How… How does that work, if you don't mind my asking?”

“Well she gave me her abstraction," Trisha said, tilting her head. She… didn't really know how it worked for other Adjoined, especially people who's Apparitions spent a lot of time outside of them.
“She’s asleep most of the time. I can sense the bees' pheromones and they sense mine, and I communicate with them that way. I'm not sure how it would work if she came out… but the magic is mine. She just provided it. I don't know how it works for other Adjoined, but that's how it works for me." As she talked she reached up to gently stroke one of the bees on her shoulder with a finger.

“Asleep most of the time… huh…” Layla trailed off, deep in thought.

”Oh!-” Ginara broke back into the conversation, having dumped her voice lower so she could jabber on about the current events of Sycamore’s Canid Commando.
”That reminds me, uh… Before all that happened, we were planning on asking Tamara if she could roust the Queen! That’s… Sort of what Dadonda does, he’s a good talker.”

The massive creature turned his head slowly to look back on the direction from which his name came. He almost… Smiled.

Layla's eyes glowed up, “Really?” She looked from Ginara to the tortoise, then back to Gin, and fervently nodded her head. “Yes, yes. I want to meet her.”

She almost had puppy dog eyes when she turned her head back to Trisha. “Pleeeease?”

Trisha looked at Layla, not particularly affected by her attempted cute look, then looked over at Gin. She furrowed her brow, glancing over at the Apparition in question. She did want to talk to the Queen herself, but she just didn't want to agree to something she didn't fully understand.
“Rouse how? Magically or… just by talking? Will it force her to come out or just wake her up? I'd like that too, but I want to know how it works first."

”Well, they talk magically… Dadonda is, apparently, so old that he just knows things. Knows about other Apparitions, especially from our continent. But, remember… All lands were once one, so… He kind of knows everyone. If anyone knows what to say to wake her up, and to entice her out, it's Dado.” Gin was quick to explain, a grin forming across her face as her eyebrows waggled at Layla.

”I imagine he'd even have some things he could say to Alizée! A little jog for her memory, maybe? He does get in a little bit deeper than the average conversation…”

Layla beamed, nodding enthusiastically. Alizée's head tilted curiously, hesitating, before she too, nodded.

Trisha tilted her head, thinking about it for a moment. If it was just knowing things, or talking magically, that was fine. It should affect her… though she wasn't sure how the Queen would come out. If she came out.
“If it's talking and enticing, that's fine. Go ahead and try… hopefully it'll get through! She's especially sleepy, I think. Most others seem to talk to their Apparitions regularly? She's just content for me to look after the bees and do it all for her…"

Gin clapped both of her hands together over and over in a breakneck pace, finally shoving off the chair and walking over to Tamara. There was a small conversation, then something beautiful: While Tamara remained locked in the air, the tortoise grinned as it slowly waddled toward the table. He looked at Trisha, knowledge in his small, black eyes. Gin came with him, leaning on the now vacant shell.
”Alright, Girl Boss… Come sit.” she patted the shell. ”Or just touch. Give him some looooove-”

As she spoke, there was a writhing beneath the flesh of her face: Another face trying its hardest to escape in the moment. Gin, in the horror of the moment, simply laughed.
”Don’t worry, that won’t happen to you. It’s just Jek; he’s… rowdy!”

Trisha looked at the shell, then at Gin, expression not changing much at the appearance of another face. It was creepy, but she was used to creepy paranormal enough to not show that it creeped her out. She didn't really want to climb onto the Tortoise. It was a bit awkward to get onto someone else Apparition…
“Right- just like this?" And she put her hand on his shell.

There was a vague ripple, then like some kind of radio tuning in, Trisha would be able to feel static coming from the shell before a very clear voice wound up in her head.
”Theeeeere we gooooo…”
There was a deep breath, almost a sigh as he adjusted. Trisha would be able to feel his warmth. His smile. His energy tracked across her Emotional Field like the fingers of a blind beggar across the face of their long lost child.
”Trishaaaaa… Inheritor of the Graaaaand Hiiiiiive…”

All at once, the world around her grew dim, and in the scales of the Tortoise’s shell she would be able to see a reflection of the spirit within. The Queen, her Mindscape, and the dark hive within.

”Queeeeeen Seilleeeeeeean… I haven’t known yoooooou to ignore a gueeeest… There are debts unpaaaaaid, entities no longer extaaaaaaant… Won’t you come and greet your eternal ally?”

Trisha didn't say anything, but she looked at the reflection with a slight frown. It had been a long time since she'd seen the Queen's true form - the majestic Apparition so close to a humanoid shaped bee, but so much more, and so inhuman as well. Large, jet black eyes with flecks of amber stared back at her. It unnerved her at the same time as it thrilled her. The warmth, the sight of her sleeping companion of many years… There was silence for a long while.

”It’s been a long time since I've heard that name. I almost forgot it myself. It has been quite some time, Dadonda.” The smooth tones of the Queen - Seillean - echoed through Trisha's mind, finally. There was a soft buzzing behind each word, as if they formed the sounds of the letters.

And Seillean herself appeared… at least, in a form. Golden light bathed Trisha's shoulder, and a Queen Bee the size of a rat appeared in it - like a honey coloured ghost.
”I am tired. Entities come and go, debts forgotten, friendships and beauty lost… I've grown weary of it all. What is so important that you wake me?“

Dadonda gave a slow, rolling chuckle.
”You are no fool… The Child wishes to be closer to you. You sleep, and ignore her, yet take of her usefulness without praise. You were never so graceless.”

”You were always quite judgmental,” Seillean responded with a light, melodic laugh. She settled on Trisha's shoulder, rather than hovering over it - though there was no weight she could feel.
”I sleep to regain my strength. I do not ignore her. I come whenever she calls.”

It's been ten years, Trisha thought, sullenly - not quite thinking about how they were in her head. So of course it was heard, and her Apparition laughed again.
”Ten years is but a blink for ones as old as us. But perhaps you are right, and I have been neglectful. I'm always connected. If I sense too much distress I appear.”

Sure you do…
Another laugh. ”It is not often you need my help. But I suppose, this once I can come out in this form, if it is you and an old friend asking.”
Trisha's shoulders pushed up into a shrug.

Dadonda’s energy whirled about Trisha, once more reading her Emotional Field like a wizard pondering his orb. His ancient neck craned upward, perpetual toothless grin causing him to look so friendly…
”Seillean… To escape the ruins of our old world? I believe you are, as these children would say, depressed. Sleeping to avoid a world you have grown to hate. Mankind abuses your sacred spaces, and strips bare the fruits of your people’s effort. Yet, you find no desire to change them. Only to hide.”

His words belied that smirk.
”The Child once needed you, but you heeded her to break our ancient Enemy. Now, she is once more thrust into the fear and uncertainty of those blackened days… But this is little for her Human desire to be one with you. To give, and receive, as partners. I witness her, and acknowledge her efforts in her human capacity, to give a semblance of peace to your kin. Yet, you choose not to offer her guidance. Are you so unsure of yourself that you would not revel in control of the Kingdom of your Flesh?”

Trisha's eyebrows shot up to the top of her head, and her posture grew tense as Dadonda spoke so many thoughts she'd had. She didn't enjoy being read. Not for things like this but… she'd let him in.

”Unsure? I am not unsure of myself. But what point is there in putting effort towards a world that will never return to what it was? To be boxed again?” Seillean buzzed softly on Trisha's shoulder, though Trisha could feel her agitation in the same way she always sensed the bees. But she was considering it, not talking for a little while as each word was processed by the ancient being.
”She does not ask for guidance. Each time she does, I provide. If you wish for more, my dearest Beekeeper, you must ask. I cannot remain out like many of the others. It will confuse my Children after all your efforts to form a bond with them. I feel their love for you. You have truly cared for them as I would.”

“I just want your help. I barely know what I can do," Trisha admitted quietly.

