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 Posted: Wed May 11, 2016 3:24 pm
“It’d be so much easier,” Autumn sighed, unlocking the front door and waiting as Rosalinde sprinted inside, “If the things that ******** us up were clearer. As it stands, I’ve been in this a few months, and I’m still lost. I feel like… since so many people guided me, I owe it to everyone to reach out. Make sure nobody gets their s**t kicked by faeries and deer and men made of fire.”
She snorted.
“I’m telling you, you think being a bird is bad? Don’t meet the burning man. Don’t EVER meet the burning man.
It was funny, in a ******** up way, how her nightmares had shifted from fire and smoke to her own claws gutting a man’s heart. Her own pain to someone else’s. Would it only continue down this path, the further she delved into Other Ashdown’s story?
“I’m… working on it, though. Getting past it. It’s just so—“ Vivid. Real. It haunted her, she could hear his broken sobs, and couldn’t shake the devastation on his face. It was just so painful, having such a raw and intimate knowledge of a man she’d never met. Lucas had known the dude biblically, and Autumn still had the leg up. It was the worst.
“Anyway,” She cleared her throat, shaking her head. “I know you have lemonade, but can I make you some tea while I look through what I’ve got? You wouldn’t believe how many potions you can get made on a Saturday night when you don’t swipe right on Tinder so much.”
Autumn went to the fridge.
“Tell me how you met Lucas while I dig around in here?”
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Posted: Wed May 11, 2016 3:25 pm
"Yea. It takes a while." It was never the pain you inflicted on yourself that hurt the most, but the realization of the pain you'd inadvertently caused others. It was hard to truly apologize for it. What could you say? I'm sorry certainly didn't cut it. "It'll get better though, with time. I won't pretend to know what you've been through, but I had my fair share of guilt to deal with when I first got back. I understand - to some extent."
He followed her to the kitchen and leaned against the doorway, thinking about everything she'd said. There was something that stuck with him - If something weird happens, don’t pretend it didn’t. Which was what he'd been doing all along, assuming there was no such thing as magic, and that everything could be explained by coincidence.
But suppose it wasn't? That meant he probably needed to have a longer chat with Lara Lupin and learn what exactly she knew or didn't know. If her dog had said she could see throw his eyes, that had to mean she was close to controlling it.
"Oh, Lucas? A donation drive at the station," he said, lifting his eyes from the ground that he'd been staring at, lost in thought. "He donated a bunch of stuff, came over to say hi. He's a good guy."
And there was a lot going on there, with him and with Thorne, that Rylan hadn't taken too much time to think about lately. It was all so complicated. Everything seemed too complex all of a sudden, and he kept wondering if now was really the time to dive headfirst into a relationship.
He'd said to Lucas once that his life had been, so far, one long excuse to avoid the inevitable failures of romantic pursuits. Maybe that was still true. Maybe it always would be.
"How do you know him?"
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Posted: Wed May 11, 2016 3:25 pm
“I was taking selfies of me and Rosalinde in the park one day. And if she brushes your leg more, don’t mind her. She’s a slut.”
‘Opportunist, dear, get it correct,’ Rosalinde mewled, going about the aforementioned leg-rubbing with Rylan. He reeked of dogs, but really, this was another excellent choice in males of her species. All in all, Rosalinde was pleased with her lady. ‘He reeks of the fake one, though. Just in case you didn’t catch that.’
Autumn pointedly ignored her.
“Rosalinde can grow any kind of flowers, anywhere she desires, and is kind of. Um. Not a typical cat. She can find me entrances to Other Ashdown any time she wants,” and as if to do nothing but prove Autumn’s point, Rosalinde purred against Rylan’s leg, causing his pants to sprout flowers. Roses, to be precise. Autumn turned from the fridge and narrowed her eyes at the cat, who meowed innocently.
Flirty little s**t.
“So we were in the park modeling flower crowns, he asked if Rosalinde was real, and kind of jumped head-in into realizing there’s magic.” Autumn quirked a smile. “Don’t know how well he took it, but he knows.”
Her head went back into the fridge, and hm. What would be most helpful for a guy who was turning into a bird? Let’s see… there was the dreamless sleep, energy, muscle relaxant…
“I thought he was hot, but I can see he’s got a great guy or two in his life,” she called, shifting a few bottles. Autumn paused, then popped back out with a s**t-eating grin.
“How about sexual confidence? Ah? Ah? Yeah? Ah??? Nah, I’m just ********’ with ya. I have some stuff for sleeping better at night, though. A lot of other things, too, depending on what ails you.”
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Posted: Wed May 11, 2016 3:25 pm
"Roses, huh," he said, thumbing one of the petals. That was... weird. "She seems sweet." Then again, maybe that was all part of her ploy. What for, Rylan would probably never know. He bent to tickle his fingers along her head, wondering why Fidget would say if he could talk. Probably something about the dog park and running along trails. The Dalmatian was not the smartest of dogs, but he made up for it in boundless enthusiasm.
And then, in spite of everything that was on his mind, it was Rylan's turn to grin. "Sexual confidence? Thanks, but I got plenty of that already."
Which wasn't a lie. It had never been the getting laid part that had troubled him. More the part that came after, the part where he was supposed to fall into a relationship and be happy and all. Somehow, unconsciously, he'd always shied away from it - the psychological remnants of years of getting bullied in middle school. He'd turned all of that around by becoming strong and even now his mind resisted the idea of being vulnerable. Vulnerable was bad.
"Eh, great guy I wouldn't call myself. Just a mostly decent one, I hope. But it's all a little new to me too." Relationships. Men, to some extent. It wasn't the first time, but the greater percentage of people he'd ever been remotely attached to romantically or sexually had been female.