”That I can do for you. There is much of my magic you've yet to touch… I admit, I have held some of it back from you out of fear of its use. I will teach you to use that eventually once you are more practiced.” There was a soft warmth across Trisha's shoulder as Seillean seemed to turn back towards Dadonda.
”Perhaps you are right that I am, as these children say, depressed. I do not like Mankind. But if I were to emerge, or detach from this Child, it would harm her more than it's worth, for I have grown fond of her. Our World may not exist anymore, but hers does.”

Dadonda nodded along.
”It would be wise and gracious of you to pass along all that you can: In your fondness, perhaps you can learn to love this world through her eyes. Witness my diminished form, and understand all that I have given to be here with these little ones… I hated them with similar dispassion, but she showed me that they are not all interested in wiping our world away. And that they can be taught to love what was without compromising what is.”

In that moment, Trisha would be able to feel the thousand forms Dadonda had taken through his existence… All the way to the primal. To a mountainous creature of chitin and primal energy leaking with radiant power. And then he was just a tortoise again…
”Stay awake for us, my friend. Paint their world like a canvas of flowers, tell tales of the beautiful white sunrises bathing those ancient fields in golden flame. You have so much to offer: Do not let yourself rot away.”

”For her and for my children, I will try. They do not see the world as any different as it was in those beautiful days long gone. They do not understand how diminished their forms have become too. But that can be changed. I will stay awake enough to teach and to witness.” She settled down again properly on Trisha's shoulder.
”I will answer swiftly when you call, and I will observe more frequently. Is there anything else you wish for from me?”

“Can you stay out a little bit longer?" Out of whatever this was, Trisha meant. It would be nice to… prove her Apparition existed. That they had a relationship at all.
”It will confuse the children. They might recognise my scents over yours.”
“That’s fine."
”Very well then.”

And at once, Dadonda retracted himself. Looking up, the girls had gathered around Trisha in a fervent circle of interest. A dozen Adjoined, their Apparition Companions clung or scattered about in various places: Even Serenity, who had until now been too embarrassed to make the greetings, had come out to sample just a taste of Dadonda’s calm radiance. But he was a giant, cyan-tinted tortoise just as he had been before…

And they all looked to Trisha as the last scale’s reflection faded to matte. The gathering seemed enthusiastic, as if they had all been witness and waited for the appearance of that golden bee… The giant Queen.

Trisha didn't like being stared at by such a large group of people - she was too used to attention being negative. That anxiety was always present even as she yearned to be noticed… but she managed to hide it well, like always, with a slight frown at all the onlookers.
“Were you all watching the whole time? That's a bit… creepy…"

There was a soft laugh from her shoulder. Seillean had remained there in that same form. A larger than normal, slightly translucent honey toned Queen bee. No larger than a rodent, but she dwarfed all the worker bees that suddenly crowded around her. Of course, this wasn't her true form. The one she had when she appeared in front of Trisha eleven years ago, and in the reflection of the scales. But that one took more energy and effort. This one was sufficient.
”Of course they would wish to witness that radiant show.”

There were cheers! Applause as the Queen spoke her first words into the air of the world she so desperately wanted to escape nearly drowned it out.
”See, Trisha!? She gets it!”

Layla watched, transfixed, before clapping along with the rest of the girls at the Queen's words. There was joy in her face, and a huge portion of satisfaction. This was her. And she was beautiful.

”Amazing. Beautiful. And so well-mannered. I feel like I'm staring into the face of Mother Nature.” Layla said, awe coloring her tone as she beheld the Queen.

Alizée stared, before giving the Queen a warm nod. “Welcome.”

The Queen seemed to look at each of the girls in turn - though it was difficult to tell, as she just looked like a large bee right now. But her body moved, and their Apparitions would be able to tell.
”This is quite the welcome, after all these years.” Her gaze fell on Alizée, then Layla. Though they couldn't see it, both would be able to sense she was smiling - a peculiar, sweet smell that all those in the group could sense and understand.
”I was once something like that, Young One. Centuries ago when this world was a beautiful wilderness.”

Trisha wasn't enjoying the attention as much as the Apparition who was practically glowing on her shoulder. The cheers and clapping just seemed… unnecessary and forced. Though it wasn't like it was for her. Suddenly she was being outshone by her own ghost. Of course… her expression didn't change much, but one hand rose to caress a bee to calm herself.
“Don’t get too used to it. This is for one night only, so get all your staring at her out now."

The Queen laughed lightly.
”Yes. It is still exhausting to maintain this form, and my children are rather unruly.” As she said that all of the bees that were crowding her stopped, as if admonished. They retreated into neat lines across Trisha's shoulder. She then looked back across the crowd.
”I see it is not only humans that are young… How curious. There is much I have missed by sleeping within my dearest Beekeeper.”

Trisha groaned softly, looking to the side in embarrassment. Maybe she should have asked her to stay out… but if she had, then what would everyone else say? Would they think they had a bad relationship? It was fine. This was what she'd wanted… So she looked at Gin a little awkwardly.
“Thanks for helping wake her up. I was wanting to learn more about stuff like this… her, my magic, being Adjoined, all that."

Gin was grinning ear to ear, staring at the giant bee on Trisha’s shoulder.
”Hey, I didn’t do it. This was the plan all along: You can go home and tell Casey it was a rousing success… As for me, I’m… Well… You know what I’m gonna ask, I don’t really have to say-”
Her eyes squinted at The Queen.
”-My Lady? Would you be so gracious as to let my peasant hands experience the most gentle caress of your fuzz?” she asked with great conspiracy in her voice.

“Oh…" Trisha looked down at her feet for a moment, feeling a flush of warmth come over her. Casey had planned this all along? No wonder he'd been so insistent she go… he'd been thinking of her the whole time…

While Trisha was thinking about that, the Queen was staring at Gin.
”No. I do not wish to have human hands touch my noble body." She almost fluffed up, as if letting out a huff at the thought.
“Can’t you make an exception?" Trisha asked quietly, turning her head towards the Queen. She felt bad that Gin couldn’t touch the bees because of her own lack of control, and because at the end of the day they weren't pets.
”For what reason should I allow you to?" The Queen asked Gin after a pause. A minor concession, allowing Gin to justify why she should get to experience the magical fuzz of her large bee form…

”Purely metaphysical research, my Queen… I need to determine if the fibers of your coat relate to a standard bee’s coat in terms of tactile sensation, or if your heightened state of being changes the composition! You see, we’re providing the Royal Keeper here with territory where your subjects will flourish, and our goal is to replicate the world you wish to see! We wish to bring Eden back! So, knowing the qualities of your coat may assist us in replicating conditions!”
Whoever the Gin was that freaked out about not touching the bees, she wasn’t here. Whoever Gin Jekyll was seemed to be far more adept at parsing out good reason and logic in order to entice a result, which was fairly impressive.

The Queen considered it. Trisha was impressed that Gin had managed to make her do that - after years of barely getting through to the Apparition. She wasn't so fond of the title but… that was just to butter up her Apparition, it was fine.
"Very well. If it is for my children and for a return to the primal, beautiful world I once lived in… I shall allow you to touch my radiant visage."

Without speaking, Trisha could tell what she wanted her to do - and for once went along with it silently. She held her hand out towards Gin, and the Queen delicately floated from her shoulder to her open palm.

Gin nearly rushed, but the loud voice in her head was reminding her that there were other ways of doing things. She cleared her throat, let her hand slowly crawl out, and began to stroke her fingers across the insectoid body of The Queen. The tips of her fingers were tickled by the bristly patches of bumblebee fuzz. There was no noise, no strong emotion: Only a gentle patting until she finally pulled away.

”Impressive… Soft and robust, like… Oh, my… My Queen? It’ll be incredibly useful if you would advise us actively. The simulated environment we’ve developed is based on the knowledge of very few of your contemporaries… Your perception of environmental factors is something we lack, as none are so attached to the land as you are.” Gin explained.

”If it is just my wisdom you are looking for, then I suppose that is something I could offer,” the Queen said as she made her way back to Trisha's shoulder. She practically fluffed up at everything Gin said. It didn’t take much, it seemed, to ingratiate yourself with her.
”I plan to pass all my knowledge on to my dear host. She can aid you, and I will offer my direct advice in cases that she cannot.”

”Your capacity for grace and charity aaaaare boundless, My Lady. I look forward to working toward our mutual goals.”
Gin gave a curt bow, her head rising with a wide smirk to look at Trisha.
”Y’know he’s gonna be super happy, right?” she asked playfully.

“Casey? He better better be after making me come,” Trisha said with a joking grumble, though she couldn’t hold back a soft smile at the thought of that. She was looking forward to getting home and seeing Casey later… she could tell him about the Queen appearing without going into detail about any of the worst parts of the night. And if he was happy they could have a nice night together, and she could just forget about everything else…
“Maybe she’ll stay out long enough to meet him too?” It was a question towards the Queen without directly asking her.

”I wouldn’t want to interrupt the blossoming love of a young couple with my magnificent appearance,” the Queen laughed lightly.
“Even if I’m asking?”
”... I am already tiring. I shall unfortunately have to go rest within you again soon.”

Trisha just about resisted rolling her eyes, looking back at Gin.
“At least you can brag about meeting her the next time you see him?”

Layla perked up, nodding towards Trisha. ”You're lucky. The Queen seems to really care about you. Though, I didn't know ghosts could get… so tired? Maybe it has something to do with age…”

Before her eyes widened, having almost forgotten. Her gaze spun rapidly to Alizée, and she was practically dragging the ghost around the table, past Trisha and the crowd, and towards Dadonda.

”Mr. Dadonda? Will you have a look at Alizée too please?”

Alizée only made a scrunch of her eyes, feeling a bit self-conscious.

Unable to speak without contact, the ancient Tortoise waddled close to Layla and purposefully swung his head under her hand. Lifting it with his head and neck, he gently placed the rather dainty hand upon his shell. All at once, she’d be able to hear him like she had while observing the process with Trisha.
”What does this child wish to know? There is little history to be had, as the Voidling is both foreign to Shimmer and quite rightfully an infant… We may speak of the Life which contributed its Lux to energize the birth, or of the Voidling’s former status as a Mortal Host of Shimmer… But she is stained in ink that even I do not wish to see beyond.”

Layla stared with wide eyes, surprised but not afraid as she found her hand upon the shell. Dadonda's voice was clear in her head, just like how Alizée's was. One look from Alizée and Layla knew the ghost could hear Dadonda.

Alizée seemed to be struggling with the concept of ‘mortal.’ However, she did have a desire. One that she was, perhaps, a bit shy to express.

Layla spoke aloud for the benefit of all to hear. “Go on Alizée, it's not every day you get an opportunity like this.”

Alizée ran a gnarled palm over her mask, before regarding the tortoise with conflicted eyes. Wanting eyes.

“I want… To know more about how I died. The events leading up to it. Anything.”

”You wish to remember pain.”
To his surprise, it seemed she was interested in something that Dadonda never would've recommended. Not every Apparition was built from the passions of a single individual, though it was a common enough origin. However, those who were generally avoided the feelings and emotions of their past. It created great instability in their natural Emotional Fields.

But she asked. He would give her what he could: The final moments that created her. Where the living Alizée, her passion and her pain, gave way to Alizée Vul. As the world faded around her, Dadonda's scales shimmered brilliantly until she was trapped within their natural tesseract.

Trapped. Suffocating heat. Sand. Struggles and screams and the ultimate separation between the Host and Void Heart itself. She would feel that energy crossing time and space to fill the gaps in between as claustrophobia gave way to empty skies. Faces all around, heads disembodied and frantic. Leon stood out, his stoic face breaking up into weeping tears… The final sensation of emptiness followed. The nothing of the Void that her soul was dragged into.

Then, the egg in which she formed herself. The chains binding it in place. The willpower gathered as pooled Primal Lux around it, to keep it warm and sealed away from the other beasts in the dark.
And all at once, it was over. Alizée would be left with a distinct sensation of loss and emptiness.

Dadonda rested his head gently upon Alizée's hand, keeping her slightly held there.
”Are you satisfied with your pain?” he asked calmly.

Alizée stared, but her eyes were unseeing. Lost in a time long ago. It took a moment before she twitched, her body physically reacting to the unloaded information. Her free hand raised to the corner of her eyes, where steam curled up. A voidling's tears.

She blinked, surprised, before she looked down at Dadonda's waiting expression. Layla was looking at her with pained eyes - She saw everything.

Alizée's distorted voice warbled, trying to speak, before she lasped into silence. Like a shadow following the light, her head turned, trying to find Leon, if he was still in the room.

He had cried over her death…

“Not many did. Are you sure… You want to be abrasive with the Temple?” Layla said mentally, speaking softly. Dadonda would be here to hear them, due to their hands on his shell.

“...Maybe you're right. You know I'm just trying to look out for you.”

“I know…”

A pause, before Alizée glanced down at Dadonda. ”Yes… Seems I had a stronger tie to the Temple than I initially thought…Thank you, Mr. Dadonda.”

Dadonda’s head kept Layla’s hand pressed against his shell.
”The love of some is not the whole. The institution will crumble beneath the pressure of the tide: Stick close to those who love you. Who truly love you. You cannot afford to be The Fool again.”
The leathery little skull twisted on its telescopic neck, leaning into Layla’s hand just a rather human-like affection. Like he cherished her.
”We will always be right here.”

Layla smiled back, glancing excitedly at Alizée, before her gaze returned to Dadonda, and she nodded.

And then the head pulled away, and the scales began to dull back into their normal patterns and colors. Dadonda kept his knowing grin across his beaked face while his cumbersome body began to turn in place to begin heading back toward Tamara.
As Alizée had looked around, she would’ve easily been able to see Leon keeping his distance in a different part of the hall, though he hadn’t stopped listening or watching as his eyes were eerily locked onto what was happening. When their eyes met one another, he softly smiled and raised his hand from the table to wave.

Ah, so he was watching.

Alizée stared for a moment, before she returned the wave. The steam of her tears had dried, but the scraps of memories were very much fresh.

Was she, in fact, in the right place after all? Among friends?

Before the thought could continue, Layla was pulling Alizée back towards the table. ”Come on, let's not make them wait.”

And the two found their seats once more at the Silent Sisterhood's table. Layla once again found her eyes drawn to Trisha, and her Queen Bee. Her eyes widened in realization.

“Wait a second, since the bees listen to you, Trisha, aren't you technically like, an actual queen?”

“Of the bees, yeah," Trisha said, looking at Layla like she was asking a bit of a stupid question.
“They view me as their Queen Bee - so technically, yes. But that doesn't really mean anything outside of my bees."

The Queen was still on Trisha's shoulder, but she was flatter - seeming to be lying down. Sleepy again.
“In a normal hive the queen bee wouldn't be able to command their home in quite the same way I do, either. It's because it's magical I can be so specific - and I can use some of my pheromones on people too." Trisha explained evenly.
“The bees aren't magical outside of me, understanding me, and their age… Most of them are about ten. So older than Alizée."

Layla gave a light chuckle. ”Everything's older than Alizée. Still, though, that's pretty amazing. I suppose you never feel lonely, right? You always have the bees to keep you company?”

Layla's head turned to the side, recounting something, before she looked back at Trisha sheepishly. ”You know… I'm pretty sure I've been over to your house before. It's really nice. The uh, Halloween event. Bean invited us over for an after party. Apparently your bees were chilling in your room…”

“That’s not my house anymore," Trisha said abruptly, eyes narrowing slightly. She was hung up on what Layla had just said… she’d never feel lonely. It was like it was invalidating the past ten years when she'd felt so alone even with the bees. She loved them, and she didn't know what she'd do without them but… they didn't replace other people. They didn't fill the gaping void inside of Trisha that had her moving from person to person each time a relationship failed. It wasn't helped by Layla calling Sabrina ‘Bean’. While Trisha said Sabrina was her favourite, in reality they had very little of a relationship to talk about.
“So that was you? Other Sycamore, I guess? The bees were pretty stressed out by it… so I wouldn't say they were chilling."