He fixed his gaze on Autumn, totally alright with moving on to less heavy topics of conversation. "You said something about Tinder? How are the pickings around here?"
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Posted: Wed May 11, 2016 3:25 pm
Autumn couldn’t help but bark in laughter as Rylan bragged of his sexual confidence, finding the laugh a much-needed relief from the heavy s**t weighing on her soul. It was… nice, in a way. That knowing what she’d done, what she orchestrated, someone didn’t see her as a monster like she did. It was just something small to have faith in.
“Real talk? The fact you call yourself decent over great says a lot about you. You’re looking past my s**t, and as far as the birds tell me, Lucas is happy around you. I might have to grill you further when that gets serious, but for now, I approve.” Autumn offered a wink, then reached back into the fridge.
“Tell you what. I’m going to send you home with something to help you fall asleep, and something for the muscles. Rub it on, gets rid of your aches in ten minutes.” Autumn pulled the two bottles out, and walked over.
“You get into s**t deeper, I can start making you more… protective things. For now, just keep an eye open. Go by your gut, try not to start s**t.”
As for the Tinder question? Autumn gagged. <******** AWFUL. I’ve had maybe one decent lay, but. I’m off it now. Don’t spread it around but uh. Kinda grabbed myself a bae,” she grinned sheepishly, looking away. The thing with Deacon was new, but she was just… over the moon. It was keeping her grounded, despite all this s**t.
“I feel like you two would hit it off.”
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Posted: Wed May 11, 2016 3:25 pm
"Grill away, my friend," he said, spreading his arms wide. "I'm an open book." It wasn't an exaggeration. There was nothing in his life that he felt the need to run or hide from, and certainly nothing that he couldn't share with people. The way Rylan saw it, every step, every misfortune had shaped him into who he was today, and he was damn proud of who he was, if only because he could tell himself with confidence that yes, he was the good man his parents had raised him to be.
He studied the bottles curiously, and looked up to catch Autumn's eyes. "Just like that?" He said in wonder. "Where does this stuff when I was rowing? Could've used some of this potion more than a few times." He gazed back at the bottles with appreciation. In the last 14 or so years of his life, being sore had been... more or less second nature. It was just a part of him, he spent so much time breaking down his body and rebuilding it. But he certainly wouldn't complain about something that was supposed to help ease some of that.
"Try not to start s**t?" He'd do his best, no guarantees. Not that he would intentionally go on a rampage, but looking out for traps was not something he'd be good at.
He laughed aloud at Autumn's reaction to Tinder. "Fair enough," he said, shaking his head. "Not really the place to look for boyfriend material. But hey, all the best to your new maybe bae. If that doesn't work out for whatever reason, I know a guy. An old buddy of mine, coming into town next month."
Who would, at the very least, be a good lay. If not exactly boyfriend material.
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Posted: Wed May 11, 2016 3:26 pm
"If you couldn't tell, there's a lot of s**t going on in this town. I really don't want Lucas getting wrapped up in it," Autumn admitted, a sad smile touching her features. "Since I'm already so involved, I'm gonna do the best I can to keep him safe. But if I fail... Just be there for him."
She paused.
"Hell, be there for him even if I don't fail. This is a lot to take in, for you and him both. That's the kinda support you'll need." She was ******** lucky to have found that in Deacon. He was everything she'd been needing and more. Kind, understanding... Stupid ******** hot. But that wasn't a thought she needed to voice aloud here and now to Rylan.
Besides that, if they ever met, Rylan would have to be blind to miss how goddamn good looking Deacon was. <******** RIGHT THOUGH?" Autumn agreed whole-heartedly in response to the soreness. She wasn't quite as big as any of these guys (thank god), but she spent a decent chunk of time at the gym, lifting weights and kickboxing. While there was a certain associated level of soreness, the discovery she could make potions to prevent that had been a dream come true.
"I'm actually happy to make you a regular batch, if you'd like. Having a set order keeps me practicing brewing, and makes sure I don't get complacent." A mock cough. "Or distracted by The Real Housewives of Georgia."
She liked Rylan. She really, really did. He was going through s**t, but it was clear he had a good head on that smoking hot body. He would be the kind of stability Lucas needed in his life. Autumn was tired, certainly, but the happiness she felt for her friend- however estranged they presently were- was genuine.
"I'm keeping my fingers crossed that things don't fall apart with Deacon, but if for some ungodly reason they do, I'll give you a call," she teased.
"And... Thanks. For sticking around to chat. It's making feeling human just a little easier."
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Posted: Wed May 11, 2016 3:26 pm
"I can do that," Rylan reassured her. He had no doubt that she was right, that sooner or later they were all going to need all the help they could get. "That's my job. Literally."
But knowing when to ask for help for himself? That was another matter. This meeting with Autumn was the closest he'd come to it in a long time, and it had been born of minor panic and thorough confusion. Under normal circumstances, Rylan wasn't sure what he would've done - but it probably wouldn't have involved going to a perfect stranger and asking for information.
"I'll probably start overtraining until I realize just because it doesn't hurt doesn't mean I should do it," he said with a small shake of his head. "But if you're offering, I'll take you up on it." Even if it was just once in a while.
"And you do that," he said, grinning. "He's a good guy. Objectively attractive. But we'll save that for if you ever need it. He's not always good at behaving when there's a beautiful woman nearby."
Reaching for her shoulder, he gave Autumn a comforting squeeze. "And listen, sometimes that's all you can really ask for. If I made you feel even a little bit better, then I'm doing my duty as a fellow human being."
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