Layla's hand moved to her lips. “...Oh. Oh jeez, whoops.”

It wasn't really the truth, the bees weren't bothered by other people so long as they didn't bother them. But it had stressed her out a little the next day.
“And you're right, I never feel lonely thanks to them. Especially now I have Casey too. That's why I didn't want to come here, I don't need anyone else."

”She's hurting.”

”I can tell…”

Layla fumbled with her words for a moment, before her gaze was drawn off into the distance. ”You know, I was really lonely, before all this. Only me and my demons.”

She flashed a weak smile. “Which is why talking with you is… actually really nice. I uh… well, I suppose I don’t really have any, well, close friends.”

Layla perked up a bit. “Say, when do you think you and your boyfriend would be free for a hangout? I'm uh, pretty free.”

Trisha looked confused for a moment, before she managed to hide it behind her slightly sullen expression. Talking to her was nice? Really? So few people thought so… she didn't really believe it. Layla was just saying that to appease her… but why? It wasn't like she'd been especially grumpy. Most people just escalated.

But she wanted to see Trisha again - with Casey. That would be even more comfortable for Trisha. She found herself… not so against the idea.
“Of course talking to me is nice… I'm not sure when we'd be free. We're both pretty busy." Of course it was a lie that she was really busy - but she was busy being with him.
“Especially Casey. He's technically on call all the time… but I'll, uh, ask him. And let you know."

Layla nodded eagerly. ”That sounds good to me.”

[FernStone]

Home

By the time Trisha got home, the effects of the strong alcohol she’d had were beginning to lessen. Still tipsy enough to be even more blunt than normal, but not so drunk that her ability to think was hampered. It was pleasant, now, and she found herself relaxing as soon as she got across the roof and into their little space. Her home. A place that actually felt like home thanks to Casey, even when he wasn’t there.

It felt like she could just forget everything she’d learnt tonight for a little while. Relax, have some time to herself, and then a night of promised cuddling when he got back. It was late already but… she didn’t feel tired. She wouldn’t need to sleep for a while.

Thankfully she didn’t have to go out again. She was quick to get changed out of her dress and into more comfortable home clothes. She stole one of Casey's sweaters - the one he'd worn that day and left on their bed after he got changed into his work clothes. It still smelled like him... It gave her a bit of comfort as she hugged it around herself, even though it functioned more as a dress than a jumper on her. Pushing up the sleeves until she had arms that were practically just bundled fabric was a small price to pay for the warmth she felt wearing it. Like he was there without actually being there.

But that relaxed feeling left as Trisha grabbed some leftovers from lunch and made her way into their den, finally checking her phone to send a quick text to Casey letting him know she was home.

Ten missed calls, and ten voicemails.

They were all from Ezra’s assistant. The first was very polite, and normal, asking her to call ‘Mr Vanburen’ as soon as she could. By the fifth, she was incredibly insistent that Trisha pick up the phone or to just listen to one of the voicemails and call him. Almost panicked. The ninth she was just straight up frantically begging Trisha, and she was audibly sobbing by the tenth.

Trisha had no idea what was going on, but between the panic and the sobbing it must be something bad. Was Ezra dying? No, he definitely wouldn’t reach out to her. Were all of his businesses failing? That didn’t make sense either… unless he was so desperate for money that he needed some from Trisha. Maybe that was it. His assistant was sobbing because she was about to lose her job. It really couldn’t be anything else.

There was no point calling his assistant back - she’d just be redirected to Ezra anyway. So she went straight to him, as much as she really didn’t want to. Her interactions with him were always short, neither wanting to waste time on the other more than they had to. Hopefully this would be the same.

She lounged back on the large, green couch and switched her phone to speaker mode as it rang Ezra’s personal number. She didn’t even wait for him to say anything first when he picked up.

“What do you want, Ezra? If you’re going bankrupt I can’t return the allowance from a month ago, I already spent it.”

“Funny, allowances is what I wanted to talk to you about, Trisha,” said Ezra. His voice was stern and stoic, strange considering how long it had taken Trisha to get back to him as well as the alarm in his assistant’s messages. “But first, we haven’t spoken in a while. Is there something you would like to share with me?”

“We choose not to talk to each other." Trisha rolled her eyes - not that he could see it. Of course that was what he wanted to talk about. It was always about money with him. He clearly wasn't dying or going bankrupt, so she didn't really understand why it had been such an urgent call… and why he was bothering with the niceties. No, it didn't feel like niceties. It felt patronising. Like whenever her mother would call her and ask if she had anything to say to her, but had already decided she'd done something wrong. What could it be- oh.

“Tansy told you about my boyfriend, didn't she? Yeah, sure, I have a new boyfriend, I moved in with him last week- that's not really stuff you care about, is it? Why would I specifically tell you? Unless you're suddenly trying to replace dad and take an interest in my personal life- which I don't want."

Nor did Ezra. Out of his siblings, Ezra held Trisha with the highest amount of regard, an honor that was significantly less impressive the further someone was able to discern how much he truly cared about the other Vanburens. Not speaking to her was the highlight of his week. If giving a generous monthly allowance on top of what they already received from the family’s trust would keep the others from pestering him then he would’ve already done it. Unfortunately, Tansy would insist upon carrying on the family tradition of spending the holidays together, and for whatever reason some of his siblings liked pretending to tolerate one another, making the investment an impossibility.

At the very least Tansy would be able to serve as a scapegoat for where he got his information from, feeling that it was best for his other future investment to not reveal her as the source of his information. Wait, hold on, did Trisha just say…

“You already moved!?” said Ezra incredulously as the phone garbled what sounded like a loud smack. On the other end of the line, Ezra held his head in his hand. “Look, normally I don’t care what you do or who you choose to do it with. In fact, I love not knowing. You’re an adult. You can make your own choices. Now that said, this is the fucking stupidest thing you’ve ever done. Do you even know who this guy is?”

If there was one thing moving in with Casey was good for, it was getting a genuine emotional reaction out of her normally stoic or fake siblings. Trisha would rather not have to deal with it at all. Ezra not caring generally, along with the money he gave her, was one of the reasons she found him most tolerable. So she wasn't particularly happy that he was questioning her decisions now. Calling her stupid. Sure she knew the decision was fast- but it was her life! And honestly, it was one of the best she'd made.

“Yes I do, Ezra," Trisha snapped. She pulled herself up into a sitting position, hunched over her phone as all that earlier tension started to come back. “We went to highschool together. Had some classes together, were friendly enough. And his older brother was in that… summer group I was in ten years ago. So I do know him, even if we haven't dated long- not that it matters!"

Of course, that she and Casey knew each other in highschool was a lie. The exact same one she'd told her friends, but what was she going to say, the truth? That part of the decision was trying not to die to some insane magical serial killer, and a whole bunch of deeper issues she'd never tell anyone? “Why do you even care, stupid decision or not? One less burden for you if he kills me- which he won't. Or are you worried about your reputation? That's it, isn't it? It's not like you actually care. So just keep staying out of my life."

“You’re damn right I’m worried about my reputation. I’m worried about our whole family’s reputation,” said Ezra, not even bothering to hide his motives. Their name was more powerful than anything else the Vanburens had. “But what you should be worrying about is your reputation. You’re dating a cultist, Trisha, or at least you think you’re dating him. Have you never read a book? Watched a movie? Listened to a podcast? Come on, you’re smarter than this.”

“You’re being recruited. This is what these whacko cults do. They look for important, powerful people and try to indoctrinate them by having an attractive person lovebomb them so they can use them as a cash cow and give their stupid bullshit idea that everybody is made from light and stardust some fucking legitimacy. You’re being targeted because you’re a Vanburen. It’s just a goddamn honeypot. Let me guess, this guy was the one to suggest you live together?”

Trisha was silent for a moment. Casey had suggested they live together. But he'd been perfectly honest with her from the start with the cult. Mostly. He hadn't told her about the apparition suppressant. But most of it. She'd known about the spying, and Casey wasn't part of it again by choice… really. He was pressured into it by his mother.

“Yes he did- but I'm not being targeted for my fucking name or money. If I was he would've jumped to Tansy the moment she started flirting with him! I haven't bought anything since we've started dating. He won't let me! Worst honeypot ever if that it's. But it's not. Maybe his mother wants my name, but he doesn't." Trisha glared at her phone, voice raising. She was pissed now… again. After the day she'd already had she wasn't in the mood to deal with anything else.

“I know they're a cult, and I don't buy into their bullshit. I've told them that- he knows that. He doesn't even buy into the bullshit! I'm not stupid. I don't- and will never- believe any of that. I can date him without being involved… and we are dating. If you're right- which you're not- well fuck, you can tell me I told you so. Kick me when I'm down! But I don't give a fuck about my reputation because I finally have someone who actually likes me."

“Right, right, you definitely sound convinced. No history of putting blinders on,” said Ezra flatly. “So just out of curiosity, are you moving into an underground bunker or is there a campground that you all will stay at with the other new recruits?”

“Oh yeah, I'm in my tent right now, enjoying the outdoors," Trisha retorted sarcastically, rolling her eyes again. She couldn't deny that she was often wrong - but it wasn't the same this time. It really wasn't. She was wrong about how toxic people were, jumping into them too fast and- wasn't that what she was doing this time? No, it wasn't. And she really wasn't joining a cult.

“We live in a really nice rooftop apartment, just the two of us. There's even room for my beehive. You're welcome to come visit if you want- but that would be too much effort for you, wouldn't it? You just want me to agree and leave him."

“Please let’s not pretend like you’d actually want me to come visit,” said Ezra with a laugh. “And no, I don’t want you to leave him.”

Ezra shook his head on the other end of the line. It was of course a lie. It would be much less of a headache for him if Trisha wasn’t dating someone in a cult, no matter how much they claim to not be part of a cult. However, he knew well enough that if he forbade it she would only doubledown even harder on her latest flight of fancy, perhaps even fully indoctrinating herself in to the Temple not due to their manipulation but simply as a fuck you to Ezra. Wasn’t it a regular play of these new religious groups to try to separate someone from their family as soon as possible anyway?

“I just want you to be careful. Maybe you don’t care about your reputation, but I do. Specifically, I care about your reputation when I’ll be unable to attend a gala or get through a press conference without some fucking paparazzi asking me about my little sister singing Kumbaya around the Wicker Man. Remember the fucking PR nightmare after Tansy’s drunk driving incident? Do you know how much business opportunity the family lost just because she lightly tapped a kid on a bike? That was money out of your pocket too, Trisha. You want to be like her?” said Ezra.

“I’m nowhere near as stupid as Tansy," Trisha hissed, having gone from rolling her eyes at Ezra's overly annoying speech to pissed off in exactly the way he wanted her to be. Even the suggestion she'd be anything like Tansy was disgusting. Of course she remembered the incident - she'd made digs at Tansy about it for months. “You wouldn't catch me dead doing any of the cult shit. We barely go out anyway- and normally it's just us, no weird shit. He's been out of the cult for years. You're more likely to be asked why bee attacks keep happening around your sister."

The last bit was muttered, but not so quiet it wouldn't be picked up by the phone on speaker mode - along with the light buzzing that came with it as if the few bees with her were responding. Trisha forcefully silenced the bees with a command… Ezra didn't know about magic, after all. “I don't not care about my reputation, I just care about him more. I am starting my own business after all. There's no need to fucking worry anyway… No paparazzi will get near us."

Her last words, ominous as they were, were delivered nonchalantly. Casey had powerful White lux. He'd notice anyone watching them. As for why she bothered telling Ezra about the business? Mainly the alcohol still circling in her system.

The suspicious sound of buzzing bees was soon responded to with the equally suspicious sound of an office chair squeaking as Ezra sat up in sudden interest as if the smell of capital gain pulled him upright. “You’re starting your own business?”

Trisha let out a short, snorting laugh. Of course everything else went out the window as soon as she mentioned a business. She was surprised he didn't immediately scoff and say she could never do something like that. Assuming that would be the case was part of why she'd never even considered it earlier. “Yeah, I said that, didn't I?"

After her typical snide comment, she continued with an actual explanation. Did she have to explain it to him? No. But loathe as she was to admit it… she always wanted some kind of approval from someone in her family. Anyone. But preferably one of the ones she actually viewed as smart, even if she still didn't like them. She continued to speak in a way Ezra would've rarely heard - not quite excited, but actually engaged in something. “It’s selling my honey. Before you say the markets oversaturated and shit- yeah, I thought so too. Have you heard of the chef, Andrade? He has four restaurants in the city. Tansy dragged me to one once… he believes my honey is as valuable as this other honey he got from the Turkish mountains, worth like a thousand a jar. Some of its being used for mead, and it reached sixteen percent - rare in the mead market. So it's good."

“And locally sourced,” said Ezra almost in a whisper, as if he was planning the mass marketing already. Ezra couldn’t believe the beekeeping shit was paying off. And here he had assumed that Trisha had just gotten into it because it had been some lame internet trend.

“That license for selling is pretty expensive, and given how oversaturated the market is, the cost for materials has to be a bitch,” said Ezra. Unless she got a secret part-time job then he knew precisely how much money his sister had been taking in a month, and he couldn’t see Trisha busing tables or pouring coffee. “Doesn’t matter if you can sell a jar for a billion dollars if you go belly up before you reach market. How’s your financial plan looking?”

“Uhhhhh-" Trisha wasn't able to hold back the little noise of confusion. Was the cost for materials really that bad? What materials was he even talking about? She had everything for honey collection, she had her bees, they had a hive, they even had access to pollen year round. Fancy packaging? She was floundering a bit here, and hated it. She knew the bees, she knew the product, but she didn't know the business… and she didn't want to admit she'd been letting the Temple take care of that in the background.

“Technically I already ‘sold’ the honey I've been collecting for years. That funds the… materials… which I'm pretty sure I already have. There's bees, a hive, manual honey collection equipment, I bulk bought jars. The bees are low maintenance-" financially, at least, even if they were emotionally high maintenance. “I have some money saved from my last contracting job. Once the bees start producing honey again in a few weeks I'll be able to start selling- the chef I mentioned, Andrade, already wants more. I don't think I'll have to worry about customers. So, that's how it's looking."

“Wow. Almost sounds like you have some idea of what you’re doing,” said Ezra, the sarcasm lost in the fading of his voice as he shifted his phone from one ear to the other. “And you don’t find it…peculiar that the celebrity chef that is also the apparent sole customer of your business just happens to be a member of the same cult your boyfriend is in?”

How the fuck did Ezra know about Andrade being part of the Temple? Where they that fucking open about it. Trisha was silent for a moment, pressing her head into her hands as she tried to figure out how to explain this in a way that didn't make her appear stupid. Why did she even care about his opinion? Well… sadly this was one place where his opinion mattered. No matter how poor her opinion of him, Trisha wasn't petty enough to deny his business acumen. It just made it more frustrating. Good job, Trisha, failing before you even start.

“First customer, not sole customer. And it's not suspicious because they… technically… are involved in the business… working with it. But there's no contract, so I'm not sure what cut they're taking. Fuck, I should've got a contract." There was more background buzzing as Trisha tried to clamp down on her agitation. At this point, she might as well just be honest about what was happening with it. Or a bit more honest. “It’s part of my boyfriend's agreement for the apartment. The rooftop space allows expansion for my beehives."

“Your boyfriend’s agreement?” said Ezra in clarification, real sounding concern in his voice. “So you’re transferring your supply source to a property that you do not own? And none of this is protected by anything other than a handshake deal? No proper paperwork proving what is yours is yours?”

With each question from Ezra, Trisha pulled herself in tighter until her knees were close to her chest and she was a tense ball. There hadn't even been a handshake. Anxiety, barely suppressed normally, gripped her. If even Ezra sounded concerned… she'd really fucked up. She'd just trusted Casey and Andrade with it- not that she didn't trust Casey, but what happened when they broke up? If she'd grown her hive and didn't have her space? All her connections and new equipment would be gone. She needed some kind of paperwork. But she also didn't want to sign anything with the Temple.

“Yeah there's no paperwork but they can't take the bees." Trisha's anxiety came out as a sullen reply, taken out on the person she was talking to rather than admitting that he was right and that she'd fucked up. “They’ll sting anyone who tries. Everything else can be replaced- there's no business without them. And they just can't take them. It's not possible… and they lived in a property I didn't own before! I've never owned a property. But there's no fucking way they can take them unless they rip something out of me."

“Well, they lived on family property so it wasn’t really an ownership problem then. I could get my guy to draft up some pap—wait, what?” said Ezra, the bit about ripping something out of Trisha finally registering.

Trisha's brain stalled for a moment. How did she explain her magical bees to someone not magical without sounding crazy? Why had she let her agitation get to her enough to say that last bit? “My bees are special. They're extra attached to me- they won't produce honey without me, so there's no product without me, and they're basically like my children so it would be like ripping my soul out. Metaphorically."

Great job, Trisha, you managed to make yourself sound crazy anyway.

“Right.” There was a long pause before Ezra’s voice came back over the speaker. “I don’t think that’s how bees work. Whatever. Look, if you want I can give you the number to my lawyer to help draft up some contractual agreements to cover your ass, because right now Andrade or your boyfriend could just take all the profits from this bee sweatshop—sorry, family owned and operated hive—you’re running.”

“It's not a sweatshop, bees make honey naturally, and they get bored when they can't- it's annoying over winter normally. They're very happy- I can't tell," Trisha said before she could stop herself- doing an amazing job of not looking more crazy. It was that fucking alcohol Tamara gave her earlier! While she thought she'd mostly sobered up, obviously not enough to stop her from just spouting out shit she normally didn't want to.

“Yes. I'd like the number of your lawyer. I need something on paper." It was all said very tersely, compared to the strange enthusiasm she spoke about the bees with. It was, after all, close enough to admitting that Ezra was right and that she'd fucked up here. As she got more agitated the buzzing in the background of the call got a bit louder… and closer. One of the bees had decided the phone was the source of the problem, and was trying to intimidate it by getting really close and moving its wings rapidly at it. It made her next words muffled by buzzing. “You’re not going to want a cut, are you?"

“Technically, given that it was my money that funded this project I do qualify as an investor and I’m probably owed some backpay for my investment,” said Ezra matter-of-factly, before letting out a quiet chuckle. “I’m fucking with you. If you’re ever interested in expanding we could talk about becoming partners, but it sounds like this is something you want to do on your own. But let’s be real—it’s absolutely a nightmare working with family.”

The buzzing of the bee was met with a challenge from the phone as it chimed from receiving a text message.

“There’s the guy’s number. Some processing fees are involved with drawing up contracts, but your allowance should cover that,” said Ezra. “If you ever have any questions about running operations, or one of those Temple jerks tries to change up your business structure then don’t hesitate to give me a call.”

“Are you sure you're not dying or some shit? You'd actually pick up a call from me? You wouldn't make me make an appointment through your fucking assistant again?" Trisha found herself laughing, and relaxing somewhat. Maybe Ezra wasn't so bad… when talking about business. Like how she could be with the bees.

Even as Trisha relaxed, that one bee was really not having it with the phone. The bee continued buzzing, having skittered away at the chime that came from it. Then she boldly approached the phone, climbing right on top of Trisha's phone.

“But sure, I, uh, appreciate that. I do want to do it on my own- oh my fucking god, get your butt off my speaker-" Trisha herself and some very loud buzzing cut her off as she was speaking, reaching out to scoop up the bee that was sticking half its body right on the speaker of her phone, while being incredibly close to touching the hangup button. She switched her phone off speaker mode and brought it up to her ear with a frown. “Sorry, bees- I definitely don't want to work with family. No offence. So… don't tell Tansy. Or anyone else, but she's the one that can't keep her mouth shut."

Ezra furrowed his brow. He supposed he could screen his own calls from Trisha if it meant keeping a lifeline tied around Trisha so he could yank her out of the cult when she inevitably started to drink the kool-aid and avoid the nightmare that came with that.

“You’ve got my direct line,” said Ezra. “And I won’t tell Tansy.”

Not like that mattered. Tansy seemingly had her way of knowing what was going on with every Vanburen’s life no matter how private they were, always having her fingers covered in the latest dirt. It was like she had an army of paparazzi working for her. Hell, knowing her, she was the one who probably tipped them off anytime the family went anywhere. Unlike Ezra, Tansy didn’t believe in bad publicity.

“Just do me one favor,” said Ezra. Here it was. The other shoe, finally dropping. The static over the phone seemed to buzz a little louder in Trisha’s ear as Ezra let the anticipation build. Then, “Could you send me a jar of that honey? I got to know what a thousand dollar honey tastes like.”

Trisha had been preparing for something unreasonable. Like moving back out, or sending some kind of reports to Ezra, or even some extreme where he told her not to get pregnant out of fear she'd get trapped in a cult that way when that definitely wasn't a possibility- but it wasn't. Trisha let out an audible sigh of relief. Thankfully she'd kept a few jars for herself before handing almost all of it off to Andrade - while she ate so much she often got sick of it, she also craved it if she went too long without it… it was resistable, but why bother?

“Sure, that's easy, I have some unopened jars lying around still. I can just send it to your office?" Trisha frowned as she thought about it. Was the honey really that good? Confident as she could be talking about it, she still didn't really believe it. “I think it's better if you-"

Trisha stopped talking as she heard a click, and the telltale sounds of footsteps that echoed round their small home. She moved to lean over the couch, enough to look out the door and catch sight of Casey's face. He didn't look anything like normal. The opposite.

“Shit, he looks ready to kill someone," Trisha muttered under her breath - brain to mouth filter still not working well enough to keep it a thought, or think about how close her phone microphone was to her mouth. “Gotta go, boyfriend's home, I'll send you that honey—"

“—Wait, what?” Ezra’s voice was cut off as the call ended.

---

Tarantula Hawk: Casey Interlude Two | Worthurs Labs > Home

---

Casey’s wrist flicked up, his watch illuminating his eyes and causing them to shine. It’d been fifteen minutes since Clarissa entered the facility: A large ranch-style home spanning three wings and almost four-thousand square feet of living space, sitting atop three subterranean floors of some of the most caustic and dangerous magical machinery one could think of. There were machines actively relying on open portals to generate their own power, as well as transferring things without the use of conveyor belts in order to maximize the usable square footage of the facility.

Whatever they were making, or what significance the project had in relation to Eden, he had no clue. But he knew things were so intense on the bottom floor that only a select few Abberations were able to get down there to work. Those particulars were, he presumed, in attendance at the monthly meeting… Same place as Trisha… He hoped she wasn’t having an awful time, but he couldn’t linger on it. He couldn’t go soft now, not as the timer in his watch told him that work was starting.
”If I ain’t out in fifteen, assume we ain’t made a deal.”

He’d long since rotated to a more intelligent entrypoint than the front door, especially as he could feel a heavier waking concentration of people at the front of the house. He knew they’d all try and break for the Lab’s first floor once they realized what was happening… But for now, he’d pushed around the fence and into the garden in the rear of the facility. The gate code was his to know, leaving little in the way of resistance of entry.
There were people out here, of course, even with the sun gone and the cold air around them: Mary didn’t let people smoke inside. There were several sitting areas with heat lamps beaming down an orange-red light onto people puffing away.

At first, they didn’t notice him trudging through the flower beds toward them. Dragging his hand across the ground, he channeled an orange spell that echoed through the dirt and rock around him hunting for electric signals. Catching the wires of the heat lamps, there was a loud electric buzzing noise that indicated their overloading, followed by yelps of pain as the electronic heating elements arced with tiny bolts of lightning. Forcing the machines to draw as much power as they could, eventually they exploded into radiant fires that caused the people to scream and scatter away from the benched areas and into the dark.

Illuminated by flame, Casey had easy targets. The shotgun came up, and he took one last deep breath.

Thwack, thwack thwack thwack, thwack thwack, thwack, thwack thwack

There were screams. Confused screams as chests exploded and limbs turned into hot pink mist. Buckshot Plus, one of his favorite enchanted rounds, packed ten times the amount of double-aught buckshot pellets as a normal cartridge… It created a variable wall of pellets that ripped large portions of the target apart with the viciousness of a bomb blast, leaving little in the way of identifiable tissue.

Nine shots meant the tube was empty, and he had one left in the chamber. At the behest of its master, the holstered pistol ripped itself out, spinning on its axis and gunning the last runner down in a hail of silenced forty-five. A pulse of White Lux rushed across the outside property, revealing it was empty. He could feel a large presence of human heartbeats and Lux signatures under his feet, but he knew that was safe for now.
Moving forward, he slid the rear door of the house open into a communal space, loading the next ten shots into his magically silenced shotgun. It was like shooting fish in a barrel, the only sensation being recoil over and over again. In his mind, he kept counting.

A running count. He knew an exact number of people who were supposed to be in this facility, confirmed by both a staff census and the final security report of the day before his men cleared out. Out of fifty-four, twenty-eight had been slaughtered on the first floor as his deadly quiet rampage turned into a desperate struggle of the few who knew enough magic to defend themselves.
Of particular note, Casey found himself face to face with a friend from long ago: A Red-Purple Adept of some skill who was known for his mastery over telekinesis among his peers. Bullets didn’t work at first: He was far more skilled at creating barriers than actually fighting with his magic, and had managed to box Casey off in a room while the others tried to escape.

But Casey’s own mastery of Orange, and his creative if not sadistic mind, saw the use of the home’s constituent pieces as nothing more than part and parcel. His influence over objects and mechanical functions meant that standing near anything was bad news. The automatic vacuum machine, the little automated disk that cleaned the floors, zipped up next to the Adept, bumping into his leg to distract him before the lithium-ion battery inside violently erupted into a ball of fire that ignited him.
His focus turned to himself, removing the barrier holding Casey in place and covering himself to smother the flames.

Just enough time for Casey to load a very special shell: A Disruptor, which created a magical blast of Blue Lux that prevented Channelers from producing spells. The Adept’s barrier around himself failed, and only when he realized that he was magic-constipated did he cry out for mercy. He didn’t know it was Casey, as his face was fully covered, so there was no appeal to reason he could produce that would make a difference. But the fact that he had any time to plead at all gave Casey a terrible sensation of pain. A pain he had to kill… He lashed out with the gun like it was a club, striking the Adept in the face with the hardened metal barrel.
He tumbled to the floor in a heap, convulsing. Taking two steps, Casey felt the enhanced strength provided by his enchantment as his leg arched backward and sprung forward. Kicking his old friend in the face, he could hear the skull fracture into a hundred little pieces that shot out like shrapnel. Almost without his input, the holstered pistol loosed a shot of its own as it passed over the fresh corpse, ensuring that it was dead for good.

He didn’t think about him anymore… Only taking down the few he managed to help flee. But just like he suspected, they made their way deeper into the facility, rather than fleeing out into the night. He was getting to the heavily secured “basement” door just as it was sliding shut. They probably assumed they were safe, given the facility was well jammed against teleporting in. It had to be, or the thousands of portals running the machines would probably invite all sorts of demons and other horrors.
So, it was probably more of a nightmare to hear the gentle beeping of the keypad being opened with the override code. A nightmare to see that giant in black standing at the top of the stairs. A nightmare that ended quickly as they were washed away in bloody chunks.

“Miss Clarissa, please! Please, they’re coming, please don’t do this!”
Casey could hear a familiar voice pleading. Shrieking. Mary Worthurs, the leader of their coven and owner of the facility. As she screamed, she witnessed the torrent of pellets and blood tumbling down the stairs and into the main processing area of the facility where their offices were. She was slamming on a door, but quickly turned and screamed in bloody horror as her covenmates’ giblets coated the floor and wood in sticky red goo.
Casey’s boots, and the legs attached to them, were enough to drive her into a panic. Rather than stick around, she quickly turned and began to flee toward the ramp that led down to Basement Two, or B2, leaving the floor of B1 eerily silent. Looking up, Casey could see the silhouette of Clarissa in a window overlooking the loading area. She’d locked herself in the office…

He stood for a moment waiting for her to realize he was there, then he could see her come away, down, and open up the office door.
”Eight.” was the only thing she said to him. The door closed just as fast as it opened, and he added eight to his talley before turning and moving on. Casey wasn’t there at this point: Only a machine wearing his skin. A puppet master pulling the strings to make his flesh dance. It had to be… These were innocent people, their only crimes were being involved with a stubborn old woman, and not doing more internally to change her perception.

Mary Worthurs was to blame. This was Mary Worthers’ fault.
They fucking earned it. They fucking earned it. They fucking earned it.
As the facility drew on and on, there were an infinite number of places for people to hide. It became less of a chase, more of a hunt: A hunt that was becoming difficult to sustain as the machinery became more densely packed and complex. The signatures coming off of each machine affected the perception given to him by his White Lux. Finding those who weren’t Purple Adepts was far easier, as they didn’t match the machines. It was those technicians, the ones responsible for doing most of the maintenance and whose spells were almost certainly the origins of the portals running them, that gave him the most trouble. In times like these, scorched Earth would be the general plan, but the destruction that would be caused if he decided to start blowing machines apart could wind up catastrophic.

There were enough portals in small Lux-based fixtures that regulated their size and flow that if they were to crack open, who knows how big of a hole would be left in St. Portwell? So, the situation required a full adjustment on his part. Hunting for Lux was useless, thermal traces were useless, air displacement was less than useless…
Detecting direct biological function, as difficult as it was, wound up being his only option. Hearts beat: They only beat so fast before they just stop and you die… But even then, there was a not-zero chance that they’d be able to suppress the noise with some kind of Purple fuckery.

Mid-stride, like a malfunctioning machine, Casey ceased all movement. He was in the middle of a throughway between blocks of machines.
Why the fuck am I doing this? What the fuck is wrong with me; these people don’t fucking deserve this! I know them, I’ve seen their fucking faces, I’ve spoken to them as a friend- As family! I’ve helped these people, brought things to this place!
All at once, Casey felt a great upheaval in his stomach. The balaclava and mask both came up barely in time for his mouth to clear the cloth barrier. Vomit splattered across the floor as he heaved up everything he’d eaten that day until his knees were shaking.

Already slick with blood, the trail of bile left streaming down the front of his plate carrier wasn’t a concern. What was a concern was the force with which he was toppled and shoved into the pool on the floor. Hot, wet stomach acid and chunks of undigested pastries splashed like he hit a roadside puddle, and though he tried his hardest to get up, he felt himself pinned.
Purple Lux swirled all around him, and he realized what was going on quickly. Especially as multiple voices began to speak.

“Just keep it pinned!”
“Auntie, it’s… He’s-”
“I know! I know it’s hard, just… This is our only chance! Get the gun!”

No… No, no no… Idiots…
Struggling against the pressure of half a dozen low-power Adepts wasn’t fun… But they clearly didn’t want to kill him. They just wanted to be safe, right? Casey saw feet starting to shuffle around him, pressure pinning his torso to the ground like his plates were made of solid gold.

But they’d shown their hands.

His lips moved to the nozzle attached to the camelbak with the various magical substances in it. Healing wasn’t necessary yet, but if they did try to hurt him, it was best to have things in motion prior. What he was really after was the Pepper Jam- A spike in his Lux capacity meant more energy he could dump into a spell, or spells. At the same time, he could taste the mild sweetness of the banana custard mixing in. There was a slight tremble against his body, and suddenly the weight was gone. He wasn’t aware of it in the moment, but their telekinetic shackling was easily pushed back by a bolstered Emotional Field. Far enough that he could move freely again…

Only, he chose not to. He felt the relief on his chest and let himself take a deep breath.
”M-Mary!?” he growled, making it seem like he was still under pressure. The pudgy woman nearly shrieked as he spoke her name.
“O-oh… Oh my Stars… Casey!? Casey Richoux!?”
”Mary, please… J-just give it up! I don’t want to do this, Mary!” he warned with great concern in his voice.

There were a couple of sobs, some back and forth between those gathered to try and parse out what was happening. They were clearly confused about Casey’s participation…
“Why are you doing this, Casey!? You’re the Blade! The sword and the shield! Y-you’re… Supposed to save us from something like this! Why are you-”

”Mary!... Don’t be stupid! There’s still time for you to leave, I promise! Just go! Escape! Be anywhere but St. Portwell and I swear to our God that you’ll be left alone… I don’t want to hurt anyone, Mary!”
“Then why have you!? What in the hell have we done to deserve this!?”
”I’m so fucking sorry, Mary… I… You know what you’ve done! You know-”
“Because I wouldn’t hand over my life’s work to Clarissa fucking Natale!? Because I wouldn’t buckle to the whim of the Blade’s Consort!?”
”You. Went. To. Lynette…”

There was silence. It was cold silence. Dead silence… Then the noise of sobbing behind the cup of her hands as she pressed her face into them. Her words were muffled, but he could feel the weight lift off his Emotional Field. She’d told them to… Let off?
“Help him up…”
A few hands slipped under the back of his carrier, hoisting Casey’s massive frame up to his knees out of the pool of vomit. It leaked down the front of him, dripping back into itself on the floor.
“What the fuck were you doing, anyway?”
”Throwing up! You think I want to do this shit, hunting fucking innocent people like animals? You're all hiding, the adrenaline… I got sick to my stomach.”

Mary’s face was sullen, scared even. She was doing her best to cling to Casey’s shotgun, and now the barrel was pointed at him.
“Good… You can die regretting what you-”

There was a clapping sound maybe fifteen yards down the lane. Casey knew what a .38 sounded like, and he knew what’d happened instantly. Clarissa, watching the security cameras, had almost certainly seen the group starting to creep up on him as they let him get further on into the facility. Rather than tip them off and warn him over the intercoms, she simply used him as bait.
The .38 slug ripped through Mary’s arm, and Clarissa forced it to spin inside before rotating and coming out of the shoulder. The pain caused her to scream, scaring the others around her. He didn’t have time to think about what he was doing anymore…
The pistol on his hip came up shooting, one bullet flying into the concrete floor of the subterranean factory, followed by another that split the shin of the first target. By the third shot, he was aiming for the upper torsos.

Thwack, thwack, thwack, thwack, thwack, thwack-

He was surrounded by corpses… Corpses, and a screaming Mary Worthurs. A cursing Mary Worthurs.
”A fucking plague on you! Plague, death- I hope your children burn to death, I pray you never see-”

Clarissa was already there, one foot sweeping out and driving a heavy, weighted boot into the side of Mary’s skull. She screamed again, moaned in pain, and could only sputter as Clarissa’s violence became far more personal. One leg swung over the woman so that Clarissa was situated overtop of her.
”How- Dare- You- Make- It- Lynette’s- Problem… You- Stupid-”
Each word was punctuated by Clarissa’s fist driving deeper and deeper into Mary’s face, bolstered by telekinetic assistance until the subject no longer screamed or squirmed. She punched until there was no head left.

As the horror unfolded, Casey looked about the area: There were still two… But they were standing not far off, watching as Clarissa did what she did. They’d come with her? He drew the pistol upward, aiming at them and letting two shots go. He was sure that Clarissa would’ve wanted that… He knew how she was.
Eventually she calmed down enough to draw back and take a hot, steaming breath of balmy air. With each technician gone, their spells were fading and machines were grinding to a halt. Catastrophic failure of machine parts, aggregate heat of metal grinding against metal without magical lubricant…

Her head turned to the two who had given up- the two who had traveled with her down to this level in the hopes that they’d have been allowed to continue under Clarissa, rather than stick with their loyalty to Mary. She started to laugh. Still, she had her back turned to Casey, who for a moment imagined what the world would be like with one less monster…
But a flood of his childhood rushed in. Nostalgia. White Lux bombed the area in a strong reactionary release…

And then he started to throw up again. It caught Clarissa so off guard that she spun on her heels.
”Oh my God! Casey, sweetheart, what’d they do to you!?” she was instantly the concerned Aunt again… She only loved her tribe. Only her closest. He didn’t push her away for fear of how she’d react, but as she wrapped her arms around him, he didn’t reciprocate.
”N-othing… Just… I don’t want to be here anymore.”
Clarissa didn’t hesitate. As per their agreement, the job was complete. Her last end of the bargain was getting him back home, which she promptly opened a portal into the hall of the hidden floor. The offices. Home. Checking the clock as they both walked into the office, Casey realized how late it’d really gotten. It was almost midnight…

Theo was sitting in the main seat, but quickly cleared out as the two of them came in. Clarissa didn’t have to verbalize what she wanted; Theo was used to scenes like this. His only job now was to bring Casey’s footlocker from the Black Room, so that he could divest himself of his filthy uniform.
Hardly worse for wear, Clarissa plopped him down in his chair and began to unbuckle the straps of his carrier for him. She pulled every bit of armor and kit he had off, all the while singing a lullaby from his childhood that would’ve put him to sleep had he been relaxed… But he wasn’t.

Finally, he mustered the energy to say what was on his mind.
”That… Was unnecessary.”
Clarissa paused for a moment, clearing her throat.
”That was a job well done. I know it hurts… But if an animal is terminal, you don’t let it suffer.”
Casey turned his head, shoving his face into his hand. It muffled him a little bit, but the sentiment was clear.
”Who decides what’s terminal Clarissa? You? Mom?”

”God determines.”

There was a longer pause as those words bounced around the little office. Clarissa’s eyes locked with Casey’s, and the two stared into one anothers’ souls for longer than they’d ever done. There was no Lux exchanged. There didn’t need to be. It was an unspoken conversation having to do with what they truly believed…
And it was then that Casey finally realized that some people really had come to enjoy the poisoned juice. Finally, she smiled deeply at him as she’d done a million times, and ran her hand gently through his hair.

”Now, go wash up. Enjoy the rest of your week. I’m sure Mummy will understand if you need to decompress. But, I promise you: It’ll get easier.”
And then she slipped through the floor in a portal, disappearing completely to leave Casey alone. Theo interrupted the rapt silence of Casey’s internal pain with the dragging of the locker, but taking one look at his boss’s face made him unwilling to stick around.

”U-uh.. I’m g-glad you’re home safe? Trisha made it back a little while ago; she’s upstairs safe and sound. She’s on the phone with some dude named Ezra? From the-
Casey’s face turned from abject horror and sadness to concentrated fury.
”What? What did I tell you both about monitoring upstairs?”

Theo’s blood ran cold.
”N-not… Not to worry about it while you’re here!?”
”I said don’t. Just that. Don’t. Fucking. Monitor. My. Apartment.”
”Y-yes Sir!”

Casey stood from the seat and started to unzip his jumpsuit, taking a deep breath.
”Now spy on someone else for fuck’s sake… I’m going to shower.”
And he was gone in a flash, slipping into the office bathroom. Theo could hear him vomiting for the next few minutes before the shower finally kicked on